Conservatives with farm families against hidden fuel tax

To the Editor:

In a country like Canada, we are blessed to be able to go to a grocery store and buy what ever we need. It might be expensive but it is accessible, thanks to the hard work of farm families.

These resilient folks, many of whom are generational farmers, endure long hours and all weather conditions to provide food for our tables.

Yet, family farming has gotten incredibly difficult over the past 10 years of Liberal government. Statistics Canada has found that realized net farm income fell by 26 per cent in 2024, the largest single-year decline in over a decade.

Meanwhile, rising costs for fuel, fertilizer, and feed continue making farming less economically viable and drive food prices higher.

Now, a briefing from the Department of Agriculture just revealed that the costly Liberal Clean Fuel Standard will increase fuel costs by 13 cents per litre for gasoline and 16 cents per litre for diesel by 2030. This will burden farmers and producers with expensive fuel taxes, increase transportation and production costs throughout the entire supply chain, push food prices even further upwards and cause yields to decline and operational expenses to rise.

When farmers are taxed more and the costs of shipping and producing our food goes up, every Canadian household pays the price.

Conservatives have stood with the farmers by putting forward legislation like Bill C-234 to give farmers relief from the carbon tax, so they can help put affordable food on Canadian tables.

That is why I am calling on the Liberals to scrap the hidden fuel tax. As the MP for Peace River – Westlock, I will continue fighting for common sense policies that support farmers, lower food prices and restore affordability for all Canadians.

Arnold Viersen
MP Peace River – Westlock