Carbon taxes “brainwashing and bullshit”: trucker
“If anyone could tell me where the money is going, and how it’s helping Canada’s environment, I might believe it,” says trucker Gerry Black. “This is not just a tax on fuel – it is a tax on everything you buy.”
Carbon taxes outlined in Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Earth Day statement are “brainwashing and bullshit,” according to Ontario trucker Gerry Black.
“If anyone could tell me where the money is going, and how it’s helping Canada’s environment, I might believe it,” Black notes with scepticism. “As it is, it’s just brainwashing and bullshit.”
In his Earth Day statement, Trudeau said “The Government of Canada will continue to lead in the fight against climate change. Since September alone, we have launched $53.6 billion in green recovery and climate action. In December, we released our strengthened climate plan, A Healthy Environment and a Healthy Economy, which includes major investments to help us fight the climate crisis, reach our environmental goals, and create a cleaner and more competitive economy.”
“This plan,” Trudeau says, “will make it easier for Canadians to choose zero-emission vehicles and improve the energy efficiency of their homes, and expand clean transportation across the country, including by electrifying public transit systems. It will continue to put a price on pollution and more money back into people’s pockets, while helping Canadian businesses create low-carbon products and cut their emissions.”
“Meanwhile,” Black points out, “consumers are trying to buy older vehicles because they are better trucks and less expensive to run.” He says that at more than $60,000 for even a brand new pick-up truck, “I’d rather buy an older model and put $20,000 into upgrading it.”
Far from being a tax which affects only those paying for fuel, Black points out, “it is a tax on everything you buy, from food to clothes to lumber. EVERYTHING you purchase. What proof do we have all this extra money will help the environment? Governments spend it on whatever they want. It’s just another tax.”
Canada’s 2021 Budget, delivered on April 19th, says “Building on recent investments, Budget 2021 proposes to provide $17.6 billion towards a green recovery to create jobs, build a clean economy, and fight and protect against climate change.”
Earth Day has been observed in Canada for 30 years.
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