Jeremy Patzer

Mr. Speaker, one of the things we are trying to do here today is give the government an opportunity to admit that there is an affordability crisis. It is actually pretty simple. We cannot fix something if we are not willing to admit that there is a problem, so we are giving the government a chance to show some humility and understand and admit that there is an affordability problem. The chief whip for the government got up and was talking about this bill that was passed, which is supposedly their big affordability measure, yet the government has actually done nothing to improve affordability for Canadians. Canadians do not want food stamps and cheques from the government. They want the ability for their own cheques to go further. I was wondering whether my colleague shares those same thoughts and concerns.

Mr. Speaker, the member is from the Prairies, and so am I. He knows that the backbone of the prairie economy is the family farm. Family farms tend to be a little smaller than the bigger commercial farms out there, but small family farms are probably being hit the hardest when it comes to skyrocketing diesel prices, because the margins they are operating with are very tight. One farmer talked to me about the price from last year and what he is planning for for next year, and he said he is looking at a difference of between $40,000 and $50,000 on his small family farm just in the cost of diesel for him to put the crop in the ground and get the harvest off. He has to plan ahead, and he is penciling in a difference from last year to next year of $50,000. What does the member think this farmer is going to do? He cannot pass that cost on. He has to absorb that cost. That is why we have this motion today. What does the member have to say about that?

Mr. Speaker, last week I met with Kelly, a grain farmer from back home. His diesel bill jumped over $26,000 this year from last year. That is $26,000 that he cannot use to buy groceries for his family or put toward next year's crops. He has no choice but to absorb this cost because grain farmers cannot pass it on, and he has to plant and harvest his crops no matter the price. The Liberals could offer real relief on his fuel bill for next growing season by voting for a motion to remove all federal taxes on diesel. Will the Liberals do the right thing and support our emergency fuel relief plan to save Canadians like Kelly some money?

Madam Speaker, the member mentioned the Pacific link pipeline and some of the other projects that the federal government has undertaken, but I want to read a quote from the environment minister's website, which says that she has “taken a strong stance against oil sands expansion, and has promoted the critical need for a transition from fossil fuels to a low-carbon economy” and that “She has shared the priorities of local environmental groups with her colleagues in Ottawa.” With the environment minister's actively telling people that she is against oil sands expansion, how can the member actually stand up and support a pipeline that increases oil production in the oil sands to get out to the west coast?

Madam Speaker, I really appreciated my colleague's speech. One thing we both do is represent Saskatchewan and people who live in rural areas. A lot of people from rural communities drive into the city of Regina, and they support the rural economy that exists in Saskatchewan. Could the member explain to the Liberal government, and particularly the member for Winnipeg North, how important it is to pass this motion to support the rural economy in Saskatchewan?