Announced yesterday, the Liberal Carbon Tax directly affects agriculture. My Conservative colleagues and I believe it is extremely important to study the costs of this Liberal Carbon Tax on the agriculture industry. At the Agriculture Committee today, we introduced a motion to do a study and report to the Minister of Agriculture:

“That, pursuant to Standing Order 108(2), the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-food conduct a pre-budget study on the effects that the recently-announced, Liberal Government carbon ‎tax would have on ‎the agriculture sector and producers; that this study be comprised of no less than four meetings to be held at the committee’s earliest convenience; that departmental officials‎ from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and Environment and Climate Change Canada be in attendance for at least one meeting; that the committee report its findings and recommendations to the Minister of Agriculture no later than February 15, 2017.”

Agriculture is the backbone of our rural communities. This large tax increase will negatively affect every food producer in Canada and cost every Canadian more money. The government should be supporting farmers, not stamping a huge tax on their priceless contribution to our tables. Canadians need to know how much this Liberal Carbon Tax will cost agricultural producers. It is the Agriculture Committee’s duty to hear from Canadians regarding the effects to the agriculture industry.