Chrystia Freeland, Canada’s finance minister, stated on Tuesday, in her opinion, record-breaking high gas prices were a reminder of why Canada needs to move faster towards a green economy.
At a news conference in Brampton, Ontario, where she answered inquiries on worries about the possibility of an impending recession, Freeland made the remarks.
“From my perspective, this price increase in fuel costs is a reminder of why climate action is so important, and why as a country we have to work even harder and move even faster towards a green economy. It’s an insurance policy against higher energy prices,” she said.
While other G7 nations are giving their citizens a gas tax holiday, the Trudeau Liberals have refused to give citizens a break making it one of the only G7 countries not to.
The UK, Italy, Germany, France, and Japan have all taken similar measures after US President Joe Biden called on Congress to suspend the federal gasoline tax for three months two weeks ago.
According to Jonathan Wilkinson, minister of natural resources, the government does not currently have any plans to lower gas prices but is instead focusing on increasing supplies to assist ease the pain at the pump.
According to Freeland, putting a price on pollution would push the nation to transition to a green economy.
“In terms of energy prices and the carbon price and Brampton families, I think it’s important to remind people that our price on pollution is going to help the whole country transition to a green economy. It’s going to make us safer in the future and protect our planet,” she said.
Freeland then said the federal government needs to balance helping make living more affordable for Canadians and and how the government will pay for its fiscal spending policies.
“I am very aware of affordability challenges everyone in Canada is facing. We need to balance what we do in terms of affordability with the need for fiscally responsible policies right now. The last thing our government wants to do is to pour fuel on the flames of inflation. We don’t want to make the problem worse, so we’re always looking for a balance between supporting families and fiscal responsibility. And that means that nothing is off the table,” finishing with no mention of any type of relief for pain at the pump by saying her “personal mission” is to “talk to Canadians” and see how Canadians view the economy.
