Report From Parliament Hill
Eric Melillo, MP, Kenora Riding
Dear Constituents
It was a pleasure to attend the Kenora & District Chamber of Commerce’s awards banquet. Our region has so much to offer, and it was on full display. Congratulations to all the award winners.
I also spoke to Mayors, Councillors, and municipal officials at the Kenora District Municipal Association’s annual conference. I provided an update on the work I have been doing, major legislation the House of Commons has been focused on, and reaffirmed my commitment to working with municipalities to address issues impacting our region.
Supporting Farmers to Bring Home Lower Prices
I am proud to have supported Conservative Bill C-234 at all stages in the House of Commons. This bill will remove the carbon tax for farmers and help lower the cost of groceries—which have been skyrocketing under this NDP-Liberal government.
However, Trudeau-appointed Senators voted to gut the bill before sending it back to the House. The panicking Liberals are resorting to every trick in the book, trying desperately to prevent farmers from getting a carbon tax carveout for grain drying, barn heating and other farm operations.
This is ahead of Justin Trudeau’s plan to increase the carbon tax by 23% on April 1 as part of his plan to quadruple the tax.
Canadians have already been left out in the cold by this government, which voted down a Conservative motion that would have removed the carbon tax on all forms of home heating. Now, Liberals want to continue with their plan to quadruple the carbon tax on farmers, a tax that will continue to increase the cost of food for Canadians.
The Parliamentary Budget Officer has made clear that this bill will save Canadian farmers $1 billion by 2030, reducing the cost of food for Canadian families currently struggling to afford groceries. When you tax the farmer who grows the food, and you tax the trucker who transports the food, you tax the Canadian who buys the food.
Conservatives have introduced an amendment to reject the Senate’s amendments and demand the bill be passed in its original form to support farmers and families. The NDP and Bloc must hold to their original vote for this bill and support Conservative efforts to reject Senate amendments.
Conservatives will also keep fighting to axe the tax to bring home lower prices.
Working for You
If you’re planning to be in Ottawa and are interested in attending Question Period or taking a tour of Parliament, please let me know and my office can help reserve Question Period and tour tickets.
As always, if there is anything my office can assist you with, please call me at 807-223-2182 (Dryden) or 807-468-2170 (Kenora) or email me at eric.melillo@parl.gc.ca.
Sincerely,
Eric Melillo
Member of Parliament
Kenora Riding
Thirty-two teams competed in the 21st Lil Bands Native Youth Hockey Tournament, which ran from Jan. 29 -- Feb. 4 at the Dryden Memorial Arena...