Conservatives Challenge Liberal MPs to Vote for Lower Diesel Costs to save Canadians money and fuel ourselves here at home.

Ottawa, ON – Melissa Lantsman, Deputy Leader of the Conservative Party of Canada, Sandra Cobena, Conservative Shadow Minister for Treasury Board & The King’s Privy Council, and Pierre Paul-Hus, Conservative Québec Lieutenant, released the following statement calling on Liberal MPs to vote for the Conservatives Emergency Fuel Relief Plan:

“Conservatives are calling on Liberal MPs to support our motion to cut diesel taxes, produce more fuel in Canada and save Canadians money.

“On September 28, diesel cost approximately 24 cents more per litre in Canada than the U.S. average and 31 cents more than the world average, with all prices measured in Canadian dollars.

“Wars and global turmoil affect fuel prices everywhere. They do not explain away the extra cost Canadians pay. The Liberals cannot control every event overseas, but they can cut the taxes and remove the barriers driving up fuel costs here at home.

“Conservative pressure has already pushed the Liberals to suspend the federal fuel excise tax and extend that relief beyond Labour Day. That means 10 cents less in federal tax on every litre of gasoline and four cents less on diesel. We fought for Canadians to keep more of their money, and we got results.

“Now Liberal MPs must help finish the job. Having acknowledged that cutting fuel taxes saves Canadians money, they should vote for more relief.

“Our Emergency Fuel Relief Plan would cut taxes now while getting the refineries, pipelines and storage built to fuel our country with our own resources. The Conservative motion calls on the government to adopt six concrete measures:

Save You Money Today

  1. Eliminate all federal taxes on diesel sales until at least Canada Day 2027.
  2. Scrap diesel production taxes by permanently eliminating the federal industrial carbon tax and the Clean Fuel Standard.
  3. Eliminate the diesel price gap with the United States within five years.

Fuel Ourselves at Home

  1. Create emergency permitting for diesel refineries, storage and transportation.
  2. Allow businesses to deduct 100 per cent of investments in diesel production and distribution in the first year.
  3. Build a strategic refined petroleum reserve to protect Canadians during supply disruptions.

“Canadians cannot afford more delay. Grain Growers of Canada estimates that fuel for one large combine could cost $15,120 more this harvest than last year. That is just one machine, before counting the trucks, tractors and other equipment farmers need to put food on our tables.

“Diesel powers the tractors that grow our food, the trucks and trains that deliver it, and the equipment that builds our homes. It keeps workers moving and the lights on in remote northern communities. When farmers, truckers and builders pay more, you pay more.

“It should not cost this much to fuel a country with the fourth-largest oil reserves on earth. For 11 years, Liberal taxes and red tape have held back the energy projects needed to process more Canadian oil and move Canadian fuel across our country. Canadian workers should be turning Canadian oil into Canadian fuel.

“Every Liberal MP will have to explain their vote to the farmers, truckers, workers and families paying these bills. If they are serious about making life affordable, they should vote to cut fuel taxes and build Canadian energy.

“Contact your Liberal MP and tell them to vote for the Conservative motion. Save Canadians money today. Fuel ourselves tomorrow.”