Editor's note: This is a copy of a letter Mr. King sent to MP Rota regarding the story House of Commons rejects Conservative non-confidence motion over carbon pricing.
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Dear Mr. Rota;
You have disappointed your constituents once again.
You voted the party line as opposed to what is best for your constituents.
We are hurting. Supporting a lofty, idealistic plan, to make the world a better place by taxing us into poverty is hardly what you were elected to do. Do you seriously believe that when your government decides to make life harder for its people, those same people are going to say "Thank you so much. That is why I voted for you. I really was living too high on the hog anyways."
Price does not determine supply and demand, Mr. Rota. Supply and demand determine prices. Ottawa doesn't seem to understand this or doesn't care.
The idea that high and rising carbon prices can be used to remove carbon from the economy runs up against the fact that carbon-based fossil fuels are currently part of the foundation for most of our economic activity.
Canada emits 1.5% of the world's carbon footprint. Do you actually believe, that even if we reduced our footprint to zero, it would make a difference compared to the emissions from China and India, which have both increased over the last 15 years in response to the high cost of producing products locally? China alone emits 28% of the global carbon footprint. The only difference would be a lowered standard of living here in Canada.
On the world stage, Canada is one of the few advanced economies that has not recovered its pre-pandemic standard of living, measured by real gross domestic product per capita. There are a multitude of reasons for this, but all those reasons aside, should our own elected officials be exacerbating the problem by making the average person's life even harder with the carbon tax?
Please... stop voting the party line and start thinking about those of us who are struggling with ever-increasing costs that the extra burden of increased taxes only makes more difficult.
Thank you...
David King
Powassan
