The NDP-Liberal government Orders Gag on Independent Parliamentary Budget Officer Revealing the True Cost of Carbon Tax

Thats not their only cover-up as they're refusing to release the names of MPs who passed intelligence to foreign states. Plus my work on parliamentary committees and response to a government petition.

The NDP-Liberal government is blocking the release of their own data on the punitive carbon tax they imposed. At a parliamentary finance committee meeting this past week, Parliamentary Budget Officer (PBO) Yves Giroux, the head of Parliament’s independent budget watchdog, stated that the NDP-Liberal government had shared its data and analysis on the economic impact that the carbon tax was having on provinces and all of Canada from 2022 to 2030. The PBO then went on to say that the government “explicitly” told him not to make the findings of those documents public. When my Conservative colleague, MP Marty Morantz, asked Giroux if the government had “put a gag on you saying you can’t talk about it?” Giroux replied, “That is my understanding.” After this exchange, the Liberal finance minister was pressed by the media on the “gag” they imposed on the PBO, but she refused to speak on it. It’s not surprising that the government is trying to hide the true cost of their punitive carbon tax scheme because they know it would not help their diminishing chances of winning the next general election. This is data you as taxpayers paid for and deserve to know how and the rationale behind carbon tax decisions made by the NDP-Liberals. While Canadians might not know the real cost of those impacts, they feel it every day. I know this because residents of Calgary Shepard, continue to tell me how the rising cost of gas, their home heating bills, and grocery bills are making life increasingly unaffordable. Unfortunately, those impacts will only worsen as Canadians are forced to deal with higher prices after raising the carbon tax by 23 percent this past April. The NDP-Liberal government must do the right thing by allowing the PBO to release their report and, once and for all, to axe the carbon tax.

Below is the letter sent on behalf of the NDP-Liberal environment minister that essentially put the “gag” order on the PBO.

Watch Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre call on the government to end the gag order, stop the carbon tax cover-up and release their secret report:

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The NDP-Liberal government is withholding the names of MPs and Senators who allegedly conspired and shared sensitive confidential government information with foreign states. It seems to be a common trend with this government to withhold information from the public if it damages them politically. The National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians (NSICOP), a cross-party group of MPs and Senators with top security clearances, released a report on Monday showing that despite knowing that foreign governments are actively targeting Canadian citizens and the country’s democratic system, the NDP-Liberal government failed to take the proper actions to address these threats. That was not the only damning finding from the report, as it was revealed that some parliamentarians have been sharing “privileged information on the work or opinions of fellow parliamentarians” with foreign governments, knowing that the information could be used to manipulate some other MPs and senators. However, the names of these accused parliamentarians have been redacted from the report, and the NDP-Liberal government is refusing to release them. There should be zero tolerance for any parliamentarian who would wittingly, the word used in the report, aid a foreign state. I believe it’s a violation of our Oath of Office. The NDP-Liberal government knows the names of these parliamentarians, so why would they not release them? Canadians who have been intimidated and threatened by hostile foreign states, such as the People’s Republic of China, Iran, Russia, and other similar states, understand the seriousness of these threats. In fact, in chapter one of the report it refers to the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance (IPAC) on China and its legislators being targets of foreign interference and I am one of those targets because of my membership as well as activism in IPAC. Conservative MPs have been calling for the release of the names. The report is detailed enough that it clearly refers to at least one instance of a Liberal nomination being tampered with by foreign agents. In chapter three, the report also clearly states there were foreign interference attempts to target the Conservative Party which was never disclosed at the time it was happening. I have serious concerns about the continued dithering by the NDP-Liberal government and the report pointing to their government caucus benches as having persons who have cooperated with foreign agents. The refusal of the prime minister and the public safety minister to state the names of parliamentarians harms all of our reputations and the trust in us as public officials. Residents who have emailed me thus far on this matter are right to be alarmed. I am continuing to call for the public release of all the names as it is in the national interest of Canada and will shore up trust in our Parliament.

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Beijing is using Canadian insurance companies to deny Hong Kongers their private retirement savings in Canada. The parliamentary immigration committee, of which I am a member, started a Conservative-initiated study on Hong Kongers living in Canada who are unable to transfer their retirement/pension savings to Canada due to interference from the PRC regime. For context, every Hong Konger contributes to the Mandatory Provident Fund (MPF) retirement savings, and Hong Kongers who immigrate to Canada have the ability to transfer those funds to a Canadian insurance or investment company, such as Sun Life or Manulife. Unfortunately, over the past decade, the original agreement during the transition from a British colony to its return to the PRC to uphold the policy of “one country, two systems” is no more. The once free city of Hong Kong and its unique democracy are no more, and with it, the rule of law. Since then, the PRC has been interfering in the lives of Hong Kongers the world over, including compelling Canadian insurance companies operating in Hong Kong to deny them their private retirement savings. It is estimated that these companies are withholding an estimated $1.5 billion worth of MPF retirement savings, according to Hong Kong Watch. Canada and Hong Kong have a long standing relationship dating almost to the time of Confederation. Canadian companies have been operating there since the 19th century when it was a thriving part of the British Empire. Not only are there around 300,000 Canadians living overseas in Hong Kong but during World War II it was the Winnipeg Grenadiers and the Royal Rifles of Canada who fought in the defense of this city against Imperial Japan. These two battalions, comprising 1,975 soldiers, were sent to Hong Kong in late 1941. They faced overwhelming odds against the Japanese forces and fought bravely. The total number of Canadian soldiers buried in Hong Kong is 283, ​buried there in eternal rest in the service of our country. We cannot save Hong Kong from Beijing but we can save Hong Kongers. As those dual citizens return home and other Hong Kongers flee to Canada and become permanent residents and new citizens of Canada then Canadian companies cannot be allowing themselves to become extensions of the transnational repression arm of the communists in Beijing.

Watch me question Canadian insurance company representatives on why they are still operating in an autocratic totalitarian regime that is controlled by Beijing.

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Presenting a motion condemning China for jailing 14 pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong. At the Canada-People’s Republic of China Relations parliamentary committee, which I am also the vice-chair, I passed a motion condemning the verdict of Hong Kong’s High Court on May 30, 2024, that found 14 pro-democracy activists guilty of “conspiracy to subvert state power” simply for exercising their democratic and free speech rights. The motion also expressed that the committee would call upon the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region to immediately release the 14 pro-democracy activists and to condemn other ongoing violations of human rights and existing laws that the PRC and the special administrative region continue to break. The 14 activists who were unfairly convicted were among the 47 activists prosecuted and detained without bail by the autocratic regime in 2021 after they organized a primary to pick candidates who could run for office in Hong Kong. Holding China accountable for these repressive actions targeting opposition legislators and activists is a reminder to them that Canada will not ignore their plight and it will have an impact on their trade with our country as well as the future policy stance a conservative government will take.

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The NDP-Liberal government refuses to label the Russian Federation as a foreign state supporting terrorism. In April, I presented a petition, signed by residents, calling upon the Government of Canada to issue an order that would add the Russian Federation to the list of foreign states that support terrorism under the State Immunity Act. Despite the NDP-Liberal government already issuing sanctions against the Russian Federation and some of its officials since the start of their unjust invasion of Ukraine in 2022, it continues to extend state immunity to the Russian Federation, thereby preventing Canadian nationals and residents from seeking court remedies against the Russian Federation for lost property and seized assets. This past week, I received a response from the NDP-Liberal government regarding this petition. While they rightly condemned the Kremlin regime for their war crimes, unfortunately, they refused to commit to labelling the Russian Federation as a foreign state supporting terrorism. This is another disappointing response from this government as it shows they are not serious about confronting this totalitarian regime nor allowing Canadians to confront them by seeking legal court remedies. Private action in Canadian courts for damages to Canadian owned property in Ukraine and Russia is another means of equalizing the conflict.

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