This country is broken

This past weekend I went to the grocery store to get some groceries for the week. My grocery bill should be relatively small. My older boys are at university and quite honestly, I’m not a huge eater. I will concede that Quinn can probably eat for two, but still compared to when I had four boys in the house, my bill should be relatively small. 

I had two bags of food, along with milk and orange juice and my bill was just over $300.  I can’t wrap my mind around how difficult it is to afford this country. My heart breaks when I think about how hard it must be for a young family just starting out. 

I read a statistic recently that stated making $80,000 in 1990 which was an attainable wage for two people would be the equivalent to $195,000 today. I’m sure about you, but my guess is that even with two bread earners in the house barely anyone would be able to make that wage. 

To make things worse the federal carbon tax will increase from $65 per tonne to $80 on April 1, a roughly 25 per cent increase. This will make things significantly worse. 

Seventy per cent of provinces and seventy per cent of Canadians oppose the hike. Premiers Doug Ford, from Ontario, Andrew Furey from Newfoundland and Labrador, Dennis King from Prince Edward Island, Scott Moe from Saskatchewan, Danielle Smith from Alberta, Tim Houston from Nova Scotia, and Blaine Higgs from New Brunswick have openly appeal for a stop on the increase. Both British Columbia and Quebec have their own carbon tax, so really don’t care. 

That’s a lot of opposition to the increase. They see what we will be facing when this tax is introduced. 

On April 1, you will see a fuel price increase. Gasoline and diesel prices will rise as fuel distributors pass on the increased cost of carbon emissions to consumers. This would affect anyone who drives a car, operates machinery, or relies on transportation services.

You will see an increase in heating costs Homeowners using natural gas or heating oil may see their energy bills go up, as utilities and suppliers adjust their prices to reflect the higher carbon tax. This impacts not only residential customers but also businesses and industries that rely on heating for their operations.

You will see elevated prices for Goods and Services. Industries that produce goods or services with significant carbon emissions in their supply chains may face higher production costs. To offset these expenses, they could raise prices, passing the additional costs on to consumers.

You will see your electricity bills increase. While Canada has a mix of energy sources, including renewables, some regions still rely heavily on fossil fuels like coal and natural gas for electricity generation. As utilities face higher costs due to carbon taxes, consumers may see increases in their electricity bills.

Beyond fuel prices, transportation costs for goods and services may rise as businesses adjust to higher carbon taxes. This could lead to increased prices for imported and locally produced goods alike.

The new carbon price increase will affect the affordability of groceries and gas, as well as the competitiveness of Canadian industries. The burden placed on consumers, particularly low-income households, and the potential negative economic consequences might just be the straw that breaks the proverbial back of some families.

Under Trudeau, this country is broken. The polls show that if an election happened tomorrow the Conservatives under Pierre Poilievre will see the biggest Tory win in the history of Confederation, and yet Trudeau acts as if he knows better than the average citizen. My worry is how much longer can we wait before this country is broken beyond any repair Poilievre can make!