The pending carbon tax, brought to us by the Liberal Party, is going to have dire effects on our agriculture industry. We are at the bottom of the food chain when it comes to passing the negative effects of carbon pricing, and your Island farmers are going to suffer.
I have had discussions with farming colleagues across the province as well as in neighbouring provinces. These conversations have common threads of producers trying to figure out the harmful impacts this new tax will have on their operations and their future. We have many young farmers who are facing great difficulty in entering the market, and a carbon tax is going to make it even tougher for them.
As a third-generation farmer, I know that Island farmers continue to do their fair share in protecting our environment. I believe in reducing emissions, but personally, I do not support a carbon tax and do not think another tax is the way to go.
The homework does not seem to have been done in the government offices in Charlottetown or Ottawa, as no one in government can (or will?) tell us what the cost and impact of this new tax will be. The only certainty is that as producers we will face higher costs of production and transportation coupled with our goods being at a competitive disadvantage with our trading partners because of this new tax.
For these reasons, I was glad to see PC Leader James Aylward show leadership by taking a strong stance against a carbon tax on P.E.I. James is listening to the real concerns of Islanders across the province about a carbon tax, as we cannot afford yet another tax. This is the honest political leadership that P.E.I. needs.
Bloyce Thompson and his wife Terri operate Eastside Holsteins in Frenchfort. Bloyce has previously served on the Dairy Farmers of Prince Edward Island board.
