How much more can Canadians take？
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Summary
Member of Parliament for Halliburton, Saskatchewan, Regina Luanne Steinle, joins us today to talk all things Canada. We discuss the cost of living, inflation, and the impact carbon taxes are having on our economy.
Transcript
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Hello and welcome once again to The Blueprints. This is Canada's Conservative Podcast. I'm your
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host, Jamie Schmael, Member of Parliament for Halliburton, Co-Ortholex, Brock, with new content
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for you every single Tuesday at 1.30 p.m. Eastern Time. We ask that you like, comment, share,
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and subscribe to this program. You will be notified every time we go live. You can also
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tell your friends they can download and listen to this program at their convenience on platforms
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like CastBox, iTunes, Google Play, and Spotify. You name it, it is out there. A little tongue
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twisted this morning, but we have a great show for you this afternoon. We have a great returning
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guest. Regina Luvan is the writing. Warren Steinle is the name. Thank you very much for coming back
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and joining us. I'm so happy to be here, Jamie. Thank you very much for having me and looking
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forward to having a great discussion. Absolutely. Do you want to talk Saskatchewan or do you want
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to talk all things Canada? You know what? All things Canada. I talk about kind of the price of
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living, the cost of living, and really there's always more a month than paycheck for a lot of
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Canadians. And I think that's something where the cost of living is a big issue, not only in
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Regina Luvan, but across the country. Yeah, that's exactly where I kind of want to focus in on,
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is the fact that Canadians, no matter where you are, unless you're Uber elites, Uber rich,
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the pricing really doesn't affect you, right? The price of gasoline goes up a few cents or even
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10 plus cents. It doesn't really affect you. It doesn't change where you go for vacation. But
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for the everyday Canadian, this is having a massive impact the way the government is dealing with their
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inflation crisis. Yeah. And that's what I hear all the time when we're talking to my friends and
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family and people in Regina and across the country. It's like, they always say, this government says
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Canada is doing so well. But they're like, if Canada is doing so well, why don't we have more
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money in our pockets? And that's the question that really lots of Canadians are asking. The
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government is telling everyone, it's okay, you hear Christian Freeland and Justin Trudeau in
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question period talk about how great everything is. But more and more Canadians are realizing there's
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less money in their pockets. So where is all that money going? That's a very good question. Actually,
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a very disturbing trend here. I'm going to read the headline here. It says, although Canadian economic
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growth is just barely keeping its head above water, data is emerging that is showing for the
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average Canadian, the economic situation is getting progressively worse, basically pointing
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that the labor productivity market has dropped for the fourth consecutive quarter. That means people
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are taking home less, and they're not compared to prices that are going through the roof right now.
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It's not keeping track and people are making tough decisions at home. And it's really sad.
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Yeah, and I think that's what really comes down to our economy is being less and less productive. Like
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our productivity, like you said, is lower. And we saw out of all the G7 countries, we are at the
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biggest risk of having mortgage defaults. And I think that's something where you have these
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conversations at night when your kids go to bed, and how are we going to make ends meet? And these are
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conversations that everyday Canadians are having throughout our country. And I think that's why people
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are being so fed up with this government, they're so tired of this government telling them everything's
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going to be okay, when these families realize it's getting tougher and tougher. And I think those are
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the questions that we get asked most in our office. And it's, it's tough for Canadians right now.
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So the Bank of Canada is trying to raise interest rates, putting a lot of pain on a lot of people
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trying to cool down this economy, while at the same time, you have the government basically with its foot
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on the gas, John Manley said so, you are noticing $62 billion in new spending, just running the
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country on the credit card, that has impacts. The other side of it is what we can do to actually
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lower prices, which is add supply. So when you're talking, we've talked about this many times on the
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show, if you're talking about energy, why is our energy industry being handcuffed? Add supply, bring down
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the price. You can talk about agriculture as well. Farmers are facing enormous pressures,
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driving up their costs, the carbon tax, we'll get into carbon tax too in just a second.
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Like, if we actually want to solve this problem outside what Justin Trudeau is doing, the answer
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is adding supply. Well, for sure. And it's, it's so funny, right? Japan came, they want natural gas.
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Germany came, they want natural gas. And Trudeau, the Prime Minister said no, which is so unbelievable,
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because we have world class energy sector here in Canada. And our government keeps on saying no
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when we can add supply, like you said, there's either you raise more money, earn more money,
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or you cut costs. This government's not going to cut costs. You saw in their last budget,
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they added $60 billion of inflationary fuel on the fire right now. That's why interest rates are
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going up. And it's so interesting, because I remember two years ago, and our viewers remember this,
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hand over heart, the government will take on debt, so you don't have to. How is that working for
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Canadians now? Everyone's feeling that blowback? Well, to me, it showed the fact that this government
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has no clue how the economy works, how government works, how the Bank of Canada works. That statement
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alone should have put the chill down everyone's spine, especially liberal voters. Like, well,
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this Prime Minister really has no clue on how to manage this. Well, that's what happens when you
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don't think about monetary policy. Yeah, well, we're feeling the effects of it with the Bank of
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Canada just the other day, announcing that they're going to raise interest rates again.
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People are going to have to renew a lot of these mortgages which were put in when money was cheap,
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and the Prime Minister basically encouraged people to buy, because the Finance Minister even said
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interest rates will remain low for a long time, while people took them at their word.
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Well, don't you remember, she said the biggest risk is deflation, not inflation. And now a lot of
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Canadians are feeling that pinch, especially with variable mortgages. Canadians are feeling a pinch of
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an increase of $700 to $800 a month on their mortgage payments. And that's a lot to ask a household to
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take in. Yep, especially when you could have bought a house at an inflated price, because of course,
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money went to the markets, there was more supply, there's more demand than there was supply, and a
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whole bunch of other factors driving out the price of a house. And now you have to renew your mortgage
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at that increased value at a higher rate. This is going to have serious impacts on Canadians, because
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you know, if you renewed, or you set a mortgage for five years in 2020, you only got a couple more
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years. So the government really has to get things under control before we have that crunch.
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Well, that is exactly right. And not only that, like with mortgages, that's one cost of living
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increase. But we talked about the carbon tax one and two. Now, I want to get to that and talk about
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why that is affecting the price of groceries. So when you increase the cost for farmers who produce the
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food, it affects the grocery store. So I always say it's not a rural Canadian issue or an urban issue.
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If you buy groceries, this is going to affect you. The government policy of carbon tax one and two
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are going to affect you and make you have to pay more at the till when you go to the grocery store.
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And that's the thing that people, I think there is a disconnect that we really need to get out there
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and talk to Canadians, talk about how this is going to affect your life. Because the price of groceries
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is going up 34% this year, which is huge. My wife and I, we have three kids. It's a family of five.
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We've seen the increase in our grocery bill. And I think every other Canadian sees that.
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The prime minister doesn't because he hasn't paid a bill in his life.
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He's never had to balance a budget. But when it comes down to it, it's so hard for Canadians to make
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those ends meet. And it's government policy and especially handcuffing your farmers.
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The carbon tax one is going to actually increase the cost of an average 5,000 acre farm by 2030,
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$150,000 a year. It's what they're paying in carbon tax.
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How do you not think that's going to affect your price at the grocery till?
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Absolutely incredible. Okay, what is carbon tax two then? Tell me about carbon tax two.
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Well, carbon tax two is going to increase across Canada. In Saskatchewan, Saskatchewan, for example,
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carbon tax one and two is going to increase the cost of living to every person in Saskatchewan,
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This is incredible. When people are already stretched to the limit and we're dealing with
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potentially mortgages that need to be renewed in a few years at higher interest rates,
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this is really serious. Productivity is dropping.
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I think the answer aside from a new government here in Canada is the fact that the government
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actually has to listen to the opposition here. And I know our leader, Pierre Polyev, has said,
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we're willing to work the summer to rewrite the budget to get this under control. The Liberals
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and NDP probably won't take us up on that, but something needs to be done.
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Yeah, Pierre's done a great job telling the story. And you're right. What has to happen is
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a government has to, once again, take control of their finances. Because no other household can
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actually survive on deficits forever. Because we saw in this budget, we're never going to have
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a balanced budget. That doesn't work for the average family household. It doesn't work for a
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business. So it doesn't work for a government. So our team with the Conservative Party and Pierre
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Polyev can really get that under control. And we've had motions passed where we have to see
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a balanced budget. Or at least, if you're going to bring in new spending, like the two-for-one
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law, where if you bring in new spending, you have to find cuts in other departments. That's being
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responsible. And I think that's what Canadians are looking for. They're looking for a responsible
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government that can actually get our financial health in order.
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Well, that too. And the fact that as government continues to grow, it gets slower. It gets
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ineffective. And when you're trying to lure capital to the back of this country, and it's
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a competitive market all across the world for infrastructure projects, you're talking
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oil and gas, you're talking mining, whatever. When you have a regulatory process that is so
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onerous, capital, like anything else, like water, will take the path of least resistance.
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And we have a big, bloated federal bureaucracy.
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So I was once told by a mentor of mine is government's kind of like a tropical fish.
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It will grow to the size of its fishbowl. So if you create more space for government,
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it will fill that space. And that's really something that we should think about and realize
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that you're right. We need to trim where we can, provide the services Canadians need.
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And there's so much waste. They talk about spending during COVID. 40% of that spending,
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Billions of dollars to McKinsey. Billions of dollars to outside consultants and liberal
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insiders. Frank Bayless. Billions of dollars for respirators.
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That they never actually made. Nor did they have a history of making.
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So there are so many examples of where you can actually find efficiencies without affecting
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Well, we just saw news this week about the Asian Infrastructure Bank and the fact that
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we're still giving millions to the Asian Infrastructure Bank. So specifically, that helps
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out China. Why are we helping out China after everything that's been happening?
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Well, it's not only that. It's so amazing that this government will spend money on building
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pipelines outside of Canada, but the most ethically sourced natural resources in the world are
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in Canada, and we can't build pipelines to get our resources to other countries.
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While China's interfering in our elections, while China's has police stations in Canada,
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while China's intimidating members of parliament and their families abroad, and we're threatening
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them, and then we're still giving the money. This is the mind of the Justin Trudeau liberals
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Well, it's... He said it himself. It's no mystery. He admires a basic dictatorship.
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He said it. That's why it's confusing when people are surprised.
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This man wants to be a dictator. And when we look at all of his history, we should not be surprised
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by anything he does. And what we really need to do is talk with Canadians, get out there and make sure
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that they realize that we need a government that puts Canadians first, that's going to bring home
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paychecks, that's going to bring home common sense, and that's Pierre Polyev and the Conservative Party.
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Actually, you touched on something I was going to... I should have mentioned earlier, but the fact that
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this Liberal government and their policies are almost to the point breaking the back of the middle class
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here in Canada, right? They are pushing more pressures with inflation, price increases, currency
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manipulation, you name it. It's being brought on the back of the middle class and the lower income,
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the poor, if you will, because the rich don't feel that, right?
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You will eventually create a class, a new class of people who, unfortunately, no matter how hard they work,
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no matter how many hours they put in, the taxes are too high, the price to live is too high,
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and then they will become dependent upon government.
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Yeah, well, you created a dependent on government.
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The point of this government is, they really are trying to look after people from cradle to grave.
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And I believe Canadians can make their own choices.
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And this is one of my sayings I always say is, a dollar in the pocket of someone that earned it
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is worth twice as much as the government took it from that person.
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So I believe Canadians know how to best to spend their money.
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So the weirdest thing that happens with this government, with Trudeau and Jagmeet Singh,
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who's propping him up as the most unethical government in the history of our country,
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is they want to take money from Canadians, and then they want to look like heroes when they give it back.
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Yeah, so I always say, like, why do you guys champion giving money back to Canadians in these programs you make up?
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Everyone's like, oh, conservatives are going to cut, they'll cut.
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That's what we're going to do, because we believe you can spend your money better than the government can.
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But how can politicians then, if they're letting people keep more of the money they earn,
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spend it on their own priorities, which my priorities are different from yours and everyone else.
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How then will government be able to come in on the hero horse and say,
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Don't look behind the curtain, because I created the problem, but I'm going to come in here and solve it,
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which they never do, because the solution to every government program is another government program.
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That never works, and we just go around in circles.
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Exactly, and that's what you get with a liberal government.
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So when we talk, I actually went to a school and talked to kids.
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I said, well, what's the biggest difference between liberals and conservatives?
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And I always say, liberals in the NDP, which Agnit Singh, believe government can fix all your problems,
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and conservatives believe that it's better solved by the individual in the private sector.
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Like, if we let people keep more of their money, take farmers, for example.
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Could you imagine what a farmer that has the entrepreneurial spirit, ingenuity, could do with an extra $150,000 a year?
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Could you believe the progress he could make and the things he could possibly change on his farm,
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be more efficient, more environmentally friendly with that money?
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But the government wants to take it from him and then create environmental programs.
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And then say, well, are you sustainably accredited?
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So, why don't you let that farmer keep that $150,000 a year and make his or her own decisions?
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And that's why we're going to be so much different after we win a peer pollio.
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Not only that, farmers might actually have a better chance at making a living if they're able to keep that $150,
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instead of trying to figure out how to navigate the tax system and the bureaucracy on just trying to produce food for all of us to eat.
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That would be kind of nice if they were able to catch that.
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Then we might have more young people interested in getting into the trade if they don't have to break their back from 5 a.m. onwards.
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It depends if you're calfing season or whatever.
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However, if you're able to make a living, there might be more attraction.
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Otherwise, the question is, why are farms getting bigger?
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Because young people don't want to get back into it.
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And actually, the Canada Farm Progress show is going on in Regina, Saskatchewan right now.
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And there's so many reasons why people should get involved in agriculture now.
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And actually, the same school I was talking to said, you don't actually, jobs in agriculture now aren't just car hearts.
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You can also wear a white lab coat because there's so many innovations in science when it comes to agriculture.
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And there's so many different aspects of agriculture now.
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But so proud of our agriculture community because, really, one of the things is we have done more with less.
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We have lowered our emissions with zero tillage, rotational grazing, rotational crop rotation, and precision agriculture where we've done such a good job.
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So, Canada actually has 75% efficiency in fertilizer more than any other country in the world.
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And our agriculture emissions are 2% of Canada's total emissions.
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And I think we need to realize how good we're doing in agriculture and actually take that story and tell it around the world.
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That should make a good point because I think if you want to look at the message that we're trying to get out there is that if you want to lower emissions,
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if you really want to ensure we're doing the best we can be,
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it's agriculture is probably nine times out of ten leading the way in a lot of these advancements to ensure we're doing the best we can and being as efficient as possible
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while producing a good quality product, which is Canadian-made food.
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Well, what's amazing is when it comes to emissions, we've doubled our output and decreased our emissions.
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And that's something where people need to take into consideration.
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And I think that's what, when you get a liberal government with Trudel and company is they don't understand or respect the agriculture industry.
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And I think they still have this vision of a farmer with suspenders throwing seed on the ground.
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And they don't realize how much it has evolved and how well we have done when it comes to,
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there's no producer out there that wants to actually put, have more input because it costs money.
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So no one wants to use more fertilizer or fuel than they have to.
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So I think we need to respect agriculture and do way more consultations than what has happened.
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When they brought out the fertilizer reduction targets, like to reduce fertilizer, they didn't talk to any producer.
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And they don't realize how much we producers put into trying to ensure that they don't have the inputs that they don't need.
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So I think that's really important when it comes down to it is the consultation process.
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This government is so backwards when it comes to it.
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They tell producers what they're going to do and then they talk about it after.
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And I think that's a huge mistake that this government's made.
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Well, purposely shorting the food supply, the government purposely shorting their food supply.
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That's pretty scary stuff when the government decides you're not going to eat this anymore.
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Government should be maximizing your freedoms, not trying to control your behavior.
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And I think this government here in Canada is a pretty bad example of the wrong path to take.
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But at the same time, I think that's a good topic for another show.
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Maybe we'll get you back on to talk about the fact that innovation leads the way.
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Innovation can get us to where we want to go, I should say, while at the same time producing a better product.
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So actually, I've been in the Ag Committee for a couple of years now.
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And I asked one of the higher officials in the agriculture, I said, so what government policy brought in zero tillage?
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What government policy brought in crop rotation or rotational grazing?
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Because producers will always try and take that next step to be better.
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And to make sure that they are sustainable, their soils looked after, and they're being financially responsible.
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I like the way you say that, because that brings me to another topic as well.
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We can also talk about how the bureaucracy has become so powerful that they're able to implement policy and rules and regulations without a vote in the House of Commons, right?
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You're having unelected, unaccountable, faceless bureaucrats implementing rules, regulations, and red tape for people in the farming industry, in transport, you name it, and without getting a vote in the House of Commons.
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Well, I just want to say thank you, and it's great to have this opportunity to talk to Canadians and make sure that they realize that we're always going to be on their side.
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We're fighting for them, and we're fighting for common sense in Ottawa.
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Warren Stiley, Member of Parliament, Regina Lou Van in the beautiful province of Saskatchewan.
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We also have the Agriculture Show going on in Regina starting today.
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Don't forget, new content for you every single Tuesday, 1.30 p.m. Eastern Time.
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We ask that you like, comment, share, and subscribe to this program.
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And until then, low taxes, less government, more freedom.