Ontario farmers fuming mad about the carbon tax increase – not that the Justin Trudeau Liberals care about their plight…

April Fools’ Day yesterday proved to be no joke for so many concerned Canadians trying to make ends meet, something that is increasingly becoming a Herculean task.

That’s because the Justin Trudeau Liberals, who are seemingly obsessed with virtue-signalling (in this case, “saving the planet”), once again hiked the carbon tax on April 1st. If this was indeed some sort of joke, then it was lacking a humorous punchline.

Protests erupted across Canada on Monday, including one in Uxbridge, Ont., where dozens of farmers assembled outside an arena to protest this most recent increase of the carbon tax.

Can you blame them? The Grain Farmers of Ontario (GFO) estimate that by 2030, Ontario grain and oilseed farmers alone will pay a staggering $2.7 billion in carbon taxes.

And consider this: the GFO notes that the tax collected cannot be passed along to customers because farmers are price takers and prices are established at the Chicago Board of Trade. Translation: this is money coming right out of the farmers’ pockets.

As well, there is no such thing as a carbon tax south of the border, something that puts Canadian farmers at a competitive disadvantage from the get-go.

"Last year we didn't make money. It's getting tougher and tougher".

Ontario farmer shares his thoughts on Trudeau's carbon tax and how young people are avoiding the industry.https://t.co/ddpnvdvR3J pic.twitter.com/e0sqzc1NrR

— Lincoln Jay (@lincolnmjay) April 1, 2024

The carbon tax is equal parts egregious and outrageous. After all, isn’t farming challenging enough these days given higher input costs and the rising cost of labour? Indeed, what sort of federal government would wage war on farmers for nonsensical ideological reasons?

Several farmers took to the podium to lament this latest slight against their operations. One 71-year-old farmer lamented that thanks to out-of-control costs and rising taxes, he will have no choice to lay off some of his labourers this year; those who remain will have their hours cut. He said that his land could fetch as much as $4 million but his love of the land keeps him hard at work.

Another demonstrator gave up his dairy farm two years ago. He displayed his most recent Enbridge Gas bill indicating he is now paying more in carbon tax than he is in natural gas!

Many of the farmers feel that the Trudeau Liberals are tone deaf to their plight and that their only salvation is regime change in Ottawa. And if one believes the polls, the Pierre Poilievre Conservatives are headed for a majority government when the next election is called and Poilievre is adamant that he will axe the carbon tax.

Speaking of federal politics, it is heartwarming to see that members of Parliament need not worry about a carbon tax increase: on the same day the carbon tax spiked, MPs enjoyed a pay raise. Must be nice…