...
meanwhile has a front bench and it's
going to be a full one he's appointing
52 critics and another 37 associate
critics here are some of the highlights
Alberta MP Jazz Singh Holland is the new
critic for finance and middle class
Prosperity while Quebec MP Gerard deltel
is the new environment critic Nova
Scotia MP Dr Stephen Lewis will be in
the health portfolio Ontario MP Maryland
Glady will be the critic for civil
liberties when it comes to former
leadership Rivals Scott hjson is the new
housing diversity and inclusion critic
while Leslie Lewis is now at
infrastructure in communities those
missing from the list Ed fast and Fast
pardon me who supported jean-shockre in
the leadership Michelle Rempel Garner
who was Patrick Brown's leadership
co-chair and former leader Aaron O'Toole
also missing but he told the National
Post he asked not to have a role because
he didn't want to be a distraction to
the team Stephanie Koozie is appointed
as treasury board critic and she's with
us this evening Miss Koozie good to have
you with us thanks for making the time
thank you very much for having me vashi
the press release to go alongside this
announcement characterized the
appointment of you and your colleagues
uh as a team a new inflation busting
conservative Shadow cabinet how will it
bust inflation
well it's no secret that currently we
are in a cost of living crisis in
addition to incredible inflationary
pressure and although the shadow cabinet
has been announced today vashi this is
an entire caucus-wide commitment to
busting inflation this liberal
government has coming up in the near
future they have said that they will
triple the carbon tax by 2030. they are
set to raise payroll taxes by January
1st on January 1st and they are also set
to increase taxes on heating food and
gas on April 1st of this year coming
year so there are certainly a lot of
ways that we as not only a conservative
Shadow cabinet but a conservative caucus
can hold this liberal government to
account because they are coming at
Canadians with so many tax hikes in a
time where Canadians simply can't afford
them okay let's parse out some of what
you just talked about you're talking
about hikes to the CPP and EI premiums
as well as the carbon tax which or the
price on carbon which increases in April
of each year let's start with the CPP
and EI hikes because the CPP hikes are
the result of an agreement the rate
hikes are an agreement with the
provinces there was a discussion about
wanting Canadians to have a more Secure
Retirement is your party saying that
they would break that agreement because
that's what's necessary to stop that
hike from happening
what we're saying is actually is that we
want Canadians to have more money in
their pockets and this Trudeau
government is committed to keeping money
out of Canadians pockets and this
payroll tax hike which is going to
happen on January 1st currently is just
one of the many ways that we as an
inflation busting Shadow cabinet and
inflation busting caucus will hold this
government to account with respect Miss
Kinsey that doesn't answer the question
though about what your party would do
about the agreements that have been
arrived at around CPP with the provinces
effectively if you're arguing for that
hike not to happen you're saying you
would break the agreement with the
provinces is that what a conservative
government would do
I think it's one of the many areas Bashi
that we would look at because as I
mentioned it's not only the tax hikes
for the payroll taxes on January 1st
it's a number of other taxes which are
going to occur under this liberal
government including taxes to food gas
and Home Heating on April 1st so there
are a number of taxes with this liberal
government that we're going to be
addressing in addition to the carbon tax
which they are looking at tripling by
2030. so the pro and we're going to talk
about the carbon tax in a second so but
you're saying that the provinces are
wrong in wanting a greater sense of
security for people who live in their
provinces the premiers of those
provinces are wrong in wanting uh you
know a greater benefit to Canadians
through CPP that is not something the
conservatives are in favor of
we are saying that the liberal
government is wrong on continuing to tax
Canadians when we are in the middle of a
cost of living crisis Bashi that's what
we are concerned about and we think that
money belongs in the pockets of
Canadians and I certainly understand the
argument about more money going into
Canadians Pockets I think a lot of
people watching will as well but not all
taxes are created equal right paying
into CPP is so that you can get
something out of it when you retire uh
and so my my point is whether or not uh
basically the conservatives think the
provinces were wrong in asking the
federal government and working with the
federal government to increase that
benefit and thereby yes increase the
rate through which Canadians pay into it
our leader was not kidding when he said
that under conservative government there
will be no new taxes and that for every
dollar of new spending there will have
to be a dollar of savings and this is
what my shadow cabinet and our caucus
will continue to hold this liberal
government account to is that we want to
see more money in the pockets of
Canadians and no new taxes and it
doesn't matter what type of tax it is
vashi whether it's a payroll tax or tax
on home heating tax on food tax on gas
we want to see no new taxes we are
committed to this as a conservative
caucus and as a conservative Shadow
cabinet and certainly our leader Pierre
pauliev is committed to no new taxes as
well so that will be our number one
objective and that includes no new
payroll taxes okay I understand the gist
of the message around no new taxes uh
respectfully though you didn't address
the the substance of the question around
provinces but I do want to ask about the
carbon tax specifically uh is it
disingenuous to position this as the
Liberals simply putting a tax and making
you pay more to to fill up your car to
make you heat your home when in fact
Canadians are scheduled this week on
Friday to get that money back in a
rebate
no I don't think that it is a
disingenuous at all these taxes have a
real effect on Canadians a real effect
on the cost of living we're hearing
stories about uh Canadians that are two
months away from insolvency under this
liberal government we are hearing
stories about mothers that are putting
water in their baby's formula these
taxes have a real impact on Canadians
and Canadian families and that's why we
are committed to no new taxes and this
rebate is simply doing what this liberal
government does and that is taking a
bunch with one hand and giving a little
bit back with the other and that's why
as a shadow cabinet and as a caucus we
are committed to no new taxes but
respectfully again miss Koozie and I
certainly do understand the point uh you
know we're all feeling the pinch and the
idea of paying more for anything right
now is really really tough on people but
if I pay five dollars extra at a store
and then you know know four times a year
I get that you know I I get that money
back at some point if I if I am being
rebated for that money it's actually a
net zero there it's not like I am losing
money it's not like I am not putting
money in my pockets right it's I I don't
really understand how you're
characterizing it it's just the
government taking money when in fact
there is a rebate here it's actually
coming Friday
that's not accurate Bashi attacks is a
tax as a tax whether it is a payroll tax
or a tax on home heating or a tax on
food or a tax on gas these this is all
money that is being taken out of the
pockets of Canadians by this liberal
government and as I said under a
conservative government there will be no
new taxes for every dollar of new
spending we will find a Dollar of
savings and that's something that we're
simply not seeing right now with this
liberal government we look at the
spending in budget 2022 we're at 56.5
billion dollars and that's simply not
acceptable so as I said under a
conservative government there will be no
new taxes and for every dollar of new
spending we will find a Dollar of
savings when will your party release its
own climate change plan since the carbon
tax the price on carbon is integral to
the Liberals plan and you say that you
will completely get rid of it when will
your party actually tell Canadians what
you will do to fight the harmful effects
of climate change some of which we are
seeing you know to a devastating degree
in Atlantic Canada over the past 18 days
I think Canadians can look forward to a
plan that has reasonable and practical
targets something that this government
has failed to achieve since they got
into Power I think that we're also
looking forward to a plan where we work
with industry instead of Blindsided and
that's something vashi that benefits all
Canadians and sorry the question Miss
Koozie was when can Canadians expect to
hear that plan
I think Canadians can look forward to a
plan with practical attainable targets
and a plan that will work for all
Canadians soon
I I would say very soon we have a new
Shadow Minister for the environment
today the new Shadow Minister for
natural resources and I know that they
will take the time to create a plan with
reasonable and attainable targets that
works for industry and all Canadians and
not just special interests and activists
okay Miss Koozie I'll leave it there I'm
out of time thank you for your time I
appreciate it
thank you Bashi Stephanie Koozie is the
newly appointed critic for the treasury
board for the federal tories
[Music]
hi I'm vashi capello's host of power and
politics see more of our show by
subscribing to the CBC News Channel or
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