It seems that freedom of speech died another death in Canada’s House of Commons this week.
Conservative MP Damien Kurek was ejected for accusing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of lying about the carbon tax.
Kurek bravely confronted Trudeau on his bullying of Senators to block a tax exemption for hard-working farmers. But apparently questioning the PM’s integrity is now forbidden in the Liberal dominated Commons.
How can democratic debate flourish when an MP is banished just for challenging the ruling party’s narrative? What happened to Canadians being able to speak truth to power without fear of censorship?
Kurek’s accusations suggest truth may be the latest casualty in Canada’s intense political climate.
In the most recent House of Commons debate, the topic of Bill C-234 came up again, with many Conservative MPs calling for the Liberal government to allow it to pass in the Senate.
Damien Kurek, who represents the Alberta riding of Battle River-Crowfoot, alleged that Trudeau pressured Senators over the weekend to block a bill that would exempt farmers from the tax on natural gas and propane used for agricultural purposes.
Kurek then went on to bravely accuse Trudeau of bullying his Senators and lying to Canadia ns.
As Kurek exposed the prime minister’s deception, chaos erupted in the House of Commons. The Conservative MP’s fiery accusations were met with both booing and applause.
He was then asked to apologize by the Speaker; however, Kurek refused.
The fiery exchange highlighted tensions over the divisive carbon tax policy. Kurek refused to apologize or retract his statement, insisting “I will not apologize to the Prime Minister, Mr. Speaker.”
As he exited the chamber, Conservatives applauded Kurek.
Kurek’s pressure on Trudeau to get rid of the carbon tax came as no surprise amid many calls from MPs in the House of Commons to pass Bill C-234.
The proposed exemption would save Canadian farmers over $1 billion by 2030. Its defeat in the Senate dealt a blow to Conservatives aiming to weaken the carbon pricing scheme.
The roots of this clash trace back to Conservative MP Philip Lawrence’s introduction of Bill C-234 in February 2020. The bill aimed to exempt farmers from Trudeau’s burdensome carbon tax on natural gas and propane used for grain drying and heating agricultural buildings.
Farmers use these fuels when undertaking tasks like grain drying and to maintain the temperature of certain agricultural buildings. These fuels are essential for Canadian farmers to remain competitive.
Initially, all opposition parties supported the bill, recognizing the struggles of farmers under the carbon tax regime. The legislation passed the Commons and ascended to the Senate, seen as the last hurdle before becoming law.
But Trudeau’s supposed Senate “independence” vanished last week when Senator Bernadette Clement, part of the Independent Senators Group, brought forth a motion to halt debate on the bill right before its third reading. This procedural tactic blocked it from a final vote.
In an ironic twist, 29 hand-picked senators supported adjourning debate, while only 24 voted against this obstruction maneuver. Another 37 abstained, unwilling to defy their Trudeau-appointed colleagues.
The Senate also amended Bill C-234, leaving its future very much in doubt.
By a narrow 40-39 margin, senators voted in favor of Independent Senators Group Pierre Dalphond’s amendment to remove heating and cooling of barns from the bill that would have exempted propane and natural gas from carbon pricing.
The amended carbon tax exemption bill faces a dull future when it returns to the House of Commons. The original C-234 had “widespread support” when first passed in the Commons.
“We look to the Senate for sober second thought, but not to reject the will of the House of Commons,” said Kyle Larkin of the Grain Growers. He argued there are no viable heating alternatives for farmers, and C-234 would have let them invest in technologies to meet sustainability goals.
“The spirit of carbon pricing is to encourage behavior change,” he said. “Amending C-234 leaves farmers with this continued unjust taxation, impeding their ability to invest.”
Senator Robert Black, the agriculture committee chair, was absent for the pivotal vote. He expressed disappointment that colleagues “gutted the bill” in his absence.
Keith Currie of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture said “disappointed doesn’t accurately describe” how Canadian farmers feel right now.
Senator David Wells, the bill’s original Senate sponsor, predicts C-234 will now die procedurally in the Commons.
“It’s difficult to think that some in power would have our key food producers carry this tax burden,” he tweeted. “Our job should be to make operations in the food industry less expensive, not more expensive. Food is not a luxury.”
So much for a “free” Senate. The panel owes Justin Trudeau for their roles, and they fell in line to defeat a bill exempting regular Canadians from a punishing tax. The Prime Minister’s hypocrisy on Senate independence stands exposed. And farmers are left paying the price.
And now, with Damien Kurek getting kicked out of the House of Commons during Question period for saying what many Canadians are thinking, this raises the question of whether this Liberal government will ever take criticism from anyone opposing their policies.
While MP Damien Kurek knows that there are certain actions that are out of order in the House of Commons, he must have felt that it was worth getting kicked out if it meant that he would get his point across.
Kurek is not the first Conservative punished for calling out Liberal dishonesty. In 2021, MP Raquel Dancho was also ejected from the House of Commons after accusing a Liberal member of lying.
The dispute erupted when Liberal MP Vance Badawey falsely claimed Conservatives were obstructing testimony on the Liberals’ controversial gun legislation, Bill C-21. Dancho boldly confronted Badawey’s deception, refusing to let this partisan misleading of Parliament go unchallenged.
Like Kurek, Dancho stood firm even when pressured to apologize for calling out the government’s truth-twisting. Both cases showcase how Liberals somehow evade scrutiny of their harmful rhetoric and heavy-handed tactics.
Rather than engage in honest policy debate, the governing party resorts to muzzling opposition voices that dare counter false narratives. While they hide behind the rules of the House of Commons, they cannot continue hiding from the truth.
Conservatives under Trudeau have had to choose between complying with his culture of deception or risk ejection for speaking inconvenient truths. The pattern of intimidation and censorship is deeply troubling for Parliamentary transparency and accountability.
Kurek’s ejection highlights growing Conservative outrage over the defeated farm carbon tax exemption.
Opposition leader Pierre Poilievre has also vowed relentless procedural delays for the rest of the parliamentary session in protest.
Poilievre warned Liberals to reverse course on the farm heating bill or face round-the-clock amendment debates that push back the holiday break. His pressuring tactics aim to grind government operations to a halt.
The Conservative leader is harnessing widespread disappointment in the agricultural sector after Trudeau’s Senate appointees narrowly amended the exemption bill last week, echoing Kurek’s most recent comments, as well as several MPs in the House chamber.
Kurek’s stand has galvanized Conservatives, but rules forbid MPs calling each other liars in the House. He knew this, yet spoke out anyway. What drove an elected representative to risk ejection?
After years of , Kurek had enough. He reached a breaking point where truth outweighed procedures designed to keep debate civil. With farmers suffering from the carbon tax, he felt compelled to confront Trudeau’s abuses head-on.
The House forbids the word “liar” in order to maintain diplomatic decorum. But when party power silences dissent, strict rules can impede accountability. Kurek decided holding Trudeau to account was worth the punishment.
In an Ottawa ruled by liberals, few dare challenge the Prime Minister’s strong-arm tactics. Kurek’s refusal to stay silent sent a powerful message – Conservatives won’t turn a blind eye to abuses of power.
Partisan politics now seems prized over honest dealing in Parliament.
But Kurek hopes his stand emboldens others to demand better from leaders, regardless of party. The health of our democracy depends on it.
Standing up to power comes at a cost. Yet if voters want truth from Ottawa, they must elect representatives with conviction and courage like Kurek’s. His ejection was a call to citizens to get engaged and hold leaders accountable. Complacency will only enable the degradation of transparency.
With livelihoods in the balance, Conservatives are united from backbench to leader in forcing a reckoning on the deceptive carbon pricing scheme.
Kurek lit the spark, Poilievre is fanning the flames, and it seems that the party will keep turning up the heat until the Liberals cease burning farmers.
