Canadians show support for relieving farms of carbon tax

A recent Leger poll for the Canadian Teachers Federation shows that respondents from around the country feel that farmers shouldn't have to pay carbon taxes on natural gas and propane.

The question showed that a net 70 per cent of respondents agreed, with 39 per cent strongly supporting it and 31 per cent somewhat supporting it.

Meanwhile, a net 15 per cent opposed taking that carbon tax off with 8 per cent somewhat opposing it and 7 per cent strongly opposing it.

15 per cent of people responded in neither the positive nor the negative, instead writing in "I don't know".

Greg Haubrich, the Prairie Director for the Canadian Taxpayer's Federation, says that the support came from a surprisingly wide pool nationally.

"It's just really good to see that 70 per cent number, it's not just from the traditional farming regions of the country, but it's all across the country. Alberta led the way with 76 per cent support for the exemption, but then we also saw places like Quebec and Atlantic Canada with 68 per cent. So even places that aren't the place you think of when you think of farming, they know that this carbon tax is hitting farmers hard and they still support them getting a break."

Haubrich says that getting the exemption that many think farmers need would be as easy as passing an already-written bill.

"It's something we definitely need to be done as soon as possible, you know? There's that bill C-234 that's hanging out in Parliament and it essentially does just that, so we're trying to push the politicians in the right direction to actually pass this bill. They've been waiting a long time and we think this poll helps because every month they don't pass it is another month that farmers are stuck paying that carbon tax.