Health Minister Mark Holland says “of course” he supports Canadians traveling by road after a video of comments he made during question period on the issue attracted widespread attention over the weekend.
Conservative MPs were among social media users who shared a video of Holland in the House of Commons saying that road trips involve being “in a car for 10 consecutive days, non-stop, without going to the bathroom” and doing so. The only thing that costs is “the future of the planet.”
Holland told reporters that is taken out of context.
“I think that is false. And I think selectively quoting me when they could see the context of question period and what we were talking about shows, frankly, desperation in their message and a willingness to be on social media to twist messages,” Holland said Monday.
So what is the full context of the clip?
Last Thursday, Conservative MPs called on the government to adopt their motion to scrap carbon pricing, the federal fuel tax and the GST on petrol and diesel between now and Labor Day.
MPs voted on this motion on Monday and it was ultimately defeated, with the Conservatives being the only party to vote in favour.
During that debate on May 30House Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer argued this would save the average Ontario family $600 over the summer.
“Everyone knows that the carbon tax costs more than the refund. That is why the Prime Minister was humiliated by granting an exception only for some people in some parts of the country. That’s all we’re asking for today: a summer holiday on federal fuel and diesel taxes,” Andrew Scheer said in question time last Thursday.
The email you need to receive the top news stories from Canada Day and around the world.
“For the average family in Ontario, that would mean almost $600 in savings. To the prime minister’s rich friends, this may not seem like a lot of money, but for struggling Canadians, it can make all the difference in being able to say yes to kids when they ask for some summer fun.”
The Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Steven Guilbeault, initially responded by saying that to achieve that level of savings it would be necessary to travel 37,000 consecutive kilometers, 10 days at 100 kilometers per hour.
Holland then entered the debate after Scheer repeated the question. The part of Holland’s response that drew attention on social media came after Alberta Conservative MP Rachel Thomas asked a question similar to Scheer’s.
“Mr. President, there is good news for kids. They can take a fun summer vacation where they are locked in a car for 10 straight days without stopping, without going to the bathroom, and the conservatives have a plan for them to have fun during summer. How much does it cost? It’s giving up the future of the planet,” Holland said Thursday. “Children don’t have to worry about taking action on the planet. the car and let the planet burn.”
It’s not uncommon for politicians of all stripes to take clips of their opponents during question period and post them on social media. When asked if he would avoid hyperbole in this environment, Holland said that started the conversations.
“I had a great conversation with all kinds of people everywhere, the GTA in my drive, and a lot of people came up to me and talked about it, and that creates a good conversation. And here’s the thing about truth: It’s true,” Holland said.
“If you are going to reduce a discussion about the existential crisis of climate change to a slogan around a ridiculous policy that you would have to drive 44,000 kilometers to get the benefit, and try to reduce it to 30 – second clip on Instagram, showing the level of seriousness with which they are taking the issue.”
Ahead of Monday’s vote, Conservative MPs, including leader Pierre Poilievre, criticized Holland’s comments in last week’s debate. In response, Holland and Guilbeault criticized the conservatives, saying they don’t have a climate plan and don’t take the issue seriously.
Poilievre has not shared a full plan for climate change policy should his party form a government, but has said he would repeal carbon pricing and focus on investing more money in technology aimed at curbing emissions.
