Independent MP Kevin Vuong Calls Out Liberals’ “Clean Fuel” Plan Increasing Emissions

Former Liberal MP turned Independent Kevin Vuong is calling out his former caucus colleagues for pushing a “Clean Fuel Regulation” plan that even on paper will actually increase carbon emissions.

Vuong notes the absurdity of wanting to lower emissions with new fuel regulations that will require ethanol to be shipped from the United States to Canada to be added to gasoline. Ethanol is a fuel that emits more carbon emissions than regular oil and gas fuels, yet because the Justin Trudeau Liberals are on a crusade against oil and gas, they see ethanol as a more clean and more wholesome alternative. 

During MP Vuong’s question, he stated:

The government has refused my request to delay implementing the clean fuel standard until the Canadian economy no longer faces a looming recession, to a time when Canadians have some breathing room and the government has found realistic answers on how to get the country back on some semblance of sound financial footing. Moreover, to add insult to growing food bank visits, the lack of environmental benefit from the clean fuel standard is appalling. The only thing that is being cleaned is what little money is left in the pocketbooks of Canadians.

 In light of the fact that the clean fuel standard would actually increase net emissions, what environmental catastrophe would occur if we delayed the implementation of the clean fuel standard by six months? Is this just another way for the government to pay for its wanton overspending off the backs of Canadians?

In response to Vuong’s question, MP Terry Duguid, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate change handwaved all economic concerns away that Vuong brought up by mentioning the government was creating subsidized jobs, and then mainly focused on blindly promoting UN 2030 emission targets.

Duguid said:

The clean fuel regulations, CFR, are critical to meeting Canada’s 2030 climate targets and laying the foundation for a net-zero economy in 2050. The CFR will deliver up to 26 megatonnes of GHG emission reductions in 2030. This is a significant contribution to Canada’s climate change goals, equal to removing about two weeks of annual greenhouse gas emissions from the entire Canadian economy.

The CFR will do more than reduce emissions. The regulations have been designed to work in conjunction with the Government of Canada’s $1.5-billion clean fuels fund. Together, these measures will drive innovation and send a clear market signal for investors and industry to bring more clean technologies and low-carbon fuels, such as biofuels and hydrogen, to market to help decarbonize the economy.

It is maddening that while it is just simply factually true that this new fuel standard will drive up prices of fuel for less than zero environmental benefits, Liberal politicians still feel like they can hide behind their talking points. They have a goldfish-like blankness in the face of information that contradicts their narrative. 

And remember, Kevin Vuong was a member of the Liberal Party. Justin Trudeau preemptively declared he would remove him from the Liberal caucus if he was elected under their party banner over criminal charges that were dropped against him for the blatant lack of evidence. Vuong is the sort of guy who is open to passing climate policies, yet the Liberals have become so disconnected from reality on the issue, Vuong has taken to criticizing them. 

Vuong seems to represent why the Liberal Party is starting to consistently fall behind in the polling. Although they will always retain a hardcore base, they are losing soft Liberal voters who are now looking elsewhere for a party that is focused on kitchen table issues, and not abstract issues like climate change.