Conservative MPs were the only members in the House of Commons to vote for their motion to cancel the planned increase to the Trudeau Liberal’s federal carbon tax.
The Liberals, NDP and Bloc all voted in favour of the Trudeau Liberals’ plan to triple the carbon tax on Wednesday.
Federal Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre, who ran for the party leadership on cancelling the carbon tax, said the “costly coalition of Trudeau-Singh” voted to triple the tax on gas, heat and groceries.
“Conservatives vote to cut your taxes,” Poilievre wrote on Twitter.
The Conservative leader introduced his motion on Tuesday, the first Opposition day since the House returned following summer recess.
“This tax hike comes at a time when inflation is at a 40-year high, and nine out of 10 young people who do not already own a home do not think they ever will,” Poilievre said in the chamber on Tuesday.
“It comes at a time when Canadians cannot even fill up their car or truck to go to work. This is exactly the wrong time to raise taxes on paycheques, gas and other things.”
The federal carbon tax will continue to rise until it reaches $170 per tonne by 2030. That’s an increase of $130 per tonne from $40 in 2021, or a 325% hike.
The last increase was on April 1 by 25%, rising to $50 per tonne of emissions.
A report prepared by the Parliamentary Budget Officer last spring projects a “net loss” in 2030 for most households resulting from federal carbon pricing when it will have reached $170 a tonne, the Calgary Herald reports.
The vote comes as the Conservatives hold a seven-point lead over the Trudeau Liberals — and are attracting voters who opted for the People’s Party of Canada in the last federal election.
