Conservative Party of Canada leader Pierre Poilievre challenged Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to a carbon tax election while addressing his caucus on Wednesday.
“Let’s make a deal,” Poilievre said, referring to Trudeau. “Let’s pause the carbon tax on all home heating until Canadians go to the polls so that we can have a carbon tax election where Canadians will decide between his plan to quadruple the tax to sixty-one cents a litre on heat, gas, and groceries, and my common sense plan to axe the tax and bring home lower prices — a carbon tax election.”
Poilievre’s comments come just a week after Trudeau backtracked on his carbon tax scheme with a three year “pause,” but only for home heating oil — something that mostly only Atlantic Canadians use.
The Conservative leader accused Trudeau of dividing Canadians by allowing some a carbon tax break while others still have to pay full pop.
The Trudeau Liberals have said that no more carbon tax carve-outs will come. In the House of Commons on Tuesday, Trudeau stuck to climate change talking points, in justifying the tax despite the one-off backtrack.
Trudeau maintains that the specific carve-out to home heating oil was done because it’s more harmful to the environment than those who heat their homes with alternative means such as natural gas.
The Conservatives claim that Trudeau only made the concession because Liberal MPs from Atlantic Canada begged him to do it, while his polling numbers in the region were taking a massive hit.
Provincial issue
Provincial leaders have also chimed in of late, including the Conservative Party of BC, and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith.
“I hope the Prime Minister does the right thing. If he was prepared to give an exemption on one type of home heating oil that benefited one region of the country, he should give it to everyone.”
And earlier this week, Ontario Premier Doug Ford blamed the affordability crisis on Trudeau’s “awful, awful carbon tax.”
“It’s a tax that raises prices on absolutely everything from fuel to groceries to electricity. From everything you touch, it all gets transported in one way or another,” he said.
