Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the seven Premiers who have recently spoken out against his carbon tax — including a Liberal Premier — are not being honest about how it affects the majority of Canadians.

As the federal carbon tax is set to rise on April 1, seven out of ten Premiers have issued statements addressed to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, all asking him to pause his plans for yet another tax increase.

“Conservative Premiers across this country are misleading Canadians, are not telling the truth,” the Prime Minister said. Trudeau didn’t address the fact that one of the Premiers was actually Newfoundland’s Liberal Premier, Andrew Furey. 

Contrary to what the Premiers and Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre have stated, Trudeau insisted that 80% of Canadian families are better off financially thanks to the carbon tax, namely from the rebates it offers. 

“It’s basic math” Trudeau added, despite once saying he has a medical condition that prohibits him from understanding basic math.

8 out of 10

The federal Liberals are arguing that Opposition leader Pierre Poilievre is trying to “rob” money from citizens by advocating for the carbon tax to be scrapped.

The webpage from the government’s climate change department states that “8 out of 10 households get more money back than they spend on the fuel charge.”

However, the Conservatives have stated the exact opposite, that 8 out of 10 Canadians are economically hurt more from the carbon tax than they’re helped by the rebates.

On their economic disagreement, both sides are actually clinging to different lines from the same report.

Last year, Yves Giroux, Canada’s parliamentary budget officer, said that rebates are higher than the direct cost of the carbon tax for 80% of families. The Liberals have been touting this line in the House of Commons ever since.

But Giroux also said that when taking into account the impact the tax has on job growth and incomes, 80% of families could pay more into it than they receive back in rebates. Naturally, the Conservatives have focused on this element.

Alberta’s Premier Danielle Smith has claimed that citizens are paying more in the tax than they’re getting back in the rebates.

“People know that, they feel it,” she told The Counter Signal.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford has likewise pointed to the fact that the carbon tax makes everything more expensive.

“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 in October. 

Canadians fed up with carbon tax

According to recent polling, a significant portion of Canadians are opposed to the increase.