It’s tough to justify the inexorable growth in carbon taxes in Canada while citizens struggle with increases in the cost of living. But the inequitable application of the scheme across provinces adds insult to injury.
The double standard is galling, yet is all too common. Canadians have come to cynically accept that Quebec will get preferential treatment within the federation as federal governments of every partisan stripe try to fend off secessionism in la belle province. Such efforts may or may not be quelling independence sentiment in Quebec, but they are certainly feeding regional discontent in the rest of the nation.
As citizens look to their provincial governments to defend themselves from Ottawa, regionalism is bound to grow. Provincial politicians are less inclined to take national interests into account with policies than federal ones.
The reason people are looking to their provincial governments to deal with regional inequity in the Liberal government’s policies is they have nowhere else to go. Even the Conservative Party of Canada remains deathly silent on issues that may perturb Quebec. The blatant inequity with the national application of the carbon tax should be a natural issue for a federal opposition leader to jump on. Still, so far Pierre Poilievre hasn’t touched it. It’s unlikely he will for fear of threatening potential electoral gains in Quebec.
The CPC’s refusal to call out national double standards when it comes to Quebec isn’t just with the carbon tax. That’s only the most recent issue.
While Quebec was already overrepresented in both the Senate and Supreme Court, representation by population applied to seats in the House of Commons. At least it used to.
If local MPs won’t vote in the interest of their constituents, what is the point of local representation? Many Canadians have been asking themselves that question and it is a line of thinking that can lead to the notion of regional secessionism.
Whether it’s with equalization, taxation, targeted subsidies, or democratic representation, Quebec always gets preferential treatment in Canada. While MPs take the support of their constituents for granted, frustration and regionalism is growing among Canadians outside central Canada.
It’s understandable from a politically strategic point of view why national parties won’t take a stand when it comes to issues with Quebec.
Is the pursuit of votes in Quebec worth risking the fracturing of Canada’s fragile national unity?
So far, the answer appears to be yes.