Most respondents (72 percent) said Ottawa should exempt from the carbon tax fuels for home heating, such as natural gas or propane, “to help people deal with the rising cost of living.” The remaining 28 percent said the government should not offer exemptions because the tax is meant to encourage people to shift toward less polluting forms of heating, the survey found.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on Oct. 26 his government would give a three-year carbon tax exemption on heating oil. The move came after Liberal MPs in Atlantic ridings voiced concern, saying their constituents could not afford to pay the carbon tax on heating oil.
The exemption applies to the 10 provinces and territories where the federal fuel charge is collected, although the change predominantly benefits Atlantic Canada, where 30 percent of homeowners still use furnace oil to heat their homes.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and premiers from Ontario and the Western provinces have called for carbon tax exemptions on all forms of home heating. Mr. Trudeau and Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault have both said no more exemptions will be given.
Fifty-eight percent of poll respondents said they were aware of the new policy changes to the carbon tax. When asked if they believed it was a “good idea,” 65 percent agreed and 35 percent disagreed.
When asked if the carbon tax exemption would influence how they voted, 13 percent of respondents said they would be more likely to vote Liberal because of the changes, while 30 percent said they would be less likely. Fifty-six percent said it would have no impact on their decision.
Similar to other recent polls, the Abacus survey found the Conservatives have a wide lead over the Liberals nationally. A total of 41 percent of respondents said they would vote for the Tories if an election were held now, while 25 percent would vote Liberal, and 19 percent would support the NDP. A further four percent would vote for the People’s Party of Canada, and three percent would vote for the Green Party.
In recent months, the Tories have brought several motions to remove the carbon tax before the House of Commons, all of which failed. An NDP motion in early November that would have removed the GST from home heating bills and provided funding for a national heat pump program also failed.
