Conservatives Reject Liberal Claim That They Abandoned Ukraine

Tories voted against a bill to implement an updated trade deal with Ukraine because its language sought to ‘promote carbon pricing’ for both countries.

The prime minister of Canada Justin Trudeau speaks during a joint press conference with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv, Ukraine, on June 10, 2023. Alexey Furman/Getty Images

The federal Conservatives are pushing back against Liberal accusations that they have abandoned Ukraine by voting against a bill that would implement an updated Canada–Ukraine trade deal after party Leader Pierre Poilievre argued that it would impose a carbon tax on the country.

“Liberals renegotiated the Canada-Ukraine free trade deal, and they wanted to add, unbelievably, a carbon tax,” said Conservative MP and international development critic Garnett Genuis on X. “Conservatives think Ukraine needs weapons. Liberals think Ukraine needs a carbon tax.”