Liberal MP Ken McDonald has once again voted in favour of a Conservative motion that would get rid of the federal carbon tax.
The Feb. 5 motion, sponsored by Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, called for the Liberal government to cancel its April 1 carbon tax increase. The
vote failed 209–119, with the Tories voting in favour and the Liberals, NDP, Bloc Québécois, and Greens voting against it, with the exception of Mr. McDonald.
Mr. McDonald, who represents the rural riding of Avalon in Newfoundland, previously voted in favour of a
similar motion back in October 2023. In an interview with CBC on Oct. 6, Mr. McDonald said he voted for the motion because he believed the party needed to “change the way we’re approaching the climate change incentive or whatever you want to call it.”
“I think what we’re using right now, at this time, at this point in time, is putting a bigger burden on people who are now struggling with an affordability crisis. Everywhere I go, people come up to me and say, ‘You know, we’re losing faith in the Liberal Party,'” Mr. McDonald said.
The federal carbon tax, introduced as a way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, rose by $15 per tonne to $65 per tonne in April 2023, and will reach $110 per tonne in 2026 before topping out at $170 per tonne in 2030. The Conservatives have repeatedly argued that the tax is leading to higher transportation costs, and as a result, increasing the price of most consumer goods during a Canada-wide cost of living crisis.
On Oct. 26, the Liberal government announced a three-year pause on the heating oil carbon tax to give Canadians time to switch to electric heat pumps. Subsequently, Mr. McDonald did not vote in favour of a motion to
scrap the carbon tax on Nov. 6.But in late January 2024, Mr. McDonald made headlines when he suggested it might be time for the party to conduct a leadership review of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. “As a party, let’s clear the air, and if people are still intent on having the leader we have now, fine,” Mr. McDonald
told CBC Radio-Canada. “But at least give people the opportunity to have their say in what they think [of] the direction the party is going.”
The Liberal MP changed his tune a day later, claiming it wasn’t his intention to suggest a formal review. “The intent of my recent public comments was not to personally call for a leadership review, and I am not calling for one now,”
McDonald said in an emailed statement to The Epoch Times on Jan. 25.
According to the latest polls
from Angus Reid, the Liberal Party has the support of 24 percent of Canadians, while the NDP has 20 percent support. The Conservatives top the polls with 41 percent support. Mr. Trudeau has the support of 32 percent of Canadians. Sixty-four percent of those polled said they do not support him.
