A war of words has ensued between Pierre Poilievre and David Eby after the B.C. premier scoffed at the Conservative leader’s request for him to join the other provinces in protesting the upcoming carbon tax hike.
In the letter, Mr. Polievre said the 23 percent rise would add an extra 18 cents on a litre of fuel, a charge he said would be unaffordable for people in British Columbia and across the country.
“I am writing, asking that you: Do not administer the April 1 tax hike,” said the one-page letter. “Join the seven other premiers demanding [Prime Minister Justin] Trudeau stop the hike.”
Mr. Eby, however, said the request amounted to the Tory leader asking British Columbia to allow the federal government to administer the carbon tax instead of the province administering the tax itself.
“I know Mr. Poilievre knows that his suggestion would mean less money for British Columbians, but that’s not his priority,” Mr. Eby said. “Fair enough.”
“Housing costs have doubled, the carbon tax is quadrupling, inflation is at its worst in 40 years. That’s [Mr. Eby’s] and Justin Trudeau’s record,” Mr. Poilievre said.
“He should talk to his own citizens in British Columbia who can’t afford to eat, heat and house themselves and join with the seven other premiers who have called on Trudeau to spike this April 1 tax hike.”
He called the upcoming pricing increase “absolutely insane.”
The carbon tax is set to increase $15 on April 1, from $65 to $80 per tonne. The federal charge will be applied across the country except in provinces that collect their own fuel tax, including B.C.
The province will, however, have to administer the coming increase on behalf of the federal government—a point Mr. Poilievre stressed in his letter.
“It makes no difference to the hard-working people of B.C. who administers the tax, they still pay it,” he wrote.
Trudeau Criticizes Premiers
The premiers of Ontario, Alberta, Saskatchewan, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland and Labrador have all called on the federal government to either pause or scrap the April 1 increase.The scheduled increase has sparked political tensions between the federal Liberal government and the provincial Liberal government in Newfoundland and Labrador.
The prime minister recently accused Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Andrew Furey of “continuing to bow to political pressure” after the provincial leader penned a letter asking Ottawa to pause the fast-approaching tax increase.
He was also adamant that his government would not be swayed.
“My job is not to be popular... although it helps,” Mr. Trudeau said. “My job is to do the right things for Canada now and do the right things for Canadians a generation from now. And that’s what I’ve been focused on.”
Levied by the Liberal government in 2019, Canada’s carbon tax is the price placed on the carbon content of fuels to reduce CO2 emissions. Ottawa has described the carbon tax as a necessity to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
