Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre introduced his latest motion to repeal the carbon tax in the House of Commons on Sept. 28, saying Canadians are taxed to the hilt.
“Now the prime minister, with the necessary help of the NDP, plans to quadruple the carbon tax to 61 cents a litre,“ Mr. Poilievre said in the House. ”When you tax the gas and diesel of the farmer who makes the food and the trucker who ships the food, you tax all who buy the food. No wonder people cannot afford groceries.”
The Tories have introduced
multiple failed motions in the House of Commons to “Axe the tax.” All other parties in the House have supported the measures.
Mr. Poilievre’s motion calls on the government to repeal the carbon tax through legislation in a bid to bring down the cost of gas, groceries, and home heating.
The carbon tax rose by $15 per tonne to $65 per tonne in April and will reach $110 per tonne in 2026 before topping out at $170 per tonne in 2030. Mr. Poilievre has argued that as a result of higher transportation costs, most consumer goods will become more expensive.
The Tory leader said that Liberal MPs from Atlantic Canada recognize their constituents need a reprieve from the surging cost of living. Ken McDonald, MP for Avalon in Newfoundland and Labrador, has
reportedly lobbied Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for a special policy in regard to his rural riding, including a carbon tax rebate, according to the CBC.
“Now, amazingly, members of the Atlantic caucus of the Liberal Party are now saying the opposite in their writings than they’re doing on Parliament Hill,” Mr. Poilievre said.
“They have voted 23 times to hike the carbon tax when they’re here. But then when they go back to Atlantic Canada, they say they’re against the carbon tax.”
In most provinces, the federal carbon tax adds over 14 cents to a litre of gasoline, with Ottawa’s objective being to raise it to over 37 cents by 2030. The carbon tax doesn’t apply to some provinces, like Quebec, that have their own pollution pricing system. Quebec currently imposes a fuel
tax worth 19.2 cents.
Mr. Poilievre recently took
aim at the Bloc Québécois as he seeks to make inroads in that province. The Bloc wants the carbon tax to be raised, backing the new Clean Fuel Regulations (CFR).
Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault has recently argued that carbon taxes will save Canadians money by offsetting the greater cost related to natural disasters due to climate change.
“When we talk about the cost of measures to address climate change, we have to realize that Canadians are paying a very high price tag for the impacts of climate change,” Mr. Guibeault
said on Sept. 13 during a Liberal caucus retreat in London, Ont.
Mr. Poilievre’s latest motion to repeal the carbon tax comes amid high inflation and runaway prices in the homeownership and rental markets. More than half of Canadians are feeling the pinch, according to
a Nanos Research poll, which showed 53 percent of Canadians believe it’s a bad time to raise the tax.
