Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has advised the prime minister that a pause on the carbon tax hike, planned for April 1, would be a “political win.”
Ms. Smith met with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in Calgary on March 13, where they discussed several issues, according to the premier.
“I also told him it would be a political win if he just paused the increase in the carbon tax on April 1,” she added.
When asked by reporters if the prime minister sounded open to the idea, she said “I'll let actions decide that.”
“We'll find out in a couple of weeks whether or not he was persuaded by it,” she added.
The March 13 meeting was the first time the Alberta premier and prime minister met face-to-face since the Stampede in Calgary in 2023.
When questioned about the carbon tax on March 13, Mr. Trudeau referred to it as a “price on pollution” and argued the carbon tax rebate is putting money back into people’s pockets.
“It’s a way of both fighting climate change, of pushing for innovation and better technologies and putting more money in the pockets of Canadians right across the country,” he said during a separate news conference in Calgary.
Mr. Trudeau also said that getting rid of the tax is an easy answer, but not practical in the long term.
“The fact that we pushed off this problem for decades already means it gets more and more expensive to make the changes that are necessary,” the prime minister said.
Premiers Call for Carbon Tax Pause
Ms. Smith noted that seven premiers have now asked for a pause.“There’s a reason for that,” she told reporters, adding that a Parliamentary Budget Office report indicated the carbon tax would result in a net loss for most Canadian households even after receiving federal rebates.
Ms. Smith’s comments follow an open letter sent to Mr. Trudeau by Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Andrew Furey on March 12, calling for a pause on the carbon tax. Mr. Furey, Canada’s only remaining Liberal provincial premier, said the upcoming increase is “causing understandable worry as people consider how they will manage the mounting financial strain.”
In addition to Ms. Smith and Mr. Furey, Ontario Premier Doug Ford, Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe, New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs, Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston, and Prince Edward Island Premier Dennis King have all been critical of the impact the tax is having on the residents of their respective provinces.
