Tory Motion Calls for Trudeau to Hold Televised Meeting With Premiers Over Carbon Tax Hike

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre rises during question period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on March 18, 2024. The Canadian Press/Sean Kilpatrick

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is challenging Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to host a televised “emergency meeting” with the country’s premiers to discuss his government’s 23 percent carbon tax hike.

The Conservatives tabled a motion April 9 calling on Mr. Trudeau to meet with provincial and territorial leaders in a publicly broadcast meeting within five weeks of the motion being adopted. MPs are expected to vote on the motion April 10.

Mr. Poilievre said he believes the prime minister is “too scared” to hold the televised meeting because he says the Liberal government is losing the carbon pricing debate.

The motion comes a week after Mr. Poilievre sent a formal letter to the prime minister demanding he meet with the premiers. The letter discussed the national affordability crisis and said the provinces should be able to opt out of the federal carbon tax and “pursue other responsible ideas for lowering emissions without taxes.”

The Tory leader expressed similar sentiments about affordability in the House of Commons April 9. He described housing costs in Canada as 50 percent greater than in the United States and claimed for the price of a two-bedroom apartment in Kitchener, Ont., “you could buy a castle in Sweden for less.”

Mr. Poilievre has repeatedly blamed the carbon tax for many of the country’s financial woes, saying it increases the cost of all goods and services.

The April 1 carbon tax increase saw carbon pricing rise from $65 to $80 per tonne of emissions. Seven of 10 provincial premiers have openly criticized the $15 per tonne increase and polls show roughly 69 percent of Canadians are also opposed to the hike.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has previously criticized the premiers opposing the carbon tax, calling them “short-term thinker politicians” and has touted the benefits of the carbon tax rebate, saying eight in 10 Canadian families will benefit overall.

This figure has been disputed by the Tories, who have cited a 2023 Parliamentary Budget Officer report that claimed households would see a net loss of between $311 to $911 in 2024-2025 after rebates.

Mr. Trudeau has also declined to meet with premiers to discuss the carbon tax increase. He has received written requests to do so from the premiers of Ontario, Saskatchewan, Alberta, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Newfoundland and Labrador. The prime minister maintains that the provinces got to have their say on the matter in a 2016 meeting.

Poilievre Questioned on Industrial Tax

Following the Tory motion, NDP MP Laurel Collins questioned Mr. Poilievre about his stance on a federal industrial carbon tax.

“We all know where the Conservative leader stands on the consumer carbon tax, but he’s avoided answering questions on the industrial carbon tax on big oil and gas. So please, could he answer just a simple yes or no question? Will he scrap the industrial carbon tax?”

Mr. Poilievre said there is no specific federal industrial carbon tax on oil and gas, adding provinces like Alberta have funds for heavy emitters that are used to later invest in technologies to reduce carbon emissions.

In his testimony before a House of Commons committee last month, Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe highlighted a similar program in his province as a potential alternative to the federal carbon tax.

Bloc Quebecois MP Denis Trudel criticized Mr. Poilievre for linking the housing crisis to the carbon tax increase, saying that the problem is the delay in implementing programs by the federal government and called on the Tories to agree to a Bloc proposal to make a lump sum payment for housing.

Mr. Poilievre replied that the Bloc has supported all of the Liberal government’s programs, including $500 billion in spending and said his core issue was spending on bureaucracy, consultants, and programs centralized in Ottawa.

“They should stop building a bigger government here in Ottawa,” he said. “And there should be more construction, less bureaucracy, more houses.”