Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Andrew Furey’s call to delay the federal carbon tax is a sign he is bowing to political pressure.
“I think Mr. Fury continues to bow to political pressure,” Trudeau said in response to a question about the prime minister’s position at an event in Montreal on Friday morning. “I think Canadians in Newfoundland and Labrador and across the country expect their government to do the right thing.”
Prime Minister Trudeau said that means fighting climate change and fostering innovation. He said carbon tax rebates would be economically beneficial for about eight in 10 Canadians.
“It’s basic mathematics,” he said.
Trudeau’s comments on Friday mark a new skirmish in the war of words between the two Liberal Party compatriots, with Furey’s open letter on Tuesday calling for a delay in the planned April 1 carbon tax hike. It started with sharing. Mr Furey is currently the only remaining Liberal state premier.
In Quebec on Friday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the federal carbon tax, after Liberal Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Andrew Furey joined other premiers in calling for an end to tax increases scheduled for next month. defended. Trudeau said Prime Minister Furey continues to “bow to political pressure” and that the carbon rebate will put more money in Canadians’ pockets.
The federal carbon tax is scheduled to rise from $65 to $80 per ton on April 1, an increase of about 25%.
In a statement sent to CBC News on Friday, Furey’s office said Newfoundland residents are offered one of the options available to people in other parts of the country to reduce their carbon tax burden. He said that the lack of affordable housing is exacerbating the issue of affordability.
“Prime Minister Furey has always been clear that a federal carbon tax is not the appropriate tool to mitigate climate change at this time, and he will continue to fight for Newfoundlanders and Labradorians,” the statement said. .
“While Prime Minister Furey believes strongly in the importance of mitigating climate change, he is calling on the federal government to pause carbon tax increases at this time.”
Prime Minister Trudeau is under pressure to delay the planned increase from the provinces and territories that take advantage of at least part of the federal carbon tax system, with the exception of British Columbia, Quebec and the Northwest Territories.
The premiers of New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Saskatchewan, Alberta, Ontario and Nova Scotia all called on Trudeau to suspend or cancel the upcoming carbon tax increase.
Saskatchewan has gone further than other provinces, saying it will not return carbon taxes on natural gas to the federal government. They’re protesting the City of Ottawa’s exemption for household heating oil, saying natural gas should be treated the same way.
Yukon Liberal Premier Ranji Pillai said Wednesday he strongly supports the carbon tax and the April 1 tax increase.
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Prime Minister Trudeau said in French that he understands that some prime ministers across the country have opposed the idea of a carbon tax from the beginning, but that a carbon tax would encourage markets to invest in low-emission technologies. However, he said he believes he can reward Canadians for changing. their actions.
“Removing or leveling the cost of pollution as it stands would actually mean less money going into the pockets of eight out of 10 Canadians in jurisdictions where pollution is imposed. That makes no sense,” the prime minister said. Wednesday.
The carbon tax is perhaps the most prominent focus of Conservative criticism of the current government, with opposition leader Pierre Poièvre regularly calling for the policy to be repealed at “Abolish the Tax” rallies across the country. .
“Prime Minister Trudeau is facing a local rebellion,” Poièvre said in a statement Wednesday. “But Prime Minister Trudeau won’t listen.”
Poièvre held an anti-carbon tax event in Saint John, New Brunswick, on Friday to highlight two upcoming opposition day motions intended to force a vote on the tax and the April 1 tax increase.
“Will Liberal and NDP MPs vote to provide affordable gas, food and housing for their constituents, or will they vote for Justin Trudeau to dig deep into the pockets of freezing and hungry Canadians?” “We need to decide whether to do so,” he said. .
