Ottawa, ON – After eight years, Justin Trudeau is no longer listening to Canadians. At a time when one in ten people in Toronto are having to rely on food banks, and when more than half of Canadians are only $200 away from missing their bills, Justin Trudeau went ahead and hiked his carbon tax by 23% on April 1st.
Trudeau decided to hike the carbon tax even though 70% of Canadians and 70% of provincial premiers opposed it. He even refused to listen to his former Liberal ally, the Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador, as well as three other provincial Liberal parties, who asked him not to increase the tax. The Premier of Manitoba has also said that the carbon tax shouldn’t apply in his province. Trudeau just doesn’t understand that if you tax the farmer who makes the food, and the trucker who ships the food, you tax the family who buys the food.
Now, Justin Trudeau is refusing to meet with Common Sense Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre as well as the premiers of Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Saskatchewan and Alberta who wrote to him asking to discuss alternatives to his cruel carbon tax.
For this reason, the House of Commons passed a Common Sense Conservative motion calling on Trudeau to convene an emergency televised carbon tax meeting with all of Canada’s 14 first ministers within five weeks. Trudeau has a responsibility to listen to Canada’s premiers about the misery his carbon tax is causing Canadians. In this meeting, he must also allow provinces to opt out of the federal carbon tax and pursue other responsible ideas for lowering emissions without taxes.
During this historic cost-of-living crisis, it’s clear that Canadians need relief, not more taxes. Only Common Sense Conservatives will work with Canada’s premiers to bring home lower prices for all Canadians.