Trudeau says N.L. premier bowing to political pressure over carbon tax increase
Christian Paas-Lang | CBC News | Posted: March 15, 2024 3:18 PM | Last Updated: March 15
Andrew Furey, a Liberal, called this week for the carbon tax increase to be delayed
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Andrew Furey's call to delay the federal carbon tax is a sign he is caving to political pressure.
"I think Mr. Furey is continuing to bow to political pressure," Trudeau said in response to a question about the premier's stance during an event in Montreal on Friday morning. "I think Canadians in Newfoundland and Labrador and right across the country expect their governments to do the right thing."
Trudeau said that means fighting climate change and spurring technological innovation. He said the carbon tax rebate is financially beneficial for roughly eight in 10 Canadians.
"It's basic math," he said.
Trudeau's remarks on Friday mark another scuffle in the war of words between the two Liberal compatriots, which began when Furey shared an open letter on Tuesday calling for the planned carbon tax increase on April 1 to be delayed. Furey is the only remaining Liberal provincial premier.
WATCH | Trudeau addresses Furey's stance on carbon tax increase:
The federal carbon tax is scheduled to rise from $65 per tonne to $80 on April 1, a roughly 25 per cent increase.
In a statement sent to CBC News on Friday, Furey's office said Newfoundland residents lack some of the options available to people in other parts of the country to reduce their carbon tax burden, adding to affordability woes.
"Premier Furey has always been clear that the federal carbon tax is not the appropriate instrument to mitigate climate change at this time, and that he will continue to fight for Newfoundlanders and Labradorians," the statement said.
"Premier Furey strongly believes in the importance of mitigating climate change, but urges the federal government to pause its increase to the carbon tax at this time."
Trudeau has faced pressure from provinces and territories — all of which use at least part of the federal carbon tax system, except for British Columbia, Quebec and the Northwest Territories — to delay the planned increase.
Premiers in New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Saskatchewan, Alberta, Ontario and Nova Scotia have all called for Trudeau to pause or cancel the coming carbon tax increase.
Saskatchewan has gone further than other provinces, saying it won't remit the carbon tax levied on natural gas to the federal government. It's protesting an exemption that Ottawa carved out for home heating oil, arguing that natural gas should receive the same treatment.
Yukon's Liberal Premier Ranj Pillai said Wednesday he strongly supports the carbon tax and the April 1 increase.
WATCH | Federal-provincial battle over carbon tax continues
In French, Trudeau said he understood that some premiers across the country were opposed from the start to the idea of the carbon tax, but he said he believes the carbon tax allows the market to incentivize investment in lower-emitting technologies while rewarding Canadians who change their behaviour.
"Taking away the price on pollution, or levelling it off where it is, would actually mean less money in the pockets of eight out of 10 Canadians in the jurisdictions where it's imposed, which doesn't make sense," the prime minister said on Wednesday.
The carbon tax has been perhaps the most prominent focus of the Conservative critique of the sitting government, with Opposition Leader Pierre Poilievre regularly calling for the policy to be scrapped during "Axe the Tax" rallies across the country.
"Trudeau is facing a provincial revolt," Poilievre said in a statement on Wednesday. "But Trudeau isn't listening."
Poilievre held an anti-carbon tax event in Saint John, New Brunswick on Friday, where he highlighted two upcoming opposition day motions meant to force a vote on the tax and the April 1 increase.
"Liberal and NDP members of Parliament will have to decide whether they vote for their constituents' affordable gas, food and homes, or whether they will vote with Justin Trudeau to dig deeper into the pockets of Canadians who are freezing and starving," he said.