Poilievre uses P.E.I. visit to slam carbon tax, promise relief from high price of living

Pierre Poilievre says that if his Conservative Party forms the federal government after the next election, he will introduce measures to bring down the costs of low-carbon energy alternatives rather than impose surcharges on fossil fuels as Justin Trudeau's Liberals have done.

That's one of the topics the federal Conservative leader addressed Wednesday during a visit to Prince Edward Island.   

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Poilievre criticized the federal Liberal government's carbon tax, which he said is increasing the pain of inflation, especially in rural parts of the country where people need to use gas- and diesel-powered cars and trucks.  

He also addressed the rising cost of heating fuel and groceries, which has had strong impacts in Atlantic provinces like Prince Edward Island, where almost all consumer goods must be trucked in.

Poilievre said rather than raising the costs of "traditional energy," his party plans to create incentives for companies to lower the costs of low-carbon energy alternatives, such as nuclear power, carbon capture and tidal power.

"Look out at these roads here. These people need to drive vehicles," he said, gesturing to traffic going by on the road next to the Charlottetown gas station where he held his news conference.

"If you're coming into Charlottetown from Cavendish, you can't do it by transit."

(In fact, there is a transit service subsidized by the province on that route, involving buses that run four times a day in the peak summer season.)

Poilievre also mocked Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland for her recent comment that people could choose to use bicycles rather than cars in some cases. She was visiting Prince Edward Island at the time. 

Measures to ease inflation pain

In an interview with CBC News: Compass, Poilievre said a Conservative government would take a number of measures to address the rising cost of living. They would include placing a cap on government spending, removing red tape to let farmers grow more food, and building more affordable housing.

I worry about the seniors who will have to choose between eating and heating.— Pierre Poilievre, on the rising cost of living

"I worry about the seniors who will have to choose between eating and heating," he said.

Poilievre said he would give local governments incentives to "get out of the way, free up land and speed up permits" to build more houses.

The Official Opposition leader's visit to the Island comes just days before Justin Trudeau's federal Liberal cabinet starts a three-day summer retreat in P.E.I.

Open to cutting bridge tolls

In response to a question from a reporter at the news conference, Poilievre said he's "open" to the idea of reducing the Confederation Bridge toll as Premier Dennis King has proposed.

The bridge connects P.E.I. and New Brunswick, and King has said Islanders shouldn't have to pay more than $20 to use it. The current toll, charged only when leaving the Island, is $50.25 for an average two-axle vehicle.

Poilievre said the topic was raised when he met with King earlier in the day.

I hear the argument. I understand the frustration and concern.— Pierre Poilievere, on efforts to lower the cost of travelling off P.E.I.

"I hear the argument. I understand the frustration and concern," he said. But he said he would not commit to lowering the toll because that would amount to releasing part of the party's election platform. 

The next federal election is scheduled to take place on Oct. 20, 2025, unless Trudeau's minority government falls before then, or Trudeau himself triggers an earlier vote. 

Defunding CBC English services

Poilievre has previously said that if his party wins the next federal election, he plans to cut public funding for the CBC. He argues that CBC's English services do not provide content that isn't already available through private news organizations.

However, Poilievre has stated that his government would continue to support Radio-Canada's services for francophone minorities in Canada.

When asked what his proposed CBC defunding might mean for local news access in a place like P.E.I., Poilievre said it will "vastly improve."

He went on: "By taking the money out of back-office bureaucracy and putting it into front-line reporting, we're actually going to get better news coverage that is more responsive to the concerns of — and the stories that people want to hear in — rural communities across the country."

Rally attracts hundreds

Later Wednesday, the Conservative leader held a rally at the Cymbria Lions Club in Rustico. Hundreds packed into the room where he spoke, with others listening in from outside.

"Who's ready to axe the carbon tax? Who's ready to have a home you can actually afford?" Poilievre called out to the energized crowd.

"I was a little bit confused by all the cars lining up to this gathering," he added, "because I was told there were no Conservatives in Prince Edward Island."

All four federal ridings on the Island are held by the Liberals, and three of the four have been solidly red since the 1980s. Some in the Conservative Party are optimistic they can change that in the next election.

Poilievre told the audience he would make their lives more affordable by scrapping the carbon tax, and improve health care by creating a Blue Seal certification program to let health care workers travel between provinces, similar to Red Seal programs for tradespeople.

To create more housing, he said he would withhold federal infrastructure payments from municipalities unless they increased the number of building permits they issued.

As he spoke, he laid all the country's problems, from rising costs to crime, at the feet of the Trudeau government.

Poilievre drew one of the biggest cheers of the night from the crowd with a promise to ban members of his cabinet from having any involvement in the World Economic Forum. He also promised not to impose a digital ID on the Canadian population.