Opportunistic Liberal MPs want party to abandon the carbon tax
Last month, Poilievre told MPs that dissenting Liberals pondered a carbon tax election. At least ten MPs endorsed the idea in remarks to the National Post.
Liberal MPs have embraced calls for a “carbon tax election” amid concerns the party has abandoned the political centre.
MPs are expected to gather Wednesday to discuss the party’s future, following Trudeau’s so-called resignation and prorogation of Parliament through March 24, reported the National Post.
Several members want the party to reinvent itself, including Wayne Long and Ken McDonald, both of whom are not seeking re-election.
Poilievre slams Trudeau and says Conservatives will "reduce emissions and costs" in response to a question from Rebel News' Drea Humphrey about leaving the Paris climate agreement.
— Rebel News (@RebelNewsOnline) April 1, 2024
"His approach is taxes, mine is technology," says Poilievre. https://t.co/PHR7jF0lJM pic.twitter.com/eCkEDdsgwR
Calling the policy “divisive and difficult for Canadians,” Long said the party needs to focus more on heavy emitters rather than punish consumers with a carbon tax.
McDonald, who represents a rural riding, agrees it is time to move on. “It does make things more expensive, regardless of what people say about it.”
Though he successfully lobbied Trudeau for carbon tax reprieve in 2023, one Leger survey said 55% of Canadians either want the tax reduced (18%) or abolished (37%) altogether.
McDonald twice broke rank from the party in failed bids that year to repeal the unpopular levy.
On April 1, 2025 Ottawa will expand the carbon tax to $95 per tonne, with successive $15 increases planned until 2030, when it reaches $170 per tonne. It is currently worth 15¢ per cubic metre of natural gas, 18¢ per litre of gasoline, and 25¢ per litre of heating oil.
Poilievre surprises Axe the Tax protesters in Nova Scotia, telling them how "everything" the Trudeau Liberals promised to do to help middle class Canadians was "bullsh*t."https://t.co/dh39RL8IFZ pic.twitter.com/gf30SuFfOP
— Rebel News (@RebelNewsOnline) April 24, 2024
Long acknowledged his party needs greater communication as Poilievre shores up regional support. “We need to respond.”
Finding a Liberal leader that can take on Pierre Poilievre is a must, according to MPs who spoke with the Post.
“The Liberal base is crying out for a return to centrist liberalism,” writes a former Liberal staffer, “free from the distractions of virtue signalling and out-of-touch rhetoric that the current administration is hell-bent on.”
“If the internal whisperers and power brokers genuinely care about the future of both the party and the country, it may be time for a period of reflection and recalibration.”
Ready for more potential taxes?
— Rebel News (@RebelNewsOnline) January 20, 2024
"There is no realistic solution to the climate transition that does not involve a globally coordinated system of carbon taxes."https://t.co/cc7736ok1r pic.twitter.com/Ap7entnq9R
Last month, Poilievre told the Commons that dissenting Liberals pondered a carbon tax election, though few came forward at the time. At least ten MPs endorsed the idea in remarks to the Post.
“Obviously, the next election is a referendum on Trudeau's 61 cents a liter carbon tax. And countless Liberal MPs have told our caucus that they're terrified,” he said at the time.
“They will be demolished by voters at election time if they vote to cripple our economy with that tax.”
MP McDonald earlier said the exemption on heating oils would not improve Trudeau’s image in Newfoundland and Labrador.
MP Long, who represents a rural New Brunswick riding, said a 10% top-up for carbon rebates does not sufficiently offset rising gas prices.
Pierre Poilievre tells Drea Humphrey that none of his staff will be involved "whatsoever" with the "high flying, high tax, high carbon hypocrites" of the WEF. https://t.co/ZXSX5a6YCt pic.twitter.com/eXYizoTCjb
— Rebel News Canada (@RebelNews_CA) January 22, 2024
Among the potential candidates includes Ottawa resident Carney, who did not rule out a run for elected office in October. He navigated the 2008/09 global financial crisis and the Brexit referendum as governor to the Bank of Canada and the Bank of England.
Described as the “ultimate Trudeau insider,” Carney recently faced accusations of leveraging political roles to benefit wealthy corporations, prompting Conservatives to call for an inquiry.
He faced additional pushback this fall for advancing a carbon tax agenda as the “phantom finance minister”.
The carbon tax is expected to cost the Canadian economy at least $12 billion in 2024, according to the Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF).
In 2030, the carbon tax will cost the Canadian economy $30 billion, or an estimated $678 per person based on population projections by Statistics Canada.
Alex Dhaliwal
Calgary Based Journalist
Alex Dhaliwal is a Political Science graduate from the University of Calgary. He has actively written on relevant Canadian issues with several prominent interviews under his belt.
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COMMENTS
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Bernhard Jatzeck commented 2025-01-09 09:12:53 -0500“Opportunistic Liberal MPs” see the writing on the wall. To paraphrase a Mel Brooks line from the movie “Blazing Saddles”, “Quick, gentlemen, we have to protect our phony-baloney jobs.” -
Bruce Atchison commented 2025-01-08 22:48:26 -0500Taxing carbon dioxide is insane. It’s plant food. More CO2 means more fertile crops and a greener world. And carbon dioxide doesn’t control the warming or cooling of the planet. Solar activity does that. Look at how the mini ice age in the 1600s coincided with no sun spots. Liberals are lying and gas-lighting us.
