The carbon tax hike is breaking up Ford and Trudeau's bromance

Starting on April 1, Canadians will be doling out more money to the federal government, as the Liberals' carbon tax is set to increase yet again. Increasing costs are taking a toll on everyone, even putting strains on relationships like that between Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Ontario Premier Doug Ford.

Prior to the pandemic, Trudeau and Ford had their differences. But once government spending numbers rose alongside COVID-19 cases, the prime minister and premier said kind words about one another in public — forming a budding political bromance that threatened their rivals.

With the cost of living continuing to spiral out of control, Sheila Gunn Reid looked at the fractures appearing in the pair's relationship after the Ontario leader joined his fellow premiers in heaping criticism on Trudeau's carbon tax on Friday's Rebel Roundup livestream.

“I think we scrap this tax totally, all it does is gouge people,” Ford said at a recent press conference. "I don't know what [Trudeau's] smoking up there, but [the carbon tax] is not beneficial, it hurts people.”

The Ontario premier, Sheila said, is seeing where popular support lies:

He sees the other popular premiers fighting with Trudeau, and this is now him fighting with Trudeau. But four months ago he was getting money for battery plants, Justin Trudeau was his best friend.

As long as Justin Trudeau is paying off Doug Ford with taxpayer money from other parts of the country, they're best friends.

But Doug Ford can read the room, he knows the carbon tax is wildly unpopular.