Premiers of seven of the eight affected provinces have come out in opposition to the Trudeau government's planned April 1 carbon tax increase.
Maritimes beg Trudeau for more carbon tax carve outs despite relief not afforded Westerners | Western Standard | Shaun Polczer:
March 12, 2024 - "Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Andrew Furey and PEI boss Dennis King are both begging Ottawa to consider delaying the proposed April 1 increase to $80 per tonne.... In an almost Dickensian letter to the PM, Furey on Monday begged.... 'I respectfully request that you consider pausing the implementation of the April 1st carbon tax increase, at least until inflation stabilizes, interest rates lower and related economic pressures on the cost of living sufficiently cool'
"It comes days after PEI Premier Dennis King ... wrote in his own missive to the PM that the 23% increase next month would hurt 'Islanders' by adding 3.5 cents to the cost of a litre of gasoline and bringing the total to 23 cents....
"New Brunswick’s Blaine Higgs ... joined in the chorus of Atlantic premiers although he was more forceful in his condemnation.... 'Since imposing his carbon tax six years ago, New Brunswickers have been subject to brutal increases every single year. These make the cost of everyday items such as food, fuel and groceries more expensive, driving up the cost of living for everyone,' he said. 'Even if he won’t cancel the tax outright, he can stop his plan to impose even more harm on New Brunswickers and Canadians by halting the planned tax increase.'"
Trudeau calls out 'short-term thinker' politicians as some premiers urge him to drop carbon price hike | CBC News | Catharine Tunney March 13, 2024 -
"As a growing number of premiers urge the federal government to scrap an upcoming increase to the federal carbon tax, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau pushed back on what he called 'short-term thinker' politicians and defended his government's deeply divisive policy ... during a news conference in Calgary Wednesday.... [M[ost premiers have called on the government to either scrap the program or pause the increase scheduled for April 1.... He's also facing attacks from Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, who said he'll force multiple votes in Parliament next week to stop what he's calling 'Trudeau's April Fools' tax hike'....
"Trudeau showed no signs of bowing to pressure from the premiers or Poilievre. 'That's an easy thing for short-term thinker politicians to say, "Oh, we'll get rid of the price." They don't talk about the fact that they're also going to get rid of that cheque, the Canada carbon rebate, that puts more money in the pockets of the vast majority of Canadians,' he said....
"At the beginning of next month, the carbon price is scheduled to increase from $65 to $80 per tonne. The federal policy — which includes both a tax on fossil fuels and rebates paid directly to households — was introduced by the Liberal government in 2019 and is designed as a financial incentive to encourage people and businesses to cut their consumption of fossil fuels and transition to greener forms of energy. Canadians living in the eight provinces with the federal carbon tax receive quarterly rebate payments which vary depending on the province and the size of household.
"On Tuesday, Liberal Newfoundland Premier Andrew Furey shared an open letter to the prime minister saying that while his government is 'deeply invested in environmental sustainability,' the scheduled increase will add to residents' financial burdens. Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston also wrote to Trudeau urging him 'cancel the carbon tax before any more financial damage is done.'
"So far, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Saskatchewan — which says it will no longer remit the money it owes for the carbon price on natural gas, as required by law — Alberta, Ontario, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador have weighed in, calling for Trudeau to pause or cancel the coming increase. British Columbia, Quebec and the Northwest Territories follow their own carbon-pricing mechanisms ... and are exempt from the federal program."
Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/trudeau-premiers-carbon-tax-1.7142445
Premiers call on Trudeau to cancel spring carbon tax increase | CBC News: The National | March 13, 2024:
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