The premiers of five provinces are calling for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to meet with them to discuss their request for carbon price exemptions on not just home heating oil, but all forms of home heating.
The open letter shared Saturday was signed by the premiers of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Ontario, Alberta and Saskatchewan.
In the open letter, the premiers wrote that while they are pleased that Atlantic Canada has received a carbon price exemption on home heating oil, which around 30 per cent of residents use, they believe that similar exemptions need to follow.
“Many Canadians households do not use home heating oil and instead use all forms of heating to heat their homes. Winter is coming and these people also deserve a break,” the letter states. “It is of vital importance that federal policies and programs are made available to all Canadians in a fair and equitable way.”
The premiers added that they feel this decision has “caused divisions across the country” by “singling out Atlantic Canadians” for this relief.
The letter called for the federal government to remove the federal carbon price from “all forms of home heating,” and concluded with a request to meet and discuss the issue.
This comes after two weeks of debate following the announcement of a temporary pause of the carbon price for those who use home heating oil, which is most commonly used in Atlantic Canada.
Trudeau has rejected the idea of expanding the pause to other forms of heating, stating at the end of October that “there will be no more carve-outs coming.”
In a meeting of Canada’s premiers earlier this week, they made a similar statement that they felt the change was not equitable.
Both the federal Conservative party and the federal NDP have also expressed opposition to singling out home heating oil for an exemption.
The carbon price is a climate policy measure which aims to lower greenhouse gas emissions by making it more expensive to burn fossil fuels.
Although it has been contentious since it was first proposed, tension around the policy has increased in recent months as high inflation and a growing cost-of-living crisis continue to put pressure on Canadians.
Canadians receive rebates on their tax return to compensate them for the carbon price, referred to as a “climate action incentive,” with the amounts varying depending on where you live. According to Canada’s parliamentary budget officer, 80 per cent of households will receive more from the rebate than they pay in carbon pricing.
OTTAWA – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the NDP is caving to political pressure from Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre when it comes to their stance on the consumer carbon price.
Trudeau says he believes Jagmeet Singh and the NDP care about the environment, but it’s “increasingly obvious” that they have “no idea” what to do about climate change.
On Thursday, Singh said the NDP is working on a plan that wouldn’t put the burden of fighting climate change on the backs of workers, but wouldn’t say if that plan would include a consumer carbon price.
Singh’s noncommittal position comes as the NDP tries to frame itself as a credible alternative to the Conservatives in the next federal election.
Poilievre responded to that by releasing a video, pointing out that the NDP has voted time and again in favour of the Liberals’ carbon price.
British Columbia Premier David Eby also changed his tune on Thursday, promising that a re-elected NDP government would scrap the long-standing carbon tax and shift the burden to “big polluters,” if the federal government dropped its requirements.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
Simon Jolin-Barrette, minister responsible for consumer protection, has tabled a bill to force merchants to calculate tips based on the price before tax.
That means on a restaurant bill of $100, suggested tips would be calculated based on $100, not on $114.98 after provincial and federal sales taxes are added.
The bill would also increase the rebate offered to consumers when the price of an item at the cash register is higher than the shelf price, to $15 from $10.
And it would force grocery stores offering a discounted price for several items to clearly list the unit price as well.
Businesses would also have to indicate whether taxes will be added to the price of food products.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
Quebec legislature member Youri Chassin has announced he’s leaving the Coalition Avenir Québec government to sit as an Independent.
He announced the decision shortly after writing an open letter criticizing Premier François Legault’s government for abandoning its principles of smaller government.
In the letter published in Le Journal de Montréal and Le Journal de Québec, Chassin accused the party of falling back on what he called the old formula of throwing money at problems instead of looking to do things differently.
Chassin says public services are more fragile than ever, despite rising spending that pushed the province to a record $11-billion deficit projected in the last budget.
He is the second CAQ member to leave the party in a little more than one week, after economy and energy minister Pierre Fitzgibbon announced Sept. 4 he would leave because he lost motivation to do his job.
Chassin says he has no intention of joining another party and will instead sit as an Independent until the end of his term.
He has represented the Saint-Jérôme riding since the CAQ rose to power in 2018, but has not served in cabinet.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
