The Liberal government survived a non-confidence motion on the carbon tax Thursday with the backing of the Bloc Québécois and NDP.
Earlier in the day, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre urged MPs to back his motion to topple the government over its planned increase to the carbon tax.
In response, the Liberals painted Poilievre as a climate change denier intent on letting the planet burn while dismantling a tax-and-rebate program that pads people’s pockets with quarterly cheques that mostly offset the carbon levy.
If Poilievre’s motion had carried and a majority of MPs had voted no confidence in the government, this Parliament would have been dissolved and the country would be heading into an election.
Poilievre was not in the House of Commons when the motion faced its final vote. He was scheduled to be at a fundraiser in Toronto.
Tax hike will increase fuel prices
Poilievre kicked off the debate by painting a bleak picture of Canada under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau — a place where, he said, inflation has battered pocketbooks and some food bank shelves are empty as people scramble to cope with high inflation.
He argued the planned increase to the carbon tax will only make things worse.
The April 1 tax hike will increase the cost of fossil fuels; consumers are expected to pay about three cents more for a litre of gas than they do now.
The government’s Canada carbon rebate is designed to make people whole for additional costs imposed by the carbon tax.
Ottawa sends cheques to families in the eight provinces where the federal tax is in place.
The consumer tax, the centrepiece of the Liberal government’s climate plan, makes oil, natural gas and propane and other fuels more expensive to encourage Canadians to choose cleaner, greener sources.
Carbon tax not useful, Conservatives say
“We cannot in good conscience stand by while this prime minister imposes more misery and suffering on the Canadian people,” Poilievre said.
He said MPs should pass the non-confidence motion to “restore this country we love.”
WATCH | Poilievre emphasizes affordability during debate on non-confidence motion:
Poilievre emphasizes affordability concerns during debate on non-confidence motion
8 hours ago
Duration 2:10
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre debates his non-confidence motion on the increase in the price of carbon set for April 1. The motion calls for ‘the House to be dissolved so Canadians can vote in a carbon tax election.’
The party’s deputy leader, Melissa Lantsman, said Trudeau is carrying out a “war on the middle class.”
She said the carbon tax isn’t all that useful as a climate-fighting tool because Canada’s emissions haven’t declined meaningfully.
Canada’s emissions ticked up slightly last year — an increase driven largely by higher emissions from oil and gas production.
The government maintains the country is still on track to meet its 2030 climate goal of reducing emissions by about 40 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030.
“The tax isn’t worth the cost and neither is this prime minister,” Lantsman said. “The Canadian people are tired of being taxed to death.”
She said Liberal MPs and their NDP supporters “shouldn’t be afraid to let Canadians have their say.”
“Let Canadians weigh in,” she said. “Have the guts to stand up and vote against their boss today.”
Conservative deputy leader Melissa Lantsman accused the government of waging ‘war on the middle class.’ (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press)
Liberal MP defends carbon tax
Liberal MP Kevin Lamoureux, the parliamentary secretary to government House leader, defended the carbon tax regime.
He said Conservatives are “spreading a lot of myths” about the levy.
Citing data reported by the Parliament Budget Officer (PBO), Lamoureux said “the reality is over 80 per cent of Canadians will receive more money back from the rebate than they are actually paying for a carbon tax.”
He said dumping the carbon tax would “ruin” the rebate and leave some Canadians worse off.
“Why does the Conservative Party want to continue to mislead Canadians. Do they really think they’re that stupid?” Lamoureux said. “They want to get Canadians upset — they want them mad.”
He mocked the Conservatives over their opposition to the tax, pointing out that they campaigned on a carbon levy in the last federal election.
“Today’s Conservative Party is a MAGA right-wing party,” he said, citing former U.S. president Donald Trump’s “Make America Great Again” slogan.
WATCH | Liberal MP calls Conservative non-confidence motion on carbon tax ‘foolish’:
Liberal MP calls Conservative non-confidence motion on carbon tax ‘foolish’
8 hours ago
Duration 1:46
During debate over the Conservative motion on the carbon tax, Liberal MP and parliamentary secretary Kevin Lamoureux says the Conservatives are ‘misleading Canadians.’
In a fiery session of question period Thursday afternoon, Conservative MP Andrew Scheer, the party’s House leader, said the government has overseen “failure on top of failure.”
He called Trudeau a “high-carbon hypocrite” for vacationing in Jamaica last Christmas while touting a tax on fossil fuels.
Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson shot back, saying dismantling the carbon tax and ending the associated rebates would be irresponsible for the environment and a financial blow for most Canadians.
“These people are going to make poor people poorer,” Wilkinson said. “They’re going to sacrifice the future of our children. Shame on you!”
WATCH | PBO says carbon tax ‘least disruptive’ way to reduce emissions:
Parliamentary budget officer says carbon tax ‘least disruptive’ way to reduce emissions
3 hours ago
Duration 10:59
The parliamentary budget officer looked into the impact carbon pricing has on Canadian households. Both the Liberals and the Conservatives have been using his findings to their advantage. Parliamentary Budget Officer Yves Giroux joined Power & Politics to clarify.
Conservatives have no climate plan, ministers say
Poilievre’s Conservatives have said little about what they’d do on the environment file if elected. Wilkinson claimed the party is intent on “letting the planet burn.”
“That’s their strategy — inaction,” added Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne, calling Poilievre the country’s “chief inaction officer.”
Facing pointed questions from the Tories, Rural Economic Development Minister Gudie Hutchings said people in her Newfoundland and Labrador riding are not facing economic ruin from the carbon tax — they will actually get a boost from the rebate.
“It’s putting more money in the pockets of so many Canadians,” she said. “We’re there to help Canadians every day. I wish the Conservatives were.”
But Poilievre pointed to a different PBO report on the carbon tax. That report said that when the knock-on economic effects of the levy are taken into account, most households actually see a net loss.
The PBO said the tax will have a negative effect on the larger economy, leading to a loss of employment and investment income for some families.
The federal rebates won’t be enough to offset both the tax and the slightly lower incomes some Canadians will collect as a result of the levy, the PBO said.
Poilievre cites separate PBO report on carbon levy
“Sixty per cent are paying more in carbon tax than they get back in rebates,” Poilievre said, citing that report, which takes a more holistic view of the carbon tax and its impact.
“I’ve read this into the record time and time again.”
NDP MP Charlie Angus said Poilievre is leaving “poor schleps” on the party’s backbench to supposedly “bring down the government” while he’s scheduled to be in Toronto at a fundraiser.
He said Poilievre lives in a “19-room mansion with his own private chef” — a reference to the leader of opposition’s Ottawa home — and is no friend of the working class.
Angus said Poilievre has said nothing about price-gouging grocers or fuel refiners — entities the NDP blames for recent price increases.
“They are climate deniers. And there’s a reason they’re climate deniers — they don’t have a plan because it doesn’t fit on a bumper sticker,” Angus said of the Conservatives.
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.
MONTREAL – NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says he will not be taking advice from Pierre Poilievre after the Conservative leader challenged him to bring down government.
“I say directly to Pierre Poilievre: I’m not going to listen to you,” said Singh on Wednesday, accusing Poilievre of wanting to take away dental-care coverage from Canadians, among other things.
“I’m not going to listen to your advice. You want to destroy people’s lives, I want to build up a brighter future.”
Earlier in the day, Poilievre challenged Singh to commit to voting non-confidence in the government, saying his party will force a vote in the House of Commons “at the earliest possibly opportunity.”
“I’m asking Jagmeet Singh and the NDP to commit unequivocally before Monday’s byelections: will they vote non-confidence to bring down the costly coalition and trigger a carbon tax election, or will Jagmeet Singh sell out Canadians again?” Poilievre said.
“It’s put up or shut up time for the NDP.”
While Singh rejected the idea he would ever listen to Poilievre, he did not say how the NDP would vote on a non-confidence motion.
“I’ve said on any vote, we’re going to look at the vote and we’ll make our decision. I’m not going to say our decision ahead of time,” he said.
Singh’s top adviser said on Tuesday the NDP leader is not particularly eager to trigger an election, even as the Conservatives challenge him to do just that.
Anne McGrath, Singh’s principal secretary, says there will be more volatility in Parliament and the odds of an early election have risen.
“I don’t think he is anxious to launch one, or chomping at the bit to have one, but it can happen,” she said in an interview.
New Democrat MPs are in a second day of meetings in Montreal as they nail down a plan for how to navigate the minority Parliament this fall.
The caucus retreat comes one week after Singh announced the party has left the supply-and-confidence agreement with the governing Liberals.
It’s also taking place in the very city where New Democrats are hoping to pick up a seat on Monday, when voters go to the polls in Montreal’s LaSalle—Émard—Verdun. A second byelection is being held that day in the Winnipeg riding of Elmwood—Transcona, where the NDP is hoping to hold onto a seat the Conservatives are also vying for.
While New Democrats are seeking to distance themselves from the Liberals, they don’t appear ready to trigger a general election.
Singh signalled on Tuesday that he will have more to say Wednesday about the party’s strategy for the upcoming sitting.
He is hoping to convince Canadians that his party can defeat the federal Conservatives, who have been riding high in the polls over the last year.
Singh has attacked Poilievre as someone who would bring back Harper-style cuts to programs that Canadians rely on, including the national dental-care program that was part of the supply-and-confidence agreement.
The Canadian Press has asked Poilievre’s office whether the Conservative leader intends to keep the program in place, if he forms government after the next election.
With the return of Parliament just days away, the NDP is also keeping in mind how other parties will look to capitalize on the new makeup of the House of Commons.
The Bloc Québécois has already indicated that it’s written up a list of demands for the Liberals in exchange for support on votes.
The next federal election must take place by October 2025 at the latest.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2024.
Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante is defending her decision to turn off comments on her social media accounts — with an announcement on social media.
She posted screenshots to X this morning of vulgar names she’s been called on the platform, and says comments on her posts for months have been dominated by insults, to the point that she decided to block them.
Montreal’s Opposition leader and the Canadian Civil Liberties Association have criticized Plante for limiting freedom of expression by restricting comments on her X and Instagram accounts.
They say elected officials who use social media should be willing to hear from constituents on those platforms.
However, Plante says some people may believe there is a fundamental right to call someone offensive names and to normalize violence online, but she disagrees.
Her statement on X is closed to comments.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2024.
