Conservatives go hard in the House on minister's 'elect more Liberals' carbon pricing comment

The federal government's handling of carve-outs to its carbon pricing plan dominated question period on Monday, seeing the Conservatives go hard at the Liberals over Rural Economic Development Minister Gudie Hutchings' weekend comment about Western and Prairie provinces electing "more Liberals" to have their voices heard.

"The prime minister admitted that he's not worth the cost by announcing that he would pause his carbon tax for some people, on some fuels, for some period of time. And then his rural affairs minister said that other Canadians could have had the same pause, but for the fact that they didn't elect Liberals," said Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre.

"Apparently we're going to have different tax rates in different constituencies depending on how people vote. Why is it Mr. Speaker that the Liberal MPs in… other freezing cold communities are not getting the same break? Is it because their local Liberal MP is utterly useless?" Poilievre went on in what became successive rounds of questioning, pressing the Liberals to exempt all forms of home heating from the climate change pricing plan.

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"Certainly it is very important that we are addressing both affordability concerns and fighting climate change across this country. The heat pump program, the honorable Leader of the Opposition if he'd done his homework would know, applies across the country," said Energy and Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson in response, one of a trio of ministers who took turns fielding the Official Opposition leader's questions.

Last week, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced major changes to the Liberals’ marquee climate policy, namely that the Canadian government is doubling the carbon rebate for rural households and implementing a three-year pause to the federal carbon price on heating oil. Trudeau also announced the federal government is rolling out a heat pump affordability pilot project first in Atlantic Canada. 

Amid initial pushback and questions over the political calculations and internal caucus pressure underpinning the climb-down, in an interview on CTV's Question Period that aired Sunday, host Vassy Kapelos asked minister Hutchings whether the federal government is looking into further carbon price relief measures for people outside of Atlantic Canada, or for other types of home heating.

In response, Hutchings said that is a discussion to have once the government sees their initial measures – to which she credits the Atlantic caucus for being vocal about their constituents' needs – are working, and "perhaps they need to elect more Liberals in the Prairies so that we can have that conversation as well."

Hutchings' comment quickly sparked condemnation from federal Conservatives, as well as fellow carbon pricing opponents Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe.

On Sunday, in a largely symbolic gesture given the parliamentary processes required to make his request a reality, Poilievre published an open letter addressed to the prime minister offering his caucus' "full cooperation" to pass an emergency bill to "axe the carbon tax on all forms of heat before winter heat bills hit Canadians." 

SMITH, MOE, SINGH QUESTION EQUITY 

On Monday, Moe announced the province intends to stop collecting and submitting the carbon tax on natural gas effecting Jan. 1, if the federal government doesn't extend a comparable home heating "affordability break" across the country.

"The federal government may say that's illegal," Moe said in a video posted online. "In most cases, I would agree with that. But it's the federal government that has created two classes of taxpayer… As premier, it's my job to ensure Saskatchewan residents are treated fairly and equally with our fellow Canadians and other parts of the country."

Moe said that while the home heating oil pause applies Canada-wide, it is primarily going to improve the bills of Atlantic Canadians, where this form of energy is primarily used, and offer cold comfort to Saskatchewan residents who are more likely to heat their homes with natural gas.

"This is no way to run a country," Moe said. 

In an interview on CTV's Power Play, Premier Smith said while Alberta isn't planning to follow Saskatchewan given the way its provincial energy market is set up, she commends Moe's push, even if it may not stand up in court.

"This requires a political solution," Smith said, putting the blame on Trudeau for the "blunder" and joining the calls for him to take the price off all forms of home heating.

"He's the one who went out in public and announced this ludicrous policy, and began the process of unraveling the carbon tax. Because, the whole basis for him to argue at Supreme Court that he should have the right to be able to set this federally, was so that the same tax applied in the provinces in the same way, and that everybody would be treated fairly," Smith said. "The federal government should be applying taxes equally." 

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh also dug into the issue during Monday's question period, asking why the Liberals aren't offering wider home heating relief for cold Canadians across the country.

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"Again, I would just say that folks in the chamber need to do their homework. This program actually applies across the country… The doubling of the rural top up applies across the country, the heat pump program applies across the country. It applies to all folks who are actually challenged by the cost right now of home heating oil," Wilkinson said.

The federal carbon pricing program, which places a price on each tonne of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions with the aim of cutting down on emissions, has been a cornerstone of the federal government’s platform for years.

The initial decision to ease off for some rural Canadians, has prompted concern among climate change advocates, that there will be further erosions of the policy ahead, as the next election nears.

In defending the move last week, Trudeau was adamant that the federal government will be achieving its environmental targets "even better" now, because more Canadians will be incentivized to transition to cleaner energy sources.

According to 2021 Statistics Canada figures cited by The Canadian Press, just three per cent of Canadian households rely on home heating oil, with the largest concentration of homes using it in Atlantic Canada, while 44 per cent of households use natural gas and 40 per cent use electricity.

With files from CTV News' Spencer Van Dyk