Premiers not being truthful about carbon tax, Trudeau says while sparks fly in Ottawa
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Conservative premiers across the country are "not telling the truth" when it comes to the carbon tax.
Doubling down on a letter penned the day prior, the prime minister accused his pollution-pricing opponents of "misleading Canadians," for not acknowledging the much-maligned April 1 price increase coincides with an increase to the quarterly federal rebate households receive.
"For ideological reasons, or reasons of pure partisanship, conservative politicians across this country are not telling the truth to Canadians. And that's why I called them out," Trudeau said during a press conference Wednesday in Vancouver.
He accused Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, and Canadian premiers opposed to the marquee Liberal policy, of trying to take money out of people's pockets, in direct contrast to their argument that the carbon tax is driving up costs across sectors.
Tensions have been high on Parliament Hill amid escalating Conservative-led opposition to the carbon tax, ahead of the incoming hike that will see the $65-per-tonne carbon price increase to $80 per tonne.
Trudeau's comments came hours after he joined the flurry of political leaders penning open letters about the carbon tax, and as fresh sparks were flying in Ottawa at a recalled House of Commons committee.
There, Liberal MPs were outraged over the Conservatives unilaterally inviting premiers opposed to the carbon tax to come testify.
Sparks fly over premiers testifying
Wednesday's hearing was sparked by the premiers of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Saskatchewan and Alberta publishing letters asking to appear urgently before the Liberal-led House Finance Committee to air their concerns about the looming hike.
With their request left unheeded — MPs are not sitting this week and most committees do not have meetings scheduled — Conservative MP and Government Operations and Estimates Committee chair Kelly McCauley decided to invite them instead.
But before the first premier on the docket — Saskatchewan's Scott Moe — could begin his testimony, numerous points of order were raised by Liberal MPs.
"You called the meeting unilaterally without instruction or consultation with the members of this committee… This is a political stunt and theatre, just part and parcel of where our Conservative colleagues are taking this, to get clips," Liberal MP Irek Kusmierczyk said.
Liberal MP Francis Drouin warned that setting this precedent would not be one Conservatives would be pleased with in the end, when Liberal committee chairs start calling witnesses at their sole discretion.
Defending the move as "fully within" his powers, McCauley made the case that because MPs were studying government spending plans, hearing what premiers had to say was relevant.
"There's lots of examples of other chairs doing such things. It is the privilege and obligation, I think, of the chair to call meetings," he said. "And I did so."
Not 'climate laggard': Moe, PBO testify
Twenty-five minutes into the hearing, Moe was given the floor.
"I do appreciate the very warm Canadian welcome," he said.
"I wore my red tie in the spirit of collaboration," Moe went on, launching into his arguments about why he thinks the federal price on pollution is making life more unaffordable and why he doesn't consider Saskatchewan a "climate laggard."
Facing questions from pro-carbon pricing Liberal, NDP and Bloc Quebecois MPs, the premier said while he believes in climate change and the need to reduce emissions, instead of forcing polluters to pay more, they should just emit less in order to displace higher-emitting competitors.
"That is how we build a strong Canadian economy. That is how we lower global emissions. And that's how we employ Canadians in your community, and in mine," Moe said.
Testifying after him, Canada's Parliamentary Budget Officer (PBO) faced a series of questions about his past and recent highly cited, but contradictorily interpreted, analysis of the economic impact of the carbon tax.
"You've been in the press almost as much as Miss Taylor Swift, I think, in recent days," Conservative MP Philip Lawrence said. Stating he was seeking clarity, he asked: "For the average family where the backstop applies, is there more money coming into Canadians' pockets, or leaving their pockets?"
"If one looks at the fiscal impact — that is the amount of the carbon tax paid directly, indirectly and the GST that applies on these embedded or direct carbon taxes paid minus the carbon rebate — most families are better off," PBO Yves Giroux started.
However, he went on, once the economic impacts of the carbon tax on some sectors of the economy such as oil and gas and transportation are factored in, "we find that most Canadian families in provinces where the federal backstop regime is in place will see a small negative impact of the carbon tax."
Liberal MPs were quick to question why Giroux did not factor in the cost of climate change in his calculations, to which the PBO said it's outside of the scope of his mandate, suggesting MPs look to external think tanks for that type of cost-benefit analysis.
From there, the hearing devolved into protracted procedural fighting over holding a second hearing with additional witnesses on Thursday. On the docket for that meeting are New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith.
Trudeau to premiers: offer alternative
In Trudeau's late Tuesday letter responding to Canada's premiers, he implored them to come up with a better climate action plan.
In a two-page message posted on social media, Trudeau defended the carbon pricing and coinciding rebate program as intentionally designed to be revenue-neutral and beneficial to most Canadian households, while driving climate action.
"Putting a price on pollution is the foundation of any serious plan to fight climate change. It is the most efficient way to reduce emissions across the economy," Trudeau wrote. "Carbon pricing alone will account for one-third of our emission reductions by 2030."
Noting that the federal plan is a backstop for provinces that failed to implement an adequate system of their own, Trudeau said the federal government remains open to pulling its plan out of the provinces where it is opposed, as soon as they propose "credible systems."
Currently the federal price is imposed in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland and Labrador.
In effect since 2019, the pollution pricing regime applies a levy on greenhouse gas emissions, making it more expensive to burn fossil fuels in an effort to encourage Canadians to change their habits.
The prime minister called it "demonstrably false" that the carbon tax is a significant driver of inflation, pointing back to a Bank of Canada calculation also cited by a series of economists in an open letter issued Tuesday seeking to counter the Conservative-led opposition arguments against the policy.
IN DEPTH
Budget 2024 prioritizes housing while taxing highest earners, deficit projected at $39.8B
In an effort to level the playing field for young people, in the 2024 federal budget, the government is targeting Canada's highest earners with new taxes in order to help offset billions in new spending to enhance the country's housing supply and social supports.
'One of the greatest': Former prime minister Brian Mulroney commemorated at state funeral
Prominent Canadians, political leaders, and family members remembered former prime minister and Progressive Conservative titan Brian Mulroney as an ambitious and compassionate nation-builder at his state funeral on Saturday.
'Democracy requires constant vigilance' Trudeau testifies at inquiry into foreign election interference in Canada
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau testified Wednesday before the national public inquiry into foreign interference in Canada's electoral processes, following a day of testimony from top cabinet ministers about allegations of meddling in the 2019 and 2021 federal elections. Recap all the prime minister had to say.
As Poilievre sides with Smith on trans restrictions, former Conservative candidate says he's 'playing with fire'
Siding with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith on her proposed restrictions on transgender youth, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre confirmed Wednesday that he is against trans and non-binary minors using puberty blockers.
Supports for passengers, farmers, artists: 7 bills from MPs and Senators to watch in 2024
When parliamentarians return to Ottawa in a few weeks to kick off the 2024 sitting, there are a few bills from MPs and senators that will be worth keeping an eye on, from a 'gutted' proposal to offer a carbon tax break to farmers, to an initiative aimed at improving Canada's DNA data bank.
Opinion
opinion Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster
A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government’s three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party’s popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?
opinion Don Martin: The doctor Trudeau dumped has a prescription for better health care
Political columnist Don Martin sat down with former federal health minister Jane Philpott, who's on a crusade to help fix Canada's broken health care system, and who declined to take any shots at the prime minister who dumped her from caucus.
opinion Don Martin: Trudeau's seeking shelter from the housing storm he helped create
While Justin Trudeau's recent housing announcements are generally drawing praise from experts, political columnist Don Martin argues there shouldn’t be any standing ovations for a prime minister who helped caused the problem in the first place.
opinion Don Martin: Poilievre has the field to himself as he races across the country to big crowds
It came to pass on Thursday evening that the confidentially predictable failure of the Official Opposition non-confidence motion went down with 204 Liberal, BQ and NDP nays to 116 Conservative yeas. But forcing Canada into a federal election campaign was never the point.
opinion Don Martin: How a beer break may have doomed the carbon tax hike
When the Liberal government chopped a planned beer excise tax hike to two per cent from 4.5 per cent and froze future increases until after the next election, says political columnist Don Martin, it almost guaranteed a similar carbon tax move in the offing.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Norovirus spreading at 'higher frequency' than expected in Canada
Norovirus is spreading at a 'higher frequency' than expected in Canada, specifically, in Ontario and Alberta, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada.
Weather system that caused deadly U.S. tornadoes heads north to Canada, bringing rain and snow
The same storm system that brought deadly tornadoes to parts of the U.S. is heading north, hammering some Canadian provinces with rain and snow, according to latest forecasts.
'Deeply unhappy' grocery shoppers plan to boycott Loblaw-owned stores in May
A boycott targeting Loblaw is gaining momentum online, with what could be thousands of shoppers taking their money elsewhere in May.
French actor Gerard Depardieu in police custody, legal team says
French actor Gérard Depardieu has been taken into police custody in Paris to face questioning, his lawyer told CNN Monday.
McGill University says pro-Palestinian demonstrators 'refuse' to collaborate, encampment violates policies
McGill University says the growing encampment on its lower field in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza violates its policies.
These two chemists were friends for decades. A DNA test revealed they were actually cousins
Jim Arner was always interested in genealogy and discovering more about his ancestry. But after submitting his own DNA test, he learned an old work colleague was actually a distant cousin.
U.S. CDC says it's identified 1st documented cases of HIV transmitted through cosmetic needles
Three women diagnosed with HIV after getting 'vampire facial' procedures at an unlicensed medical spa are believed to be the first documented cases of people contracting the virus through a cosmetic procedure using needles.
Tractor-trailers with no one aboard? The future is near for self-driving trucks on U.S. roads
On a three-lane test track along the Monongahela River, an 18-wheel tractor-trailer rounded a curve. No one was on board.
Health minister 'deeply appreciative' of doctors but capital gains changes here to stay
Health Minister Mark Holland says while he is 'deeply appreciative' of the work doctors in Canada do, the federal government has no plans to scrap the proposed capital gains tax changes outlined in the latest budget, despite opposition from the Canadian Medical Association.
Local Spotlight
Canada's oldest hat store still going strong after 90 years
Since 1932, Montreal's Henri Henri has been filled to the brim with every possible kind of hat, from newsboy caps to feathered fedoras.
Road closed in Oak Bay, B.C., so elephant seal can cross
Police in Oak Bay, B.C., had to close a stretch of road Sunday to help an elephant seal named Emerson get safely back into the water.
B.C. breweries take home awards at World Beer Cup
Out of more than 9,000 entries from over 2,000 breweries in 50 countries, a handful of B.C. brews landed on the podium at the World Beer Cup this week.
Kitchener family says their 10-year-old needs life-saving drug that cost $600,000
Raneem, 10, lives with a neurological condition and liver disease and needs Cholbam, a medication, for a longer and healthier life.
Haida Elder suing Catholic Church and priest, hopes for 'healing and reconciliation'
The lawyer for a residential school survivor leading a proposed class-action defamation lawsuit against the Catholic Church over residential schools says the court action is a last resort.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
Fergus, Ont. man feels nickel-and-dimed for $0.05 property tax bill
A property tax bill is perplexing a small townhouse community in Fergus, Ont.
Twins from Toronto were Canada's top two female finishers at this year's Boston Marathon
When identical twin sisters Kim and Michelle Krezonoski were invited to compete against some of the world’s most elite female runners at last week’s Boston Marathon, they were in disbelief.
Mystery surrounds giant custom Canucks jerseys worn by Lions Gate Bridge statues
The giant stone statues guarding the Lions Gate Bridge have been dressed in custom Vancouver Canucks jerseys as the NHL playoffs get underway.