Poilievre pans Trudeau's carbon pricing pivot, Liberals pitch pause as 'great news'
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre came out swinging Friday, panning Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for what he characterized as a panicked "flip-flop" on his carbon pricing policies, as Liberal MPs pitch the pivot as "great news" for their constituents.
"Justin Trudeau is in total panic mode," Poilievre said, speaking to reporters in St. John's, Nfld.
Late Thursday afternoon, Trudeau announced the Canadian government is doubling the pollution price rebate rural top-up rate, implementing a three-year pause to the federal carbon price on heating oil, and rolling out new incentives to make it more affordable to transition to electric heat pumps.
"What caused Justin Trudeau to freak out yesterday and hold a sudden press conference to announce that he was going to pause the carbon tax on home heating oil? The answer is that he was plummeting in the polls, and Pierre Poilievre was holding massive rallies in Liberal-held ridings to axe the tax," Poilievre said, referencing his weekend plans in the region.
The Official Opposition leader then drilled down into a new line of criticism that's likely to be restated repeatedly in the months ahead.
"Justin Trudeau announced yesterday that if you re-elect him, he will put the tax back on your home heating oil," Poilievre said, referencing the fact that the temporary pause is only slated to be in effect until 2027. He was also critical that the freeze won't apply to natural gas.
"Justin Trudeau is not worried about cost of living, he's worried about the cost of votes," he said, calling the plan "a scam."
"So my message to Atlantic Canadians and all Canadians: don't be fooled by Justin Trudeau's latest panic maneuver. He still plans to hit you with a 61 cents a litre carbon tax," he said, noting that just over one year ago Thursday, Liberals voted against a Conservative motion to create a tax exemption on home heating fuel.
"This is not about environmental science, it's about political science," Poilievre said, vowing as he has repeatedly, that if elected he would "axe the tax entirely and forever."
"There will be no flip-flopping, there will be no turns of corners. There will be no little targeted exemptions here, or gimmicks there," Poilievre said.
Asked to then expand on his broad pledge to pursue technology, not taxes, to reduce emissions, Poilievre said if he was prime minister he would "greenlight green projects," citing nuclear reactors, hydroelectric dams, tidal wave power, and natural gas liquefaction projects, as examples.
PRICING PIVOT 'GREAT NEWS': LIBERALS
Meanwhile, Liberal MPs have begun to make their pitches to constituents about how in their view, the prime minister's decision to reconsider and roll out a three-pronged response was the right call.
After Trudeau was questioned on what impact his easing off will have on the Liberals' stated emission reduction goals and whether he was caving to political pressure, the prime minister said he was acting now specifically to recognize the realities rural Canadians have raised when it comes to the unique challenges they face amid the current cost of living crunch.
Atlantic Canadian Liberal MPs and cabinet ministers were then quick to take to social media, posting about how they "couldn't be prouder."
"This is leadership in action, affordability and environment together," and Atlantic Liberal caucus chair Kody Blois.
"Great news for folks in Atlantic Canada today," posted Minister of Rural Economic Development
Speaking on CTV's Power Play, Labour Minister Seamus O'Regan denied that this move was a result of the Liberal minority government responding to sinking poll numbers.
"It's actually, look, if you believe in affordability and you believe in in tackling emissions, you have to have buy in from people," O'Regan said. "So we had a problem, we knew we had a problem."
Asked how much Poilievre's attacks informed the Liberal rethink, O'Regan said "come on."
"God bless him, but you know, he's not going to budge on this. I know that. We have listened to people, We have responded, and I think we've come up with a smart plan that ultimately lowers emissions and makes it more affordable for people to do that," he said.
IN DEPTH
Jagmeet Singh pulls NDP out of deal with Trudeau Liberals, takes aim at Poilievre Conservatives
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has pulled his party out of the supply-and-confidence agreement that had been helping keep Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's minority Liberals in power.
'Not the result we wanted': Trudeau responds after surprise Conservative byelection win in Liberal stronghold
Conservative candidate Don Stewart winning the closely-watched Toronto-St. Paul's federal byelection, and delivering a stunning upset to Justin Trudeau's candidate Leslie Church in the long-time Liberal riding, has sent political shockwaves through both parties.
'We will go with the majority': Liberals slammed by opposition over proposal to delay next election
The federal Liberal government learned Friday it might have to retreat on a proposal within its electoral reform legislation to delay the next vote by one week, after all opposition parties came out to say they can't support it.
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.
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
DEVELOPING Israeli army says it struck 300 targets in Lebanon in stepped-up pressure on Hezbollah
Israel on Monday urged residents of southern Lebanon to evacuate from homes and other buildings where it claimed Hezbollah has stored weapons, saying the military would conduct “extensive strikes†against the militant group.
opinion How to create a budget that works for you
Are you struggling to create a budget that fits your life and schedule? Personal finance contributor Christopher Liew shares some simple budgeting methods and offer some tips to help you create, and follow, a budget plan.
Manitoba RCMP and community members are still feverishly searching for a six-year-old boy who went missing five days ago.
Justin Trudeau to be guest on 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' during New York visit
The prime minister's official itinerary says the interview will be shot during his trip to New York, where he is meeting with other world leaders ahead of the 78th gathering of the United Nations General Assembly.
Search underway for suspects in Alabama mass shooting that killed 4 and injured 17
Authorities have reported no arrests after a weekend mass shooting killed four people and left 17 others injured in what police described as a targeted 'hit' by multiple shooters who opened fire outside a popular Alabama nightspot.
Air Canada union head says she'll resign if pilots reject deal
The head of the Air Canada pilots union says she'll step down if members opt not to approve a tentative deal with the airline, raising the stakes as aviators mull whether to accept hefty salary gains or drive an even harder bargain.
Boy abducted from California in 1951 at age 6 found alive on East Coast more than 70 years later
Luis Armando Albino was six years old in 1951 when he was abducted while playing at an Oakland, Calif., park. Now, more than seven decades later, Albino has been found thanks to help from an online ancestry test, old photos and newspaper clippings.
An Edmonton man says he was in the wrong place at the wrong time when he was injured by members of the Edmonton Police Service last year.
What's on Justin Trudeau's agenda as he meets with Haiti's acting PM
Justin Trudeau will turn his focus to the ongoing crises in Haiti as he speaks with some world leaders Monday ahead of the 78th meeting of the United Nations General Assembly.
Local Spotlight
Cole Haas is more than just an avid fan of the F.W. Johnson Wildcats football team. He's a fixture on the sidelines, a source of encouragement, and a beloved member of the team.
Getting a photograph of a rainbow? Common. Getting a photo of a lightning strike? Rare. Getting a photo of both at the same time? Extremely rare, but it happened to a Manitoba photographer this week.
An anonymous business owner paid off the mortgage for a New Brunswick not-for-profit.
They say a dog is a man’s best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.
A growing group of brides and wedding photographers from across the province say they have been taken for tens of thousands of dollars by a Barrie, Ont. wedding photographer.
Paleontologists from the Royal B.C. Museum have uncovered "a trove of extraordinary fossils" high in the mountains of northern B.C., the museum announced Thursday.
The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating an important milestone in the organization's history: 50 years since the first women joined the force.
It's been a whirlwind of joyful events for a northern Ontario couple who just welcomed a baby into their family and won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot last month.