News release from Project Confederation

Last week, Justin Trudeau made obvious what many of us have been saying for years – his carbon tax is all about politics, not the environment.

His Liberal government made a deeply political decision to exempt home heating oils from Canada’s carbon tax, right after promising they would never do such a thing.

“There will be no carve-out for a province. How fair would it be for the rest of the federation if we started carving out exceptions for provinces?”

Those were the words of Environment Minister, Steven Guilbeault, just a few weeks ago.

But with his poll numbers in freefall, and pressure mounting internally from his own Liberal MPs, the Prime Minister has abandoned his own signature policy.

If you already agree with us that the Carbon Tax
should be repealed, click here to sign our petition.
Otherwise, read on for more on why we think this is important.

The decision is outrageous for two reasons:

First – the vast, vast majority of Canadians who use home heating oil to heat their homes live in the Atlantic provinces – an area of the country where the Liberals are particularly struggling in the polls and have a large number of seats to defend in the next election

Second – home heating oil is actually worse for the environment than natural gas!

So, for those keeping track at home – the government announced they were giving a tax exemption to one (and only one) part of the country – the part where they desperately need more votes, and the fuel they’re exempting is worse for the environment than the fuel they’re refusing to exempt.

This surely must be one of the most blatant attempts at vote-buying we’ve ever seen, from a government looking to bribe its way back into power come election time.

Now, normally, this would be the point where the government would come out and deny that the decision was in any way political, make up some silly excuse that most of us can see right through, but which they plan to repeat often enough that some people will forget what they did.

Instead, though, they actually admitted it.

Heck, they went so far as to brag about it!

Rural Economic Development Minister, Gudie Hutchings, went on CTV’s Question Period to put the matter to rest but, instead, exposed the partisan regional motivations behind the move.

“I can tell you, the (Liberal) Atlantic caucus was vocal with what they’ve heard from their constituents, and perhaps they need to elect more Liberals in the Prairies so that we can have that conversation, as well.”

Unbelievable.

Can you imagine if a conservative federal government exempted Albertans (and only Albertans) from having to pay federal GST?

Or if a federal NDP/Bloc government gave Quebecers (and only Quebecers) an exemption from having to pay federal income tax?

The resentment this will cause in different parts of the country is incalculable.

It underscores the Liberals’ complete disregard for the Supreme Court as well.

One of the main arguments the Liberals used at the Supreme Court when attempting to defend the carbon tax as constitutional was that it was a non-political, neutral charge, applied fairly and evenly right across the country.

Clearly, that’s no longer true.

The response from the Alberta and Saskatchewan governments has been very strong.

In Saskatchewan, Scott Moe announced that SaskEnergy – the Crown corporation that supplies natural gas in the province – will no longer be collecting the carbon tax on home heating bills, nor remitting the carbon tax to the federal government.

“This is the most divisive federal government Canada has ever had. It’s not about climate change, not about fairness or about families, it’s only about votes.”

In Alberta, the Legislative Assembly opened with the Throne Speech, which put the problem in plain terms:

“There are powerful forces in our country, including in the federal government, that believe our province must fundamentally alter our provincial economy and way of life.”

Even the Alberta NDP – typically a doormat for the federal government – spoke out against the decision.

NDP leader Rachel Notley agreed that the change was unfair to the west, saying:

“If Atlantic Canada is being given a break on their home-heating bills, Alberta should be too.”

You know it’s going badly for the federal government when even Rachel Notley’s NDP is joining the UCP in criticizing them.

The carbon tax has always been unfair to western Canadians.

It is an extra cost at every level of the economy, from the cost of heating our homes to the cost of driving our vehicles, and it is a major tax on the cost of the goods and services we all consume.

And that cost is disproportionately felt by western Canadians because we naturally use more energy per capita, thanks to our geography and climate.

Instead of another carve-out, though, the solution is simpler.

It’s time to do what should have been done years ago.

It’s time to Repeal The Carbon Tax.

If you agree, please sign this petition calling on the federal government to Repeal The Carbon Tax immediately:

Over the past four years, we have been relentless in our efforts to achieve a fairer Constitutional deal.

To see Ottawa so blatantly applying regional bias to its environmental onslaught is clear evidence that we need to be stronger and we need to be louder.

Sure, we have some big wins – the Supreme Court’s decision that the Impact Assessment Act was unconstitutional being one – but we clearly have more work to do.

So please, sign this petition and join our effort to keep the federal government in its lane, and then pass this email on to every Canadian you know.

Together, we can make a difference.

Regards,

Josh Andrus
Executive Director
Project Confederation