Poilievre wants to topple the Liberal government with a non-confidence motion on the carbon tax

Story by John Paul Tasker

 • CBC

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre will introduce a non-confidence motion Wednesday designed to topple the government and trigger a federal election — a parliamentary manoeuvre that's likely to fail.

Poilievre and his party are ramping up the pressure on the Liberal government to drop a plan to increase the federal carbon tax.

The levy is set to rise by about 23 per cent on April 1, which means consumers can expect to pay about three cents more for a litre of gas than they do now.

"If Trudeau does not declare today an end to his forthcoming tax increases on food, gas and heat, we'll introduce a motion of non-confidence," Poilievre said at Conservative caucus meeting on Parliament Hill.

"Canadians cannot afford to eat, heat and house themselves," he said to a standing ovation from his MPs and senators. "I call for the House to be dissolved so Canadians can vote in a carbon tax election."

The non-confidence motion is likely dead on arrival because the NDP has agreed to prop up the government through 2025.

The government's supply-and-confidence agreement with the fourth party gives it enough support in the Commons to vote down such a motion.

The government has a plan to gradually raise the tax to $170 a tonne by 2030, an increase that eventually will add nearly 40 cents a litre to the price of gas. The levy also will increase the price of other fuels like natural gas and propane.

Poilievre has been on a cross-country "spike the tax" tour to stir up opposition to the federal climate change measure. Hundreds of supporters turned out in Halifax on St. Patrick's Day

The party also has tabled another opposition day motion in the House of Commons to force a vote on the increase itself. That vote will come later Wednesday.

The Conservatives also requested a separate "emergency" debate on the subject, a request that was denied Monday by Speaker Greg Fergus.

Related video: Poilievre plans a non-confidence motion on carbon tax (cbc.ca)

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The carbon tax is a central plank in the Liberals' climate policybook and they have strenuously opposed a years-long, Conservative-led attempt to overturn it.

The levy is designed to increase the cost of fossil fuels to encourage consumers and businesses to pursue cleaner, greener alternatives.

The government has said all of the money collected from the tax is returned to people through the Canada carbon rebate, a quarterly payment made based on family size.


Minister of Environment and Climate Change Steven Guilbeault makes a funding announcement at the Fletcher Wildlife Garden in Ottawa on Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2024. (Patrick Doyle/Canadian Press)© Provided by cbc

"Eight out of 10 Canadians, low-income to middle-income Canadians, get more money back than they're paying for carbon pricing. That is a reality, that is a fact. And as carbon pricing goes up, so does the carbon rebate," said Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault.

"That is one thing you'll never hear Pierre Poilievre talk about. The other thing you'll never hear Pierre Poilievre talk about is the impacts of climate change and how much it's costing Canadians."

But the government also levies HST on the carbon tax — income that goes into federal coffers.

The Parliamentary Budget Officer (PBO) has said Ottawa stands to gain about $600 million in the next fiscal year from this tax on a tax — funds that are not explicitly earmarked for climate initiatives.

The federal carbon tax was initially designed as a "backstop" measure that would only apply in provinces and territories that don't have carbon prices of their own in place.

Now, after a number of provincial governments dismantled their pricing programs, the federal tax is applied in eight provinces. B.C. has its own carbon tax while Quebec has a cap-and-trade program.