OTTAWA (LifeSiteNews) – Five Canadian premiers from coast to coast banded together to demand Prime Minister Justin Trudeau drop the carbon tax on home heating bills for all provinces, saying his policy of giving one region a tax break over another has caused “divisions.”
“It is of vital importance that federal policies and programs are made available to all Canadians in a fair and equitable way,” reads a letter dated November 10 and signed by Premiers Tim Houston of Nova Scotia, Blaine Higgs of New Brunswick, Doug Ford of Ontario, Danielle Smith of Alberta, and Scott Moe of Saskatchewan.
The premiers wrote that by “singling out Atlantic Canadians with this relief, it has caused divisions across the country. All Canadians are equally valued and should be equally respected.”
In the letter, the premiers demanded a meeting with Trudeau to discuss the matter and “urge the federal government to remove the carbon tax on all forms of home heating across Canada immediately.”
“We are calling on the federal government to do the right thing and treat all Canadians fairly by removing the federal carbon tax from all forms of home heating. This would help address the significant affordability concerns faced by families from coast to coast to coast,” the premiers wrote.
“Given the vast impacts of carbon pricing, we are asking for a meeting to discuss this issue.”
Trudeau recently announced he was pausing the collection of the carbon tax on home heating oil for three years, but only for Atlantic Canadian provinces. The current cost of the carbon tax on home heating fuel is 17 cents per litre. Most Canadians, however, heat their homes with clean-burning natural gas, a fuel that will not be exempted from the carbon tax.
Trudeau’s announcement came amid dismal polling numbers showing his government will be defeated in a landslide by the Conservative Party come the next election.
Indeed, a recent poll even shows the Green Party outperforming the Liberals in Atlantic Canada.
The premiers’ letter was signed by two Atlantic provinces that benefit from the carbon tax pause but whose leaders do not think it is fair they get special treatment over the others.
The premiers warned Trudeau that with winter coming most Canadians will be hit with high heating bills thanks to the carbon tax.
“Many Canadian households do not use home heating oil and instead use all forms of heating to heat their homes. Winter is coming and these people also deserve a break. It is of vital importance that federal policies and programs are made available to all Canadians in a fair and equitable way,” the letter reads.
“The federal government was elected by voters across this country. This is an opportunity to show them that they won’t be penalized for their choice of home heating source.”
The Conservative Party of Canada (CPC) under leader Pierre Poilievre firmly opposes the carbon tax. Poilievre recently dared Trudeau to call a “carbon tax” election so Canadians can decide for themselves if they want a government for or against a tax that has caused home heating bills to double in some provinces.
A recent CPC motion calling for the carbon tax to be paused for all Canadians failed to pass after the Liberal and Bloc Quebecois MPs voted against it. This motion interestingly had support from the New Democratic Party (NDP), which means its passage is likely.
85 percent of small businesses now opposed to Trudeau’s carbon tax
Opposition to Trudeau’s carbon tax is strong and growing, notably among small business owners. Indeed, a recent poll shows that 85% of small businesses reject the federal carbon tax.
The poll, conducted by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB), shows that opposition to the carbon tax has nearly doubled in only a year. Last year, about 52% of businesses opposed a carbon tax.
CFIB president Dan Kelly noted that “the entire federal carbon tax structure is beginning to look like a shell game.”
When it comes to small businesses, Kelly said that they pay “about 40% of the costs of the carbon tax, but the federal government has promised to return only 10% to small businesses.”
LifeSiteNews reported last month how Trudeau’s carbon tax is costing Canadians hundreds of dollars annually, as the rebates given out by the federal government are not enough to compensate for the increased fuel costs.
The Trudeau government’s current environmental goals – in lockstep with the United Nations’ “2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development” – include phasing out coal-fired power plants, reducing fertilizer usage, and curbing natural gas use over the coming decades.
The reduction and eventual elimination of the use of so-called “fossil fuels” and a transition to unreliable “green” energy has also been pushed by the World Economic Forum (WEF) – the globalist group behind the socialist “Great Reset” agenda – an organization in which Trudeau and some of his cabinet are involved.
Contact:
The Right Honourable Justin Trudeau, PC, MP
Prime Minister of Canada,
Office of the Prime Minister
80 Wellington Street
Ottawa, ON K1A 0A2
https://www.pm.gc.ca/en/connect/contact