Poilievre plans to move non-confidence motion in Trudeau, call for ‘carbon tax election’

March 20, 2024 Canuck

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre says he plans to move a motion of non-confidence in Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and call for a “carbon tax election.”

Rallying his caucus on Parliament Hill on Wednesday morning, Poilievre spoke about his party’s ongoing efforts to pressure the federal minority Liberals over their stance on pollution pricing.

“Today I’m announcing that I’m giving Trudeau one last chance to spike his hike. One last chance and only one more day,” Poilievre said.

“Today I’m announcing that if Trudeau does not declare today an end to his forthcoming tax increases on food, gas and heat, that we will introduce a motion of non-confidence in the prime minister.”

All week, emboldened by the growing cross-Canada resistance to the April 1 hike from premiers both Conservative and Liberal, Poilievre’s party has been pressing the Liberals on the carbon price.

After question period there will be a vote on Tuesday’s opposition day motion that called on “the NDP-Liberal coalition to immediately cancel this hike,” citing the “70 per cent of provinces and 70 per cent of Canadians” opposed to the 23 per cent increase to $80 from $65 per tonne of carbon emissions.

Now, with another opposition day debate and vote scheduled for Thursday, it appears the Conservatives are ready to up the ante.

Poilievre has put a motion on notice that reads in-part: “That the House declare non-confidence in the prime minister and his costly government… and call for the House to be dissolved so Canadians can vote in a carbon tax election.”

This is not the first time the federal Conservatives have threatened an attempt to bring down the Trudeau government.

In 2020, just 20 sitting days into the last Parliament, the party looked to table a motion of non-confidence, before backing away.

It is also not the first time the party has called for a “carbon tax election.”

In November, amid a week of heavy political scrutiny over Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s exclusive carbon-price carve-out for home heating oil, Poilievre called on Trudeau to pause the carbon tax on all home heating until Canadians go to the polls.

At the time, the Liberals welcomed the idea of fighting the next election on the marquee pollution pricing program, with Trudeau stating Canadians are “deeply concerned about the need to continue to fight climate change.”

Since, the government has focused their communications around the rebate component of the carbon tax system, with Trudeau taking the stance that his job is “not to be popular,” but rather “to do the right things for Canada.”

The Liberals and New Democrats have a supply-and-confidence agreement designed to keep Trudeau’s government in power until June 2025, in exchange for progress on NDP priorities.

This is a developing story, check back for updates…

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