Boissonault cites TMX, ‘energy poverty’ in carbon price carve-out furor

Employment Minister Randy Boissonnault says it's not uncommon for Ottawa to make decisions in the national interest that have a greater benefit in one region.

Ahead of a looming vote on a Conservative motion to pause the federal carbon price on all forms of home heating, Alberta Liberal MP and Employment Minister Randy Boissonnault is defending the current policy – only pausing it for homes that use heating oil.

He says the decision reflects both a lack of options for residents in regions where home heating oil is heavily used, which critics of the policy say is predominantly Atlantic Canada, and added that the federal government has also done things that “disproportionately” benefit Albertans.

When asked by The West Block’s Mercedes Stephenson if he believes this is a fair policy, he said thousands of people across the country use heating oil and they’re often among Canada’s lowest income earners.

He then raised Ottawa’s purchase of the Trans-Mountain Pipeline in 2018 for $4.5 billion.

“We built a pipeline and TMX is going to get completed. And that pipeline disproportionately benefits Albertans, the Alberta coffers. It also benefits the federal treasury,” he said.

“And so when you have a country as vast and regionally diverse as ours, there are going to be some policy decisions that are going to take a regional focus but have a national impact. And that’s what we’ve done here…. Albertans have the ability to participate in this program.”

Last week, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that the government would implement a three-year pause on the carbon price for homes on heating oil and work with provincial governments on plans to subsidize heat pumps for low-income residents.

Trudeau made the announcement flanked by members of the Liberal Atlantic caucus. The government defends the policy, saying it applies across the country, but critics say a disproportionate number of people who use heating oil live in Atlantic Canada.