Poilievre wants a 'carbon tax election,' Liberals say bring it on

Amid a week of heavy political scrutiny over Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's exclusive carbon-price carve-out for home heating oil, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is pushing for 'a carbon tax election.' Speaking to his caucus, he called on Trudeau to pause the carbon tax on all home heating until Canadians go to the polls.

Amid a week of heavy political scrutiny over Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's exclusive carbon-price carve-out for home heating oil, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is pushing for "a carbon tax election."

"We all know that we're not going to agree on the carbon tax. He wants to raise it. I want to axe it… So let's make a deal. Let's pause the carbon tax on all home heating until Canadians go to the polls so that we can have a carbon tax election," Poilievre said Wednesday.

"Where Canadians will decide between his plan to quadruple the tax to 61 cents a litre on heat, gas, and groceries, and my common sense plan to axe the tax and bring home lower prices… That will be the choice in the carbon tax election. Justin Trudeau just has to decide when that will happen. But, it will happen and Canadians will decide," Poilievre said.

Last week, Trudeau announced the three-year carbon tax pause for households that use home heating oil, a move that primarily will assist Atlantic Canadians past the next scheduled election, alongside plans to double the pollution price rebate rural top-up rate, and to roll out new incentives to make it more affordable for those using heating oil to transition to heat pumps.

The climb-down came amid strong internal caucus pressure, and has been met with strong national criticism from the opposition parties and premiers whose constituents largely won't feel any cost-of-living relief as a result of this targeted approach, one the Liberals are adamant won't be expanded. 

In a rallying speech to his caucus, the Official Opposition leader painted a hypothetical and dramatized picture of the prime minister trembling in the corner of his office "in the fetal position" over Poilievre's Atlantic Canada "Axe the Tax" tour.

Poilievre will be advancing a non-binding motion in the House of Commons next week calling for all MPs to vote to extend the pause on home heating oil to all Canadians, something he is pressing for NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh to back, given his shared criticism that the current policy pivot is unfair.