St. John’s, NL – Today, the Hon. Pierre Poilievre, Leader of His Majesty’s Loyal Opposition and the Conservative Party of Canada, called on Mark Carney’s Liberals to cancel their coming gas tax hike on September 7th and adopt the Conservative plan to save Canadians up to 25 cents per litre.
Conservatives are calling on the Liberals to suspend the federal fuel excise tax for the rest of the year, remove the GST from gas and diesel until December 31, and permanently scrap the Clean Fuel Standard and industrial carbon tax.
Canadian drivers already pay almost 19 cents more per litre than Americans. Yet after Labour Day, Carney plans to add another 10 cents per litre to gas and four cents to diesel. His Liberal MPs voted against the Conservative plan for zero federal tax on fuel for the rest of the year.
“Canadians already pay more at the pump than Americans. Now Carney wants to pile on another gas tax hike,” said Poilievre. “These taxes do not just punish drivers. They raise the cost of every meal, home and product shipped by truck or train. That means even higher grocery prices, which are already rising faster in Canada than in any other G7 country.”
The full Conservative plan would save drivers roughly $20 per fill-up and a family of four about $500 through the rest of the year.
A poll released yesterday found that 63 per cent of Canadians oppose Carney bringing back the fuel excise tax in September, including 43 per cent who strongly oppose it.
Opposition crosses every region of the country: 71 per cent in Manitoba and Saskatchewan; 64 per cent in British Columbia, Alberta and Atlantic Canada; 62 per cent in Ontario; and 60 per cent in Quebec.
“Canadians work hard for their money. Carney should let them keep more of it,” Poilievre concluded. “He must cancel his September gas tax hike, remove the GST from fuel for the rest of the year and permanently scrap the Clean Fuel Standard and industrial carbon tax.”