As Poilievre calls for summer road trip carbon tax break, Trudeau accuses him of 'axing the facts'
CTV
To give Canadians a break on their summer road trips, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is calling on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to suspend all gas and diesel taxes from Victoria Day to Labour Day.
To give Canadians a break on their summer road trips, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is calling on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to suspend all gas and diesel taxes from Victoria Day to Labour Day.
"It will reduce gas prices by 35 cents a litre, allowing families to get on the road and go off to their favorite campsite, maybe a cottage, or a cabin. Do some fishing, some hunting, or just get away for a weekend," Poilievre said Thursday, speaking in Vancouver.
"Canadians need that now more than ever, with how miserable things are going in this country of ours," he said, behind a podium placard that read: "Axe the taxes."
Specifically, the Conservatives want the Liberal government to suspend the federal carbon tax, the excise tax on fuel, as well as the GST on gasoline and diesel, which they estimate would lower gas prices and save the average Canadian family $670 over the next few months.
According to Patrick De Haan with U.S.-based fuel-price tracker GasBuddy, if some of the taxes that Canadian motorists pay at the pump were lifted, it could mean real savings. He estimates the amount would be "in excess of 15 to 20 cents a litre."
Asked whether this is a step he intends to take, Trudeau said that Poilievre should be making the same request of the provinces and territories who are responsible for "a significant part of excise taxes and taxes on gasoline across the country," while accusing him of "axing the facts" throughout the carbon tax debate.
"He talks about stopping the fight against climate change at a time where the country is burning… And at a time when Canadians are struggling with the cost of living, he wants to take away cheques to put more money in their pockets," Trudeau said, at an event touting 2024 budget measures in New Brunswick.
