New Brunswick Liberal leader squeezed on 2 sides over carbon taxes
CBC
New Brunswick Liberal Leader Susan Holt finds herself being squeezed from two directions on carbon taxes after her recent call for the federal government to cancel a scheduled increase to the rate.
The Progressive Conservative government is pushing her to go further and join them in urging Ottawa to abolish the tax altogether.
At the same time, the Green Party says she has fallen for Conservative misinformation and is pandering for votes while ignoring that rebates return most of the money to consumers.
"I think she sees this as a popular position to take," said Green Leader David Coon.
Last Friday Holt joined seven premiers, most of them Conservative, who are asking the Trudeau government to scrap a planned April 1 increase to the tax.
"At a time when so many New Brunswickers are struggling to make ends meet, it's unreasonable to ask them to pay more for a federal carbon tax increase," she wrote.
The tax will increase on April 1 from 14.3 to 17.6 cents per litre of regular unleaded gas.
Holt's statement didn't mention the rebates, which will be $760 for a New Brunswick family of four in the coming year, plus an additional $152 for rural households.
In the legislature Wednesday, Natural Resources and Energy Development Minister Mike Holland said he was encouraged by Holt's statement, even though there was "some concern" she was flip-flopping for political gain.
"We'll give the leader of the opposition the benefit of the doubt, and we can clear this up right here and right now," Holland said, inviting her to co-sign a letter calling for the abolition of the tax.
Holt told reporters she decided to call for a freeze on the carbon tax rate because "we didn't trust that the Higgs government cared enough to do the things they could do to make life more affordable."
She has called for the government to repeal its legislated "carbon adjustor" mechanism that allows oil companies to pass on the cost of federal clean-fuel regulations to consumers.
That charge is 3.4 cents per litre this week.
The Liberals also want the government to remove the provincial sales tax from electricity bills, something it has so far refused to do.
Air Canada passengers who were aboard Flight 8646 when the CRJ-900 aircraft struck a fire truck upon landing at New York's LaGuardia Airport on Sunday evening say the collision was sudden and forceful, and they may owe their lives to the pilots who died in the incident.
Cardiac services are set to expand at a Winnipeg hospital once regarded as one of the best in Canada for heart care.
A 26-second TikTok video has ignited a larger conversation about vulnerable populations, theft and content creation.
Some family doctors and emergency room physicians working in Edmonton hospitals warn that an April 1 end to stipend pay arrangements could put patient care at risk and increase suffering.
An Auditor General of Canada report has found that B.C. saw drastically fewer international students than was forecast ever since wide-ranging federal immigration cuts began in 2024.
Six years after e-learning became a mandatory requirement to get an Ontario high school diploma, students don't appear to be taking online school to diversify their course selection as the province had intended, according to a CBC News analysis of provincial enrolment data.
Sarnia City Council will hold a special meeting Tuesday morning to respond to social media comments made by Coun. Bill Dennis, who criticized city spending on a new mural by Indigenous artist Kennady Osborne as “virtue signalling by woke politicians” — then made a series of comments in response to a reply from Aamjiwnaang Chief Janelle Nahmabin that some have characterized as unprofessional and aggressive.
While many Albertans continue to feel the pinch at the pump, Premier Danielle Smith says the government is not considering any fuel tax breaks, as it does not believe it will make much of a difference.
WARNING: This story contains disturbing details about gruesome deaths and sexual abuse.
Waterloo Regional Police Service (WRPS) says they will take part in the federal government's buyback program for assault-style rifles this year, but a local member of parliament says she "can't get behind this decision."
The use of American contracts and services is down by nearly half on Prince Edward Island following tariffs and shaky trade relations under the Donald Trump administration.
The first set of deadlines included in the energy and climate deal struck between Prime Minister Mark Carney and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith are not expected to be met, showing early challenges with the agreement that includes pursuing a new export pipeline from Alberta to the West Coast.
Mayoral-hopeful Coun. Brad Bradford is calling for a host of safety measures across Toronto’s subway system, including a specific focus on platform edge doors, with a motion before city council this week.