Provincial finance ministers press Freeland on carbon tax changes during CPP meeting
CBC
A number of provincial finance ministers said they pressed Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland on the federal government's recent changes to the carbon tax during a meeting on Friday.
Freeland called the meeting to discuss Alberta's proposal to leave the Canadian Pension Plan (CPP). A number of finance ministers said the carbon tax was also raised.
Alberta Finance Minister Nate Horner said he and a number of other ministers brought up the issue but it wasn't fully addressed during the meeting.
"Canadians remain in the midst of an affordability crisis and the carbon tax continues to hurt us all. While a number of us had hoped to also address this issue during the call, I am very eager to have a fulsome conversation at our next [meeting]," he said in a media statement.
Saskatchewan Finance Minister Donna Harpauer expressed frustration with what she called Freeland's reluctance to discuss the carbon tax.
"I am extremely disappointed with the complete disregard from Minister Freeland to speak about the carbon tax crisis," Harpauer said in a media statement.
During a press conference following the meeting, Freeland was asked about provincial ministers wanting to discuss the carbon tax. She said Friday's meeting was meant to discuss the CPP and pointed out that she called the meeting at Ontario's request.
"I called a special meeting. Ministers came to attend the meeting specifically because of that invitation to discuss that subject," she said. "I absolutely recognize that there are a lot of different issues that provinces and territories are interested in."
The finance ministers are set to hold an annual meeting in December. Freeland suggested other topics could be discussed there.
The Liberals have been facing a wave of political backlash after announcing a three-year carbon tax exemption for heating oil.
Some opposition parties and premiers have said that exemption isn't fair to those who heat their homes with other fuels such as natural gas and propane.
While the exemption for home heating oil applies across the country, its effects will be felt most in Atlantic Canada.
In Newfoundland and Labrador, almost one in five households use home heating oil. Two in five Prince Edward Island households and one in three Nova Scotia households are heated with furnace oil. In New Brunswick, one in about every 14 households uses home heating oil.
When Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the exemption last week, he said the Atlantic Liberal caucus had been calling for the change.
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