Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has signalled his party will come out against the Liberal government’s carbon tax, saying the existing scheme costs Canadians and that his party will have its own climate change policies.
“We want to see an approach to fighting the climate crisis where it doesn’t put the burden on the backs of working people, where big polluters have to pay their fair share,” Singh told reporters on Sept. 12 following three days of caucus meetings.
“We’ve been working on a plan, and we’ll be releasing our plan, our vision, for how we can do that in a stronger way in the coming months.”
The NDP leader refused to say whether he would keep the consumer carbon tax in place, instead saying he would put forth one that “is fair for working people, takes on the big polluters, and lowers our emissions.”
The federal government’s carbon tax has been hailed by the federal Liberals as a way to fight climate change while giving Canadians back more in rebates than they pay in taxes, except for higher-income Canadians. Meanwhile, the Conservatives have argued the tax is worsening the country’s cost-of-living crisis by making food, fuel, and heating more expensive.
Last week, Singh announced his party was exiting the supply-and-confidence agreement it signed with the Liberals in 2022, which supported the minority government in key votes in exchange for the government acting on certain New Democrat priorities. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has said his government intends to table a non-confidence motion at the “earliest opportunity” when the House of Commons returns on Sept. 16.
Blanchet said on Sept. 10 that he is not trying to keep the Liberals in power, but that he doesn’t want to see Conservatives be in power either, as an election today would likely mean a Conservative government.
“If Pierre Poilievre is serious, he will table a confidence motion that works for Quebec’s interests as supported by the Bloc Québécois. And that excludes the carbon tax, that excludes ‘I want to replace the boss.’”
The Conservatives, who are leading in polls with large margins, have made opposition to the carbon tax a pillar of their campaign.