The House of Commons will vote today on Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre’s motion to exempt heating oil from the Liberal government’s carbon tax.
Poilievre introduced the motion in the House Oct. 20, saying Canada “is the only G7 country to have raised fuel taxes during this period of record global fuel prices.”
“Energy analysts have predicted that Canadians could see their home heating bills rise by an average of 50-100% this winter,” the text of the motion reads.
The motion notes that one-tenth of Canadians heat their homes in the winter with oil or propane since there is “no alternative” available to them and the federal government’s plan to increase the carbon tax in April 2023 will make heating homes with oil or gas unaffordable for many.
“Will be [the government]in the spirit of fairness and compromise, at least remove the tax on home heating – as winter approaches, as the cold weather will soon set in, as Canadians will soon be forced to choose between heating and eat,” Poilievre said. .
He added that some rural Liberal MPs do not support the home heating carbon tax and called on the government to allow its MPs to vote as they see fit.
Poilievre previously introduced a motion on Sept. 27 to halt the government’s planned carbon tax hike next April, but it was defeated the next day as the Liberals, NDP and Bloc Québécois all voted against. .
Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault slammed Poilievre’s now defeated motion against the carbon tax, saying the Tories are “trying to unprice pollution”.
Guilbeault said in a Twitter Publish on September 27 that canceling the carbon tax would take away “hundreds of dollars” in climate rebates from Canadian families and also that it would “make pollution pollution-free for big polluters”.
In his new motion, Poilievre adds that the Liberal Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador, Andrew Furey, wrote to the federal government on September 2 calling for a carbon tax exemption on home heating fuels.
In a Twitter Publish on the same day, Furey said the carbon tax increase “would have a seriously negative impact” on Newfoundland residents if it went into effect.
“A year ago today, the maximum heating oil price in our province was 97.91 cents per litre. Today it is 155.70, nearly 60% higher,” Furey wrote.
The House is scheduled to vote on Poilievre’s motion today around 3 p.m.
