Open in full screen mode Justin Trudeau says that Andrew Furey's opposition to the carbon tax is because the premier of Newfoundland and Labrador bowed to political pressure. The Canadian Press Liberal leadership friends from Canada and Newfoundland and Labrador argued this week over the federal consumer carbon tax . Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday accused Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Andrew Furey of continuing to bow to political pressure in his opposition to a planned increase in carbon costs next month. < p class="StyledBodyHtmlParagraph-sc-48221190-4 hnvfyV">I think Canadians in Newfoundland and Labrador and across the country expect their governments to do the right thing , Mr. Trudeau told journalists in Montreal. He added that this includes supporting Ottawa's carbon pricing system, which the prime minister says brings more money to most Canadian households in rebates than what the prime minister said. they pay, adding: These are basic calculations.
Andrew Furey, Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador, participates in a press briefing in Saint John, March 4, 2024.
The Furey's office fired back with a statement shortly after the prime minister's remarks.
Premier Furey has always been clear that the federal carbon tax is not the appropriate instrument to mitigate climate change at this time, and will continue to do so. to fight for Newfoundlanders and Labradorians, we can read in the declaration.
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Andrew Furey is the country's only Liberal provincial premier and has long touted his close relationship with Justin Trudeau. But he has opposed the federal carbon pricing regime since at least last year.
The pricing system, which is a levy on greenhouse gas emissions, includes a charge on all purchases of more than 20 different types of fuel, including gasoline. The fee is generally paid by the distributor, who then passes the cost on to consumers.
Provinces can set their own carbon pricing strategies, which must be approved by the Canadian government, or they can use the federal pricing system. Quebec, for example, is exempt from this tax because it uses a cap-and-trade system.
Since last year, Newfoundland and Labrador has been using the federal plan, which is expected to increase from $65 to $80 per tonne on April 1.
On Tuesday, Mr. Furey released a letter he wrote to Mr. Trudeau, asking the prime minister to end the increase because people in the province are struggling with the cost of the life. The next day, Mr. Trudeau told reporters that it was easy for short-term-thinking politicians to oppose pricing on carbon pollution.
On Friday, Mr. Furey put pressure on Mr. Trudeau again.
Canadians – particularly in more rural areas, like Newfoundland and Labrador – cannot immediately access alternatives such as an electric vehicle or a public transit system, its statement said. Additionally, families are already facing inflationary pressures right now.
A quote from Andrew Furey, Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador
Justin Trudeau said discussions about the federal carbon pricing system are too often dominated by its cost, rather than the rebates it generates for the majority of Canadian households, including 80 per cent, he said. added, receive more money in return than they pay.
Many prime ministers have called on Justin Trudeau to delay the next increase in carbon pricing.
But Furey said the rebate would not #x27;was not sufficient to offset the indirect and induced costs of the carbon tax and clean fuel regulations.
Premier Furey strongly believes in the importance of mitigating climate change, but is urging the federal government to pause increasing the carbon tax for the time being, his office said. /p>
The governments of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Ontario , Alberta and Saskatchewan also spoke out on the imminent increase in carbon prices.
Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston sent a letter to Prime Minister Trudeau this week, calling for a different solution to climate change and to cancel the carbon tax before further damage occurs. The premier of Prince Edward Island, Dennis King, also wrote to the federal premier to tell him that the province is committed to reducing greenhouse gases, but that a period of sustained inflation has significantly increased our cost of living.
In a press release on Friday, Pierre Poilievre, the leader of the federal Conservatives, described the opposition as a provincial revolt. And at a news conference that day in Saint John, New Brunswick, he called the April 1 price increase heartless and cruel.