Justin Trudeau, languishing in the polls in the Atlantic provinces, announced surprise changes to the carbon tax on Thursday, increasing the amount of support the region’s residents are entitled to to help ease the financial burden of the energy transition reduce.
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First, the federal government plans to increase carbon pricing rebates from 10% to 20% from April next year, recognizing that “rural communities face unique realities.”
Ottawa is also announcing the suspension of the carbon tax on heating oil supplies for three years, in a corner of the country where oil heating affects nearly 30% of citizens. This could save affected households an average of $250 per year, the government analyzes.
“We heard you,” Justin Trudeau said at a news conference Thursday afternoon. “We heard from our Atlantic MPs and Atlantic Canadians. We heard the conversations at the doors, conversations with other levels of government.”
In addition, Mr. Trudeau also announced an increase in financial support for households switching from oil heating to a heat pump system.
State funding will be increased from $10,000 to $15,000 and heat pumps will even be offered free of charge to households with below-average income.
When asked whether these announcements would not prove Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives right, the Prime Minister replied that the announcement had “on the contrary” made it possible to “accelerate” the government’s efforts in the fight against climate change through the mass introduction of the heat pump “.
“The goal of our Pollution Prize is to change the behavior of Canadians and help them combat climate change and improve the environment,” Mr. Trudeau said.
The gap with the Conservatives has widened since the summer, even in the Atlantic provinces, a region traditionally favored by the Liberals.
Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre joked about his opponent’s announcement.
“After slumping in the polls, the hesitant and desperate Justin Trudeau is now making a U-turn on his carbon tax, while I’m organizing a huge rally for the tax in a Liberal-controlled Atlantic region,” he told X.
Conservatives bet heavily on the cost of living and inflation. The Conservative leader repeatedly reiterates his promise to scrap the carbon tax.