Pierre Poilievre promises to scrap carbon tax at Saskatoon campaign stop
Ottawa-area MP Pierre Poilievre made a campaign stop in front of a Saskatoon gas station Thursday morning to announce his plan to curb inflation if he were to become prime minister.
Poilievre said a Conservative government under his leadership would eliminate the federal carbon tax on gas, heat and groceries.
“Scrapping the carbon tax will reduce the cost of living and will mean small businesses will have more money to hire workers and provide affordable goods for their people,” Poilievre said.
Inflation in Canada rose to 5.1 per cent in January, surpassing five per cent for the first time in more than 30 years, according to Statistics Canada.
Poilievre took aim at Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, blaming him for the cost of high living.
“Liberal Prime Minister Trudeau and former Liberal premier Jean Charest believe in higher taxes on consumers, both of them raised taxes and consumers to make life less affordable for everyday working people and to raise more money for politicians like them,” Poilievre said.
Poilievre says he would introduce plans in Saskatchewan to incentivize carbon-reducing technology that would help fight climate change.
“Carbon capture and storage, putting the carbon right back under the ground where it came from … my plan will allow provinces to pursue their own approach without forcing them to impose devastating taxes every day,” he said.
University of Saskatchewan policy professor Ken Coates says it’s not surprising Poilievre would visit the province, describing Saskatchewan as the “heart and soul” of the conservative movement in Canada.
“This is fertile ground for ‘small c’ Conservatives and I think the province could play a fairly significant role in the leadership campaign,” Coates told CTV News.
However, Coates said the leadership race is done by numerical count and Saskatchewan doesn’t have the numbers in comparison to Ontario, Quebec and Alberta.
“That’s where the election will be decided and particularly in the suburbs of Toronto and a lot of people in the suburbs of Toronto are not going to be very impressed by his support of the Freedom Convoy,” Coates said.
Coates says it’s “quite clear” Poilievre may well be marketable to the Conservative Party of Canada but whether the party can sell itself in a federal election is “up in the air.”
Candidates interested in running for the CPC leadership must sign up by April 19 and pay an entry fee of $200,000 on top of a non-refundable $10,000 deposit.
The final result of the race will be announced on Sept. 10.
Poilievre is expected to hold a campaign rally in Regina on Friday.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Hundreds of American firefighters arrive in Canada to help battle wildfires
Hundreds of American firefighters have recently arrived in Canada to help battle wildfires and more are on the way, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Wednesday.

Can face masks help protect you from wildfire smoke? Health expert explains
An official recommendation to wear a mask to protect yourself from wildfire smoke is being echoed by health experts as plumes of smoke make their way across parts of Canada, causing poor air quality.
Here's how major cities in Canada and the U.S. look blanketed by wildfire smoke
Photos show smoke-filled skies in cities across Canada and the U.S. as air quality warnings were issued in wake of the hundreds of wildfires from Quebec and Ontario.
'Very, very hard to breathe': Experts call wildfires a 'major public health concern' for Canada
As forest fires rage across the country, experts are sounding the alarm over the physical and psychological impacts of the wildfires and saying that they pose a serious public health issue, which individuals and governments need to acknowledge and act upon.
WATCH | Rate hike 'may be the last straw' for some homeowners: mortgage broker
With the latest hike bringing Canada's key interest rates to levels not seen since 2001, one mortgage broker is warning that it may be 'the last straw' for some homeowners with variable mortgages.
Canadians more likely to support foreign interference inquiry than hearings: Nanos
Canadians are twice as likely to support a formal inquiry into foreign interference, as opposed to public hearings, according to new polling from Nanos Research for CTV News.
opinion | Eight takeaways from Prince Harry's seven hours on the witness stand
It's been a busy, tumultuous few days for Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex as he took his place on the witness stand in his trial against the Mirror Group Newspapers. Here are royal commentator Afua Hagan's top takeaways from his two-day grilling.
Calgary mass killer Matthew de Grood seeks 'absolute discharge'
The man who was found not criminally responsible in the stabbing deaths of five people at a house party in Brentwood more than nine years ago is seeking more freedoms.
Trudeau shows no interest in compromising with Meta, Google over online news bill
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is showing no interest in compromising with Meta and Google over a Liberal bill that would make them pay for Canadian journalism that helps the companies generate revenue.