NDP doubts about carbon tax outrage Justin Trudeau

Photo: Ryan Remiorz The Canadian Press Justin Trudeau lashed out at Jagmeet Singh during a press briefing in Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, on the sidelines of an announcement on a future satellite Internet network.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday blasted the environmental plan of his former partner in Ottawa, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, who has expressed doubts about the merits of the federal carbon tax.

“I honestly believe that Jagmeet Singh cares about the environment. But it’s also become very clear that he has no plan to fight climate change,” the Liberal leader attacked from Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, in Montreal’s west end, for an announcement about a future satellite Internet network.

Justin Trudeau even suggested that his former parliamentary partner’s comments on this greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction measure could turn the tide in his favour in the highly contested LaSalle-Émard-Verdun by-election.

“The most important thing for Montrealers, for progressives, is still the fight against climate change […] I know very well that the people of Lasalle-Émard-Verdun, who see all this momentum, [will be] very clear about how they want to stay positive about climate change. »

Coming out of a caucus meeting in Montreal on Thursday, New Democratic Party (NDP) Leader Jagmeet Singh criticized the federal carbon pricing program, which does not apply to Quebec because of its participation in a carbon exchange. He believes the prime minister has “pitted workers against each other” by suspending the carbon price for some homes in the Atlantic provinces, for example.

Furthermore, he believes it is unfair that workers are footing the bill. “We would like to see an approach to tackling the climate crisis that does not put the burden on workers, while we need to make big polluters pay their fair share. “They must pay the price for their pollution,” said the politician who until last week was a loyal ally of Prime Minister Trudeau in the House of Commons.

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The attacks are flying

This criticism has not gone unnoticed, especially since the Liberals have been arguing for years that all the money collected is returned in the form of cheques to the citizens of the provinces where the federal carbon price applies. Abandoning the carbon price is, moreover, one of the main promises of the Conservative Party of Canada. Its leader, Pierre Poilievre, is riding high in national polls this summer, and is calling for an urgent “carbon tax election.”

“The New Democratic Party has decided to support Pierre Poilievre's climate-sceptic party on the issue of carbon pricing. […] What the NDP is doing is giving in to misinformation,” reacted Liberal Minister of Environment and Climate Change Steven Guilbeault in a video posted on the social network X.

Quebec NDP MP Alexandre Boulerice responded Friday with his own video, posted on Instagram, in which he attacks the Liberal minister's record. “Steven Guilbeault is the one who […] continues to give subsidies and gifts to big oil companies,” he says, among other examples.

Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre also jumped into the fray on social media, sharing a humorous montage that highlights that the NDP and its leader voted several times in Parliament to create this federal price on carbon. He suggests that this position has changed because of the current by-elections.

Eyes on the by-elections

Jagmeet Singh has promised the NDP’s climate change plan will be unveiled “in the coming months.” His party is promising an approach that “protects the environment, holds companies accountable, and reduces emissions, while supporting low- and middle-income households struggling with the cost of living.”

In the meantime, a byelection will be held Monday in a Winnipeg riding, Elmwood–Transcona, a seat that was held by an NDP member and is now being held by the Conservatives. Even if he were to lose the riding, Singh says he will remain leader and run “for premier” in the next election, which he has not committed to calling.

Another byelection is taking place Monday, in LaSalle-Émard-Verdun in Montreal. The NDP believes it has a chance of electing city councillor Craig Sauvé. Observers believe that this riding represents a barometer for measuring the resilience of Liberal strongholds in Montreal. The Bloc Québécois has also made significant efforts to capture this riding, with a poll putting the party in the lead in what promises to be a tight race.