Prime Minister Justin Trudeau meets with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith as Canada's premiers meet in Ottawa on Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023 in Ottawa. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will meet up face-to-face in Calgary today. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
CALGARY – Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is urging Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to heed the growing calls from premiers to dump the planned hike to the consumer carbon charge on April 1.
Trudeau responded by reminding Canadians that as the levy increases, so do rebates to Canadians.
The comments came in introductory remarks as the two leaders met in Calgary in their first face-to-face meeting since last summer.
The federal carbon price is set to rise by $15 a tonne to $80 next month.
Several premiers say this is concerning, given Canadians are already dealing with ever-rising costs for day-to-day living.
Trudeau was in Alberta three weeks ago, making a housing announcement in Edmonton, but the two leaders did not meet up at that time.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 13, 2024.