Nova Scotia Prermier Tim Houston speaks to media during the closing news conference at the Council of the Federation Canadian premiers meeting in Winnipeg, Wednesday, July 12, 2023. Houston says health care is the main formal agenda item as he hosts Canada’s 13 premiers and territorial leaders at a meeting in Halifax. THE CANADIAN PRESS/John Woods
HALIFAX – Almost all of Canada’s premiers presented a rare unified front today as they took turns saying Ottawa’s recent changes to its carbon pricing measures were unfair to the country.
Premiers from across Canada, except Quebec, released a statement after a meeting in Halifax, calling on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to ensure that federal policies, like carbon pricing, are delivered in an equitable way.
Last week, Trudeau announced his government would pause for three years the carbon price on home heating oil to make it easier for users of that fuel to switch to electric heat pumps.
But the move immediately drew criticism from premiers in Western Canada, where few residents and businesses use home heating oil.
The nine premiers today rallied around the idea that Ottawa’s move treated Canadians differently at a time when the entire country is struggling with an affordability crisis.
They also called on Trudeau to convene an in-person first ministers meeting, something that hasn’t happened since 2018 despite repeated requests from the provinces.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 6, 2023.
