Singh defends NDP carbon pricing position

Content of the article

OTTAWA — The federal leader of the New Democrats insisted on Monday that his party's position on carbon pricing remains unchanged.

But Jagmeet Singh declined to say specifically whether he supports a consumer tax, with Canadians forced to pay it on everyday items like gasoline.

Content of the article

“Our position has not changed at all,” he told reporters.

“We fully support pollution pricing. We have always supported him.”

Content of the article

Singh met with reporters for the first time since speaking at the annual Progress Summit last week, where he sparked confusion about the NDP's position on a federal consumer tax on fuel.

In the address, Singh praised “affordable, low-carbon options” and vowed not to “punish people” who cannot change the way they heat their homes or get to work.

He later said the New Democrats would offer a more aggressive approach to climate change that would emphasize the most impactful initiatives, such as methane regulation and a carbon price on industrial emitters.

“Make them tougher, make them stronger, look at other ways to really take on the big polluters,” Singh told reporters last Thursday.

“We don't want working people to feel like the burden is on their shoulders. It's not fair. Frankly, not a new democratic solution to the problem.

His comments followed NDP environment critic Laurel Collins, who said a carbon price is not the “be all, end all” of climate action, as she explained the NDP's decision to vote with the Conservatives on a parliamentary motion criticizing the Liberal policy.

Content of the article

Content of the article

The NDP has long supported carbon pricing and included it in its 2019 campaign.

Even Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who admitted last week that he didn't understand the NDP's position, appeared to be impressed by the apparent change in tone.

Trudeau noted that Singh is facing “political pressure” from conservative prime ministers and Conservative leader Pierre Poillevre who want to withdraw from politics.

Polievre has indeed toured the country, including NDP strongholds in British Columbia and northern Ontario, rallying supporters around his “ax to tax” message.

Opinion polls showed both the NDP and Liberals backing the Conservatives, as Polievre cited affordability as his top issue, calling the supply and confidence deal they signed in March 2022 a “precious coalition.”

The NDP says the deal is a victory for Canadians in pharmaceutical and dental care, but it was hard fought for.

While the Tory leader has blamed consumer carbon pricing for fueling Canadians' concerns about affordability, both the Liberals and NDP accuse him of having no plan to deal with climate change.

Content of the article

Following Singh's speech last week, the NDP announced its support for a “carbon price”.

But when asked on Monday whether he would stick to that position, Singh made it clear that the party's voting record supports its “pollution price,” which, despite many questions, does not specify whether it includes a levy paid by consumers.

“We fully support pollution pricing. We have not changed our position on this,” he said.

“We have to fight the climate crisis with everything we have, but the Liberals are undermining that trust by not supporting the working class,” added Singh.

He accused the Liberal government of continuing to subsidize oil and gas companies without supporting working families.

Singh previously slammed Trudeau's move to exempt home heating oil from the carbon price for three years, calling it a divisive decision.

One in three households in Atlantic Canada relies on home heating oil, and the government's signature climate policy decision comes after Liberal MPs in the region expressed concern about the rising cost of living.

Content of the article

Trudeau and Environment Minister Stephen Guilbeau declined to make further exceptions.

That's despite demands from western premiers like Saskatchewan's Scott Moe that households using natural gas should get the same break.

Moe is among a number of provincial leaders, including Newfoundland and Labrador's lone Liberal Premier Andrew Fury, who are calling on Trudeau to convene a meeting to discuss alternatives to carbon pricing.

Trudeau said the provinces were on board when the government decided to change the carbon price several years ago.

Today's prime ministers are not concerned with complaining and their own plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the prime minister charged.

Last week, a Conservative motion in the House of Commons to invite Trudeau to sit down with the premiers for a televised meeting was passed with the support of the NDP and the Bloc Québécois.

Content of the article