Poilievre wants to topple the Liberal government with a non-confidence motion on the carbon tax

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre will introduce a non-confidence motion Wednesday designed to topple the government and trigger a federal election — a parliamentary manoeuvre that's likely to fail.

Poilievre and his party are ramping up the pressure on the Liberal government to drop a plan to increase the federal carbon tax.

The levy is set to rise by about 23 per cent on April 1, which means consumers can expect to pay about three cents more for a litre of gas than they do now.

«If Trudeau does not declare today an end to his forthcoming tax increases on food, gas and heat, we'll introduce a motion of non-confidence,» Poilievre said at Conservative caucus meeting on Parliament Hill.

«Canadians cannot afford to eat, heat and house themselves,» he said to a standing ovation from his MPs and senators. «I call for the House to be dissolved so Canadians can vote in a carbon tax election.»

The non-confidence motion is likely dead on arrival because the NDP has agreed to prop up the government through 2025.

The government's supply-and-confidence agreement with the fourth party gives it enough support in the Commons to vote down such a motion.

The government has a plan to gradually raise the tax to $170 a tonne of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions by 2030, an increase that eventually will add nearly 40 cents a litre to the price of gas. The levy also will increase the price of other fuels like natural gas and propane.

Poilievre has been on a cross-country «spike the tax» tour to stir up opposition to the federal climate change measure. Hundreds of supporters turned out in Halifax on St. Patrick's Day.

The party also has tabled another opposition day motion in the House of Commons to force a vote on the increase itself. That vote