Trudeau should meet with premiers on carbon price, MPs say as motion passes

The House of Commons is calling for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to have an “emergency meeting” with the premiers to talk about alternatives to the federal carbon price, adopting a non-binding Conservative motion to push for this meeting, with support of the NDP and Bloc Quebecois.

Prior to question period Wednesday, NDP environment critic Laurel Collins said her party planned to vote in favour of Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre’s motion, despite criticism of the Conservative stance on the issue of carbon pricing.

“I think this is an opportunity to show Canadians also how many of the Conservative premiers don’t have a plan, much like the Conservative leader in the House of Commons. They do not have a plan to fight the climate crisis, and that’s something that Canadians should be aware of,” Collins told reporters.

Poilievre introduced a motion calling on Trudeau to have a televised meeting with the premiers on Tuesday. An amended version of the motion was adopted Wednesday that calls for recognition that the carbon price is causing a debate in the country, and to recognize that while British Columbia, Quebec and the Northwest Territories have their own systems, “the federal government mandates carbon tax policy.”

The Supreme Court of Canada affirmed Ottawa’s ability to establish a minimum national pollution price in 2021.

On April 1, the federal backstop rose from $65 per tonne to $80, with pushback from most premiers in jurisdictions it applies.

Liberal Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Andrew Furey wrote Trudeau last month, requesting a meeting to talk about alternatives.

In response, Trudeau sent his own letter to provinces where the backstop applies saying they’ve always been able to present alternatives that