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Canada's Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre speaks during a Question Period in the House of Commons on Feb. 14, 2024.
It’s political stunt season in Ottawa. It may be a long one, too, as the country counts down the days to the next federal election, due by fall 2025. On Wednesday, Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre issued a no-confidence motion over the government’s planned carbon tax increase.
The motion is expected to fail – it never stood a chance. The debate began this afternoon, but the Liberals aren't going to torpedo their own government, and their New Democratic Party partners aren’t keen to send voters to the polls. But the motion isn't about inducing an election; it's about preparing for one.
Poilievre is trying to frame the next election as a contest about affordability. He’s painting the Liberals and New Democrats as big government tax-and-spend robbers reaching deep into the pockets of a tapped-out population that simply can’t stand another (modest) tax increase. He’s even calling it “a carbon tax election.”
The carbon levy is set to rise 23%, which accounts for roughly 3 cents more per liter at the pumps. Poilievre will hammer this message in the months to come and won’t let voters forget who voted to keep the government afloat whenever they do head to the polls.