Tories wage carbon-tax attack in first QP after election defeat

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This article was published 22/11/2023 (710 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Progressive Conservatives continued to hound the NDP over the carbon tax as they demanded the government turn up the heat on Ottawa, during their first question period as official Opposition Wednesday.

“It’s clear that the NDP premier is not doing his job to make life more affordable for Manitobans,” Tory Leader Heather Stefanson charged in her first question to the premier.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is “pitting Canadians against each other” by exempting home heating oil from the federal price on pollution and Manitobans who use natural gas for heating should be given the same consideration, Stefanson said.

“He is not supporting Manitobans who desperately need the carbon tax off of their home heating bills today. Will he stand up for Manitobans who are struggling to make ends meet and remove carbon tax on all home heating bills?” Stefanson said.

The PCs have repeatedly accused Kinew of flip-flopping on the matter after he confirmed the NDP government would ask for an exemption at a Nov. 6 meeting of Canada’s premiers in Halifax, but did not sign a letter sent by five premiers to Trudeau, requesting as much.

“Our government is doing something that nobody in the PC party ever did — we’re cutting the provincial fuel tax to save you 14-cents a litre every time you gas up,” Kinew fired back across the aisle. “This is real relief for Manitobans.”

Wednesday marked the first day of routine proceedings at the Manitoba legislature as veteran and rookie lawmakers settled into their new seats on new sides of the house.

Prior to dusting off their favourite heckles and digging in to question period, MLAs exchanged niceties and congratulated each other on being elected.

Stefanson posed just one question to Kinew and then ceded time to rookies, including Spruce Woods MLA Grant Jackson and Portage la Prairie MLA Jeff Bereza, who carried on with the carbon tax attack.

“Manitobans are still being left out in the cold, literally,” Jackson said in his first question as Manitoba Hydro critic.

Jackson called on the government and Manitoba Hydro to stop collecting the carbon tax on fuel used for home heating.

“The premier has flip-flopped on asking Ottawa for tax fairness across the country and refused to bring the issue up when the deputy prime minister was in his own office,” Jackson said.

Chrystia Freeland was in Manitoba Nov. 9 to make a joint announcement with Kinew about Hydro projects.

Finance Minister Adrien Sala responded by criticizing the former PC government for raising energy prices.

The NDP will work with the federal Liberals to roll out geothermal heat pumps to about 2,500 Manitoba households, Sala said.

Bereza, the PC agriculture critic, said the carbon tax is making Manitoba farmers less competitive in the global market. He challenged the NDP to ask Ottawa to remove the carbon tax from farm inputs.

“Does this minister want grain to rot in the bins because of the carbon tax imposed on them that this government continues to support?” Bereza said. “This is also affecting the price of groceries to increase, making it very difficult for both Manitoba families and farmers.”

Agriculture Minister Ron Kostyshyn — who was in the former NDP government from 2011 and 2016 and held the agriculture portfolio — side-stepped the questions.

“I will assure you, we will continue to work with agriculture producers to make Manitoba a more profitable province,” Kostyshyn said.

Speaking to reporters after question period, Kinew called the Tories’ line of questioning tired and hypocritical. He argued his position on a carbon-tax exemption for natural gas has been clear.

”Manitobans deserve a break on energy prices and help transitioning to more climate-friendly forms of home heating,” he said, adding his government believes there should be fairness across Canada.

“There’s a lot of important conversations we’re going to leave behind closed doors as far as the details,” Kinew said.

During the 40-minute question period, Speaker Tom Lindsey was only forced to calm down MLAs on two occasions as he gently reminded them about the rules of the house.

Debate on legislation is expected to begin Thursday. Bills to pause the provincial gas tax and to recognize Louis Riel as the first premier of Manitoba are on the docket.

Lawmakers are scheduled to sit until Dec. 7 before breaking for the winter.

danielle.dasilva@freepress.mb.ca