Ottawa, ON – The Hon. Pierre Poilievre, Leader of the Conservative Party and the Official Opposition, released the following statement:

“A year ago today, Justin Trudeau and his Liberal MPs in Atlantic Canada voted to keep the carbon tax. They voted to raise it to 61 cents a litre. In fact, every single Atlantic Canadian Liberal MP voted in the House of Commons to tax your food, your heat, and your gas time and time again.

“And then Justin Trudeau, who up until just 24 hours ago, was saying we needed to raise the cost of living on Atlantic Canadians in order to stop hurricanes, looked at the polls, found out they were facing electoral oblivion. So, what happened?

“Justin Trudeau only moments ago jumped in front of a microphone and said, okay, wait a second. I was just sort of kidding about that carbon tax thing. I’m going to pause it and actually only going to impose it three years from now on your home heating oil after the election is over.

“But in the meantime, he’s still going to impose it on your gas and diesel and on the farmers who grow the food and the truckers who ship it. But he wants you to elect him one more time so that if he wins, he will bring in a massive tax on your heat.

“After eight years of Justin Trudeau, life costs more, and work doesn’t pay. Housing costs have doubled. Crime, chaos, drugs and disorder are now common in our streets. But the good news is life wasn’t like this before Trudeau, and it won’t be like this. After he is gone, we’re going to turn the hurt that he has caused into the hope that Canadians need. And we’re going to do it by making common sense common again. Conservatives will bring home lower prices. Our common sense plan will keep the heat on Trudeau, and axe his carbon tax to lower gas, heat, and grocery bills.”