By Shachi Kurl, President
March 30, 2024 – There are times in politics when two conflicting things are true at the same time. Public reaction to the impending federal carbon-tax increase is one of those times. Follow along, dear readers, and don’t worry, I promise the cognitive dissonance will not break your brains.
For months, the Trudeau government has appeared to be in a state of paralysis as dissatisfaction grows with a carbon tax it could no longer sell based on the merits of doing the right thing for climate change in the face of Official Opposition leader Pierre Poilievre’s incessant pounding over inflation and cost of living concerns. The slogan “JustinInflation” has morphed into “Axe the Tax.”
I wondered last fall if the prime minister had lost the room over his signature policy. Fast-forward six months, and more than one narrative emerges.
On one hand, left-of-centre voters (those who say they would vote Liberal, NDP or Bloc Québécois in an upcoming federal election) have found new vigour in defending and even advocating for an increase as scheduled April 1. On the other, these would-be supporters represent a much smaller group than they were at this time last year.
Meanwhile, the vast majority of those who would support the Conservatives in a future election would “axe the tax” (75 per cent) or at least lower it (nine per cent). This, as the party leads in vote intention by nearly a two-to-one margin over the Liberals.
Read more from the article in the Ottawa Citizen here.
Image Credit – Adam Scotti/PMO
