Newfoundland Liberal MP Ken McDonald has broken ranks with the Trudeau government regarding their carbon tax for the second time in the House of Commons.
McDonald also recently stated that Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault was not the right person to convey the party’s messaging to Atlantic Candians on the environmental front.
On Wednesday, McDonald, who serves the Avalon riding in Newfoundland and Labrador, voted alongside the federal Conservatives to repeal the carbon tax
He was the only member of the Liberal, NDP or Bloc Québécois caucuses to vote for a repeal.
“Everywhere I go, people come up to me and say, you know, ‘We’re losing faith in the Liberal party’,” said McDonald in an interview with CBC News.
“I think they will lose seats not just in Newfoundland, not just in Atlantic Canada, but indeed right across the country if they don’t get a grasp on this the way that I think they should.… And if an election were called today, I’m not sure if the Liberal party would actually form the government.”
Additionally, McDonald also expressed uncertainty that federal Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault was the right candidate to sell the idea of the carbon tax to those living in Atlantic Canada.
“He’s not, because he’s so entrenched in it,” said McDonald. “And I get it, where he came from, and his whole idea of making a big difference in climate change, but you can’t do it all overnight. You can’t make it more expensive on people than what they can handle. And that’s exactly what’s happening right now.”
McDonald said it’s important for Ottawa to try and view the issue from the perspective of people living in rural Atlantic Canada.
“The government has to put a lens on it, a rural lens, for the sake of a better word, and try and come up with a plan that’s satisfactory and appealing to people who live in rural,” he said. “Maybe no plan will be appealing to rural, I don’t know. But I think the government has to try, and if they do that, I think they got a chance of moving past it.”
On Thursday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that the impact of climate change is clear and continued to defend the controversial policy.
“In all the conversations I had with rural Canadians across the country this summer, they were devastated by the impacts of record wildfires, of floods, of droughts, of heat waves,” said Trudeau.
“They see the impact of climate change, and they know that we need to continue to fight climate change while putting money back in their pockets. That’s exactly what our price on pollution does.”
In October 2022, McDonald voted against the carbon tax for the first time and received a standing ovation from the Conservative party.
Following his vote to repeal for a second time, McDonald said his decision was also to show his support for Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Andrew Furey.
Furey has asked that Ottawa make more of an effort to reduce the impact the carbon tax is having on Atlantic Canadians.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said McDonald’s vote is proof that the policy isn’t helping Canadians.
“This carbon tax is not worth the cost, and it’s not just me saying it. The Liberal member for Avalon has said, and I quote ‘We are punishing rural areas of our country and the most vulnerable people in society’,” said Poilievre in the House of Commons on Thursday.
