Some Liberal MPs want to reconsider the carbon tax in leadership race

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OTTAWA — The upcoming race to replace Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is a chance for Liberals to return the party to the political centre, some of its members of Parliament say, with others hoping his exit means Liberals can turn the page on what has become one of its most controversial legacies: the consumer carbon tax.

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Liberal MPs will gather for the first time Wednesday as a national caucus since Trudeau announced he would be stepping down as party leader and prime minister, with Parliament suspended until late March.

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As leadership hopefuls weigh their chances, National Post spoke with 10 MPs about their hopes for the race and what changes they hope a new leader ushers in. What emerged was a picture of caucus members who want leader who can shake the party’s image of having veered too far to the political left and who can reconnect with Canadians.

“There should be no policy sacred cows,” said Marcus Powlowski, who represents the riding of Thunder Bay-Rainy River.

“Everything should be open to debate.”

For Atlantic MPs like New Brunswick’s Wayne Long and Ken McDonald of Newfoundland and Labrador, both of whom are not seeking reelection, that means the party being unafraid of distancing itself from Trudeau’s legacy, including the carbon tax.

Opposition Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has vowed to make it the ballot question of the next federal election, which could happen as early as this spring. Poilievre has spent more than a year arguing the carbon tax has driven up costs at a time when Canadians were struggling with the cost of living — criticisms Trudeau has dismissed as exaggerated and untrue.

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Finding a Liberal leader that can take the fight to Poilievre, who has dominated in public opinion polls, is a must for MPs who spoke to National Post.

Calling the policy “divisive and difficult for Canadians,” Long said it is time the Liberals ditched the carbon tax and instead focus more on heavy emitters with an industrial carbon tax.

“We have to be a Doug Ford at times and say, look, we didn’t get this right, we need to come up with a different way to move forward,” he said, referring to the Ontario premier’s apologies for the Greenbelt decision and other mistakes since taking office.

McDonald, who represents a rural riding, agrees it is time to move on.

“It does make things more expensive, regardless of what people say about it.”

Winnipeg MP Ben Carr says while he plans to keep an open mind to whatever prospective candidates may say about the carbon tax, the party cannot allow itself to backtrack when it comes to climate policy.

He believes the Liberals left the policy “susceptible” to attacks from Poilievre because the government failed to help people understand how it worked, including how it connects to climate.

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“It does not mean that it is completely void of support, but it certainly does mean that it has been a more complex and polarizing issue than I think it otherwise would have been,” said Carr.

Former cabinet minister and Ontario MP Helena Jaczek said because of the controversy, she is open to the party taking a second look and believes it could be a chance for Liberals to broaden the discussion about reducing emissions “beyond the carbon tax.”

“It clearly needs to be re-examined.”

Others such as Alexandra Mendes, the first Quebec MP to publicly question Trudeau’s leadership, believes his legacy should be preserved.

“The carbon tax is a signature policy that absolutely warrants keeping,” she said. “It took time to show its results, but it’s now showing how it’s working.”

While Liberals shouldn’t abandon their policy suite, Carr added: “We have to be honest and upfront about the fact that there has been a sense of disconnection.”

MPs told National Post the party must place more focus on fiscal responsibility after years of deficit spending, which saw the launch of new social programs like dental care and a national daycare program.

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“No one is going to snap their fingers and get to a balanced budget — that’s nonsense,” said Toronto-area MP John McKay. “But I don’t think that the path that we’re on is long-term sustainable.”

Yvan Baker, the Liberal MP for Etobicoke Centre, says he wants a leader with a vision that can appeal to voters in the middle of the political spectrum, saying he’s heard from constituents and Canadians more broadly that “we need to move back towards the centre.”

The names of those so far expressing an interest in Trudeau’s job appear to fit that bill, the MPs said. Former Bank of Canada and Bank of England governor Mark Carney, who would enter with serious economic credentials, is mulling the decision.

Should Carney decide to run as leader and seek office, he will not be able to count on Ottawa MP Yasir Naqvi to step aside to let him run in his riding of Ottawa Centre, which has long been a rumoured landing spot for Carney.

“I’m nominated to run in my riding, and I’m focused on serving my community,” said Naqvi.

Former finance minister Chrystia Freeland is also rumoured to be a possible contender, following her resignation from Trudeau’s cabinet, which opened the floodgates for larger caucus revolt.

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Both Carney and Freeland have the right backgrounds to be as, B.C. Liberal MP Ken Hardie puts it, his “dream team.” Hardie said he wants a leader who can see the “gaps” that exist between the party’s priorities and public concerns — a chasm that he sees has only widened under Trudeau’s leadership.

“We have to reflect back what their issues are, not necessarily what our agenda is,” he said. Crime and food prices are two issues that are top of mind for constituents which he believes the Liberals “can and should do” more to tackle, including by embracing ideas that could “upset our own apple cart a little bit … do some, maybe even some non-Liberal things to deal with it.”

Energy and Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson, who also hails from the private sector, having worked in the field of clean technology, is also considering a bid, according to a source close to him, adding him to the list of former businessmen eyeing the Liberals’ top job. Another is former Quebec Liberal MP Frank Baylis.

Government House Leader Karina Gould is also seriously considering a run, according to a source close to her. Gould’s office declined to comment, but should she she decide to run she would be the only millennial in the race at a time when many young people are leaving the Liberals for the Conservatives.

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MPs Mark Gerretsen and Joël Lightbound have declared in separate media interviews that they would be favourable to finance minister and longtime Liberal loyalist Dominic LeBlanc’s candidacy, without formally endorsing him.

Powlowski, a northwestern Ontario MP, says the Liberals must change to become a home for Canadians searching for a “reasonable political middle ground” who are tired of the political extremes.

“The Liberals have become associated with extreme views on the left,” he says, “things like cancel culture, woke culture, identity politics.”

“Politically, it doesn’t sell very well.”

-With files from Antoine Trepanier

National Post

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