Talks of another no-confidence vote for the current Prime Minister are heating up in parliament once again, and Grande Prairie-Mackenzie MP Chris Warkentin says he believes Canadians are simply “fed up” with Trudeau’s Liberal Government.
Prime Minister Trudeau’s approval rating has continued to fall since he was re-elected in 2021, dropping from 63 per cent when he was first elected in 2015, to 28 per cent this June.
Canada’s next federal election is expected to commence sometime next October; however, Warkentin and his colleagues say they are hoping to force one “sooner than later.”
“Canadians are fed up with this government, they can’t afford the taxes that have been piled on, the challenges that have been presented by this government, namely, and one of the largest ones that really has affected every Canadian as well as every small business owner across the country is the Carbon Tax,” he says. “Small businesses that are been brought to their knees, if not going out of business because of this additional tax.”
The federal price on carbon has been met with significant backlash by the Conservative opposition since the Liberals introduced the carbon levy at $20 per tonne in 2019. While Warkentin admits the money has gone to some successful projects, he says opening up both small and big business would lead to “many more” investments in communities.
“Yes, there have been limited investments, but frankly, we could be so much stronger and have so many more investments if we unleash business, I think it’s important for families to be able to make decisions based on what’s in their own best interest,” he says.
Warkentin adds that many Canadians across the country have notified him and his colleagues, saying they can no longer afford to heat their homes in the winter as a direct impact of the Carbon Tax.
“We have seniors in our communities that are turning the heat down to, in some cases, 13 degrees during the winter because they cannot afford to heat their home,” he says. “This is not only unfair, it’s unethical.”
When it comes to the question of whether the upcoming American election in November will have any impact on politics north of the border, Warkentin holds the belief that Canadians are more focused on domestic issues like affordability.
“I’m not certain that politics off of the border will have any kind of an impact,” he says. “I think the biggest issue that Canadians want to tackle is, domestic issues, issues of affordability here in Canada, the ability to buy the essentials, to heat our homes, for folks to be able to afford homes and continue to have an opportunity and prosperity for the generations to come.”
Warkentin stands by his party leader Pierre Poillievre who has continued to speak up in Ottawa against the carbon tax, and says the Conservative “common-sense” alternative is something “Canadians have been hungry for, for years.”
