Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre is calling for the suspension of all federal fuel taxes, including the excise tax, the carbon tax and the GST, for the rest of 2026 in an effort to address the spike in fuel prices in Canada, which he says are 15 per cent higher than those in the United States.
Poilievre told CP24 and CTV News Channel on Saturday that Canadians are having to pay a higher price for gas due to the Liberal government, arguing that lower prices for fuel would result in reduced grocery prices and could potentially save Canadians nearly $1,200.
“It’s a tax on the tax. The Liberals have agreed, under pressure from the Conservative Party, to temporarily suspend only one of those three taxes,” he said. “We want to get rid of all three federal Liberal gas taxes for the rest of the year, so that Canadians can afford the gas up at the pumps.”
Fuel prices are on the rise due to the conflict in the Middle East, causing Canadian and U.S. markets to fall. Despite a delicate ceasefire in place for the moment between Iran and the U.S., oil tankers are still not able to pass through the Strait of Hormuz.
“Obviously, there are higher prices in the world. We can’t control global oil prices, but what we can control is the taxes the government applies,” the Conservative Party leader said.
“It’s not just about saving at the pumps. It’s about powering our economy.”
Canadians will save around 25 cents a litre if the taxes in question are removed, the opposition leader said, adding it will make it easier for farmers to transport food, resulting in more affordable grocery prices.
When asked how the savings would be transferred to consumers instead of shipping companies, Poilievre claimed that every province that has brought in gas tax relief has seen prices fall, “because one competitor has to bring the price down in order not to lose business to another,” and the inflation in these provinces has also declined.
However, according to the Conservative leader, the biggest “price gouging” is coming from Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government and its high taxes.
“What we need to do is stop that price gouging, and that begins with eliminating all the taxes at the pump,” Poilievre added.
The opposition leader also slammed the Carney government for bringing in the Clean Fuel Standard, also known as the Clean Fuel Regulations – a policy that requires fuel suppliers to reduce the lifecycle carbon intensity of fuels by 2030 – calling it “another new, sneaky carbon tax.”
The Liberal government under Carney is running a “massive deficit,” twice the size of former prime minister Justin Trudeau’s, according to Poilievre due to what he calls is “wasteful spending.”
“Cut back on the $26 billion they’re spending on consultants. Cut back on the bureaucracy. Cut back foreign aid. We can’t feed our own people,” Poilievre said. “We’re sending our money out of Canada. Cut back on the handouts to fake and phony refugees that are getting better benefits than our seniors.”
The Conservative Party leader then shifted his focus to calling out the company where the prime minister served as chair — Brookfield Asset Management — saying it’s the biggest “tax dodger” in the country.
Poilievre added that his criticism of Carney was “nothing personal.”
“It’s just that his results are so terrible, and the Canadian people are paying the price through higher inflation and higher taxes, with more debt, more costs and more of the same.”
