Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s carbon tax should be tucked under his arm while he doesn’t let the door hit him on the way out.
And Liberal caucus members need to make sure that happens.
Those in doubt need to ask themselves two questions.
Practically, why should Canadians keep paying the carbon tax for another few months before the next election?
Politically, why should government MPs keep paying a price with voters because of the carbon tax?
The carbon tax can be slayed on Wednesday during the Liberal party’s emergency caucus meeting.
Caucus finally rose up and finally forced the prime minister to face the reality that he can’t get re-elected.
But that’s only half of the job.
The problem isn’t just one person. It’s the policies. And Trudeau’s trademark carbon tax is one of his biggest failures. Replacing the PM while keeping the carbon tax is like switching the blackjack dealer while still facing a stacked deck.
Recommended video
And the Liberal caucus knows this.
Those Liberal MPs have been yelled at by their constituents about the carbon tax for years.
Hardworking people have been telling these MPs they can’t afford the carbon tax, and it’s unfair to be punished for driving to work, heating homes or buying food.
Those MPs have seen their constituents’ heating bills, the costs of their commutes and the invoices for their businesses.
They know the carbon tax adds about $13 to the cost of filling a minivan and about $20 extra to fill a pickup. They know the carbon tax will cost long-haul truckers about $2 billion in 2025, and they know it will cost farmers $1 billion during the next five years.
They know Canada misses its emissions targets, even with the carbon tax.
And here’s the big one: These MPs know the carbon tax is getting hiked on April 1.
The timeline has to be terrifying for Liberals seeking re-election.
The House of Commons reconvenes on March 24.
The government presents its throne speech and immediately starts facing confidence votes, with all opposition parties promising to vote against the government.
Then, on April 1, the government raises the carbon tax again.
Imagine door knocking after losing a confidence vote and raising the carbon tax.
Imagine being an MP from southern Ontario, and a greenhouse tomato grower walks into your office with a chart showing his carbon tax costs.
Imagine trying to tell that farmer that she “gets more back” than she pays in the carbon tax.
Picture being an MP from Halifax and telling your constituents they need to buy an electric heat pump as their sole source of winter warmth before the carbon tax slaps them again.
Nova Scotia has charming weather events such as ice fog which seeps into a house like a ghost from a Dickens novel. So, most Maritime folks still need a furnace, and Trudeau’s carbon tax punishes them.
These MPs have all been hollered at by their constituents, who have been wounded by the carbon tax.
No matter how much the MPs may have pleaded with Trudeau behind closed doors, he kept the carbon tax and forced his MPs to defend it.
Trudeau tied this millstone to the necks of his MPs and didn’t care how much it ground them down.
But he’s leaving now.
And these Liberal MPs have the opportunity to cut the rope and free themselves from Trudeau’s carbon tax.
The Liberal caucus is holding an emergency meeting on Parliament Hill on Wednesday, and those members of Parliament need to demand an end to carbon tax then and there.
Why should they force Canadians to keep muttering profanities when they fill up their cars or pay the carbon tax charges on their heating bills?
Why should Liberal MPs face day after day of berating phone calls from constituents who don’t buy PMO talking points about the carbon tax?
The least they can do is spare Canadians the cost of the carbon tax right now and try to do the right thing in the end.
On Wednesday, Liberal MPs have to demand an end to the carbon tax.
— Kris Sims is the Alberta Director for the Canadian Taxpayers Federation.