Make Canada a Climate Laggard Again

If there's one thing we can say about Justin Trudeau's legacy, it's that he put a price on carbon—something that had been debated and denied for years, especially under Stephen Harper’s government. Choosing not to commit to carbon pricing put Canada on the global map of climate laggards, alongside countries that talk a big game about caring for the planet but never actually take meaningful action. It was a pretty embarrassing time for us, especially when we were aligning ourselves with the “drill baby drill” mentality of climate deniers in the U.S.

Now, it feels like we’re sliding back into that old mindset with our own Conservative Party. Just when Canada is trying to set itself apart from the U.S. and connect with progressive partners who genuinely care about climate action, Pierre Poilievre pushed hard to axe the consumer carbon tax, got what he wanted just last week when the new PM Mark Carney did that very thing. Now, Poilievre is calling for the elimination of the industrial carbon tax as well. It’s got people questioning: if there’s no price on carbon, what real action does the Conservative Party plan to take on climate change? This stance could very well make them unelectable come 2025.