Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre stood in front of steelworkers to outline his plan to scrap the federal carbon tax law and the provincial backstops entirely.
Poilievre made the announcement at a press conference on Monday in L’Original, Ontario.
He endorsed a “technology, not taxes” approach by the government to “bring home production back to Canada” while also reducing global emissions.
He also took the opportunity to address U.S. President Donald Trump’s “51st state” comments firmly stating, “Canada would never become the 51st state.”
On Prime Minister Mark Carney, Poilievre once again called out the former Bank of Canada governor’s claim that “Canadians don’t buy steel.”
The Conservative leader dismissed Carney’s comments, emphasizing that Canadian industry plays a crucial role in both domestic and global markets.
Poilievre also focused on Canada’s energy trade and infrastructure, criticizing Carney’s ongoing diplomatic efforts in Europe.
He argued that “meetings alone won’t diversify our trade—we cannot get our products over the Atlantic, the Trudeau-Carney Liberals have blocked pipelines.”
Highlighting Canada’s missed opportunities in the global energy market, he pointed to France’s 27-year-long natural gas supply deal with Qatar, which was struck in 2023.
Poilievre suggested that “this deal could have been done between democratic allies such as Canada.”
He claimed that countries including Japan, Greece, and Ukraine have requested Canadian energy exports, reinforcing the need for East-West pipelines to reduce dependency on the United States and expand trade with Europe.
Poilievre also addressed concerns over Canada’s cultural identity, criticizing the removal of historical statues and monuments over the past decade.
He committed to honouring Canada’s military history and the legacy of John A. Macdonald by naming public places after him and increasing investment in the Canadian Cadet Program.
Poilievre answered questions from local journalists on his policy around the local journalism initiative, and was committed to ensuring a balance between mainstream and independent media in terms of access to government advertising buys, but did not comment on the future of that specific program.
He told journalists to “stay tuned” regarding his stance on the Local Journalism Initiative, hinting at potential policy announcements in the upcoming election.
Reports indicate that Canada may be heading toward an election in the near future, where both the Conservatives and Liberals are currently neck and neck in the polls.