Scheer, Ford target Trudeau at PC convention
Federal leader joins premier in bashing prime minister over carbon pricing plan
In the eyes of federal Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s carbon pricing plan shows he considers commuters and families his “enemy.”
To Doug Ford, Trudeau’s greenhouse gas reduction initiative places him “next” on the premier’s political hit list.
The shadow of the Liberal prime minister, who is up for re-election next year, loomed large over this weekend’s Progressive Conservative convention at the Toronto Congress Centre.
During a rousing speech to 1,000 Tory partisans on Saturday, Scheer received a standing ovation when he attacked the federal Liberals’ measures to reduce emissions that contribute to climate change.
“What about all those people who have to drive to work, have to commute, to take their kids to activities? What about the small- and medium-sized businesses who have to make payroll with higher regulatory costs? There’s no special breaks for them in Trudeau’s carbon scheme,” the Tory leader thundered.
“Of course there isn’t — to Justin Trudeau, you are the enemy,” said Scheer.
“The commuter, the office worker, the hockey mom, the retired senior — those are the people that are getting dinged by this carbon tax. That’s why it’s unfair. Everyday Canadians should not be forced to pay more for everything,” he said.
With Ford, a millionaire who inherited his father’s successful business, sitting in the front row, Scheer lampooned Trudeau as a wealthy scion out of touch with ordinary Canadians.
“Justin Trudeau inherited a great fortune — and I’m not talking about the trust fund,” the federal leader said.
“When he became prime minister, he inherited a surplus budget and a booming economy, thanks in large part to our Conservative government, but he’s squandered it,” Scheer said.
Scheer also took a shot at top Trudeau aides Katie Telford, Gerald Butts, Brian Clow and Zita Astravas, who previously worked in Liberal governments at Queen’s Park, where the Grits won four provincial elections in a row under former premiers Dalton McGuinty and Kathleen Wynne.
“The very same Queen’s Park Liberals who’ve left Premier Ford and his team with the mess that they’ve inherited have moved on to Ottawa and are trying to do the same thing to Canada that they did to Ontario. We can’t let that happen.”
In Ottawa, Eleanore Catenaro, the prime minister’s press secretary, shrugged off the attacks.
“The Conservatives have been fixated on Justin Trudeau for years,” said Catenaro. “We’ve always been focused on Canadians, and we’re going to stay fo- cused on Canadians.”
Ford warned he “will not sit by and let Justin Trudeau make life more expensive for Ontario seniors and families.”
“The carbon tax fight is far from over. We are going to challenge it in court,” the premier said, referring to a $30-million legal fight. “We’re going to force the federal government to show the carbon tax rip-off every time you pay your heating bills or fill up your car.”
“I’m putting the prime minister on notice. We’ve already taken Kathleen Wynne’s hands out of your pockets — and Justin Trudeau, you’re next.”
Under the federal plan, the average Ontario household will pay $244 more annually on gasoline, natural gas and home heating oil, but will receive $300 back in rebates for a net gain of $56 a year, bankrolled by big industrial polluters.
Scheer, who avoided reporters after his speech, did not broach Ford’s decision to axe Ontario’s independent French-language watchdog and scrap a francophone university in Thursday’s fall economic statement.
That move, as the provincial Tories scramble to cope with a $14.5-billion deficit, has sparked controversy in Quebec and could hurt the federal party there in next year’s election. Along with melding the French-language services commissioner’s responsibilities and those of the Ontario child advocate watchdog into the ombudsman’s office, the government has eliminated the environmental commissioner’s job. That function will be served by the auditor general.
Greenpeace Canada’s Keith Stewart said that’s ominous for the environment.
“Canada’s conservative movement needs to look up from petty partisanship and recognize the real enemy: the enormous damage that unchecked climate change will wreak on our health, homes, economy and ecosystems,” said Stewart.
“Rather than scoring cheap political points by misrepresenting the effect of putting a modest price on pollution, true conservatives should be defending the right of their kids to inherit a world that hasn’t been destroyed by short-term greed.”