Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre says he wants the federal government to eliminate all federal taxes on diesel until Canada Day and suspend GST on fuel until summer.
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Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre says he is pushing the federal government to eliminate all federal taxes on diesel until Canada Day, as part of a list of demands ahead of the budget being tabled on Nov. 5.
In a letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney, Poilievre also calls for the federal government to suspend the GST on fuel until summer and permanently scrap the fuel standard tax. He said the changes would save Canadians money, whether they are buying groceries or toys for Christmas.
Poilievre’s letter also urges the Liberal government to cut what he describes as wasteful and inflationary spending, and to fulfil promises to reduce both the debt-to-GDP ratio and the deficit-to-GDP.
The Parliamentary Budget Office is cited in the letter as predicting the government will not meet its fiscal anchor of maintaining a declining deficit-to-GDP ratio. The office expects the measure to rise in 2027-28 and 2029-30.
The Parliamentary Budget Office is also cited as expecting a $63.3-billion deficit in fiscal 2026-27, down from a forecast of $71.8 billion in its June outlook, with annual deficit levels peaking at $70.2 billion the following year.
Poilievre says Carney’s government has the biggest deficit ever outside of the COVID-19 pandemic and the highest spending as a share of GDP since the 1990s debt crisis, and he argues the prime minister has driven up the cost of basic living expenses.
In the letter, Poilievre says Carney promised affordability but that “everything is more expensive since you took office,” adding that while he cannot control things outside Canada, Carney’s decisions at home have made it worse.
Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne said the budget will “outline the next steps in our plan to build a stronger, more resilient and more affordable Canada.”
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