With info from a press release and video of the press conference
BAYER’S LAKE: Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre announced his plan to immediately scrap the ‘Car(ney) Tax’ that will add a $20,000 tax on gas-powered cars starting next year.
The announcement came on the campaign trail during a stop April 24 at Steele Halifax in Bayer’s Lake with supporters and candidates from across N.S. in attendance.
This is after Poilievre already announced his plan to axe the GST on Canadian-made cars, making them more affordable for hardworking families.
However, there is no real tax per se.
Auto manufacturers are given a $20,000 credit for producing an electric car or truck. There’s not a federal government tax on selling gas-powered cars and trucks as Poilievre has been spreading at rallies.
Conservatives will be champions of Canada’s auto sector by maintaining all existing supports, including the clean incentives for the auto-sector supply chain as a part of our technology not taxes policy.
The Laker News was at the press conference and was able to ask a question of Poilievre after he concluded his announcement.
ADVERTISEMENT:
Poilievre said the Conservatives would honour all existing agreements related to the construction of EV and battery plants and related infrastructure, so Canada can build more cars of all kinds in Canada and keep our auto workers working.
“We will also cut GST on Canadian-made vehicles so long as American tariffs remain in place,” he said. “And we will bring in a Keep Canadians Working Fund to protect the jobs of autoworkers directly affected by Trump’s tariffs.”
“The Car(ney) Tax is an assault on Canadian workers and families,” Pierre Poilievre said.
“It will skyrocket car prices, shut down manufacturing plants in Oshawa and Windsor, and send thousands of good Canadian jobs to the United States, just like Trump wanted.”
Kings-Hants Conservative candidate Joel Hirtle and Sackville-Bedford-Preston Conservative candidate Dave Carroll were both in attendance.
The announcement was held in the Halifax West riding, where Rob Batherson is the CPC candidate.
ADVERTISEMENT:
Under the Carney Liberals, the number of gas-powered vehicles that can be sold will be limited, starting in 2026. Manufacturers who dare to sell more than the Liberal quota will be hit with a $20,000 tax per vehicle. This cost will inevitably be passed on to Canadians, making cars more expensive.
Within a decade, the Liberals will go further and ban gas-powered cars completely.
The Liberals’ latest car tax on Canadians is out of touch with Canadians’ lives. The CAA found that electric vehicles lose up to 40% of their battery life in cold weather between -7°C to -15°C.
While winters in cities like Winnipeg and Thunder Bay are getting colder, Mark Carney is focused more on ideological crusades than on the daily realities Canadians face.
ADVERTISEMENT:
The Liberal mandate will be devastating to our auto industry, putting pressure on manufacturing plants in Oshawa and Windsor and sending thousands of good paying jobs to the United States, just as Trump wants.
A study in the Canadian Journal of Economics found the Liberal mandate would eliminate 38,000 auto sector jobs and result in up to $138.7 billion in losses for the automotive sector, if it survives at all.
“I’ve got nothing against EVs–if you want one, buy one–and make sure it’s one made in Canada! But they shouldn’t be forced on people by the government,” Poilievre said.
“A new Conservative government will put you back in the driver’s seat so you can choose the vehicle that works best for your family—gas, hybrid, or electric—for a change.”
