FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                                                  November 7, 2023

WHITEHORSE – The Yukon Party Official Opposition is asking the premier to confirm the territorial Liberals’ stance on the federal government’s carbon tax exemption on home heating oil, and if he will seek a full carbon tax exemption for the North.

On October 26, the Prime Minister announced a three-year carbon tax exemption on home heating oil. Yukoners welcomed the announcement after experiencing the highest rate of inflation in the country for the better part of 2023.

On November 3 following a meeting of finance ministers from across the country, the ministers of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Ontario, Alberta, and Saskatchewan signed a joint statement urging the federal government to ‘eliminate the carbon tax to ensure fairness and ease financial pressure on Canadians.’ Unsurprisingly, Yukon’s finance minister was not a signatory and had earlier told the Yukon Legislative Assembly, ‘I am very disappointed with the federal government not looking at the whole country and also changing from a price-signal mechanism.’

However, on November 6, the Yukon’s Premier met with Canada’s Premiers in Halifax. During the meeting, they unanimously called on the Prime Minister ‘to ensure that federal policies and programs are delivered in a fair and equitable way to all Canadians, particularly in light of the affordability challenges being faced across the country.’

We now wonder who speaks for the Yukon on this issue Is it the current or former premier? Do the territorial Liberals support the removal of the carbon tax on all home heating fuels? Or do they support reinstating the carbon tax on home heating oil?

“With the high cost of living, and now the exemption for Atlantic Canada, there is a growing call from jurisdictions across the country to eliminate the carbon tax,” said Yukon Party Leader Currie Dixon. “The territory’s finance minister says he’s disappointed in the federal government for pulling back on the carbon tax, but the premier joined his fellow premiers calling for a fair and equitable application of federal policy. Will the premier stand up for Yukoners, stand behind his word in Halifax, and join the call to eliminate the carbon tax?”

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Contact:
Tim Kucharuk
Press Secretary
(867) 393-7026