It’s no secret that Carney and Freeland have spent years defending the carbon tax. Pictured: Former finance minister Chrystia Freeland. Photo Credit: Chrystia Freeland/X.
The battle to become the next prime minister of Canada is shaping up to be a dog fight between Mark Carney and Chrystia Freeland. The rules and timelines have been etched in stone, and it’s off to the races for these prospective candidates.
While Carney made it official in Edmonton yesterday after a soft launch debut on the set of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart earlier in the week, Freeland will make her announcement on Monday in her affluent riding in Toronto.
In the meantime, Canadians are getting a preview of the window dressing. The Freeland camp gave CTV News the scoop on her plans to walk back her stance on the carbon tax and scrap it altogether if she wins the Liberal leadership bid.
Shortly after this declaration landed in the news, the Toronto Star reported that Carney had been indicating behind closed doors that he would back away from his very public support for the policy.
The carbon tax consensus has been years in the making, and for a while, most Canadians bought what the Liberals were selling. In the minds of the average voter, a tax was perceived as the only path forward for the country to be a leader on the world stage, and meet its ambitious emissions reduction targets.
The foundation only recently began to crumble, as a cost-of-living crisis hit consumer pocketbooks and the government was unable to demonstrate the efficacy of their environmental programs.
It’s no secret that Carney and Freeland have spent years defending the carbon tax. Before either candidate had even stepped in front of a Canadian news camera, they’ve attempted to create distance from one of the issues that Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has skillfully managed to define as a wedge policy through repeated hammering of the Trudeau government.
While Carney was non-committal about his support for the tax when asked by reporters at his campaign launch, the fact that it may be the first policy he is willing to walk back is a testament to how politically toxic it is.
The carbon tax controversy serves as a first glance into what some of the defining issues of the Liberal leadership race will be, as well as the principles these candidates are willing to sell down the river to win.
The next big question they should expect will most certainly be related to the finances of the country. Whether to continue spending as an antidote for the country’s lagging economic indicators or put in place austerity measures, Carney and Freeland are going to have to come up with a plan on how to manage the purse strings of the federal government.
In a leadership race, anything goes, and this competition is sure to expose the good, the bad and the ugly. For now, these two frontrunners are only accountable to the membership of the Liberal Party, but that will soon change as a federal election draws nearer. Thankfully, Canadians will have the final say on the matter.
Josie Sabatino is a Senior Consultant at Summa Strategies, focused on providing strategic insight and helping clients meet their objectives in an ever changing and complex political and regulatory environment. Prior to joining Summa, Josie spent nearly a decade in political communications and most recently served as the Director of Communications to the Hon. Erin O’Toole, former Leader of the Official Opposition.
