Poilievre calls on Carney to cancel planned September gas tax increase

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre called on Prime Minister Mark Carney to cancel a planned federal gas tax increase scheduled for September, arguing Canadians cannot afford higher fuel costs amid ongoing economic pressures.

Speaking at a news conference in St. John's on Thursday, Poilievre said the proposed increase would add 10 cents per litre to gasoline prices. He also urged the federal government to suspend all federal gas taxes for one year to provide relief to Canadian families.

Poilievre claimed that suspending the federal gas tax would save motorists about 25 cents per litre, reducing the cost of filling a vehicle by approximately $20 per tank and saving the average family up to $500 by Christmas. Those figures have not been independently verified by Connect Newsroom.

The Conservative leader also criticized the Liberal government's approach to ongoing trade negotiations with the Trump administration, saying he does not understand a strategy that offers concessions before formal negotiations are concluded. He described the government's handling of the talks as a failure.