Prime minister to meet with Manitoba premier during daylong visit to Winnipeg

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says some premiers aren’t being honest about the effect of Ottawa’s carbon tax on average families.

Trudeau, who is to meet with Manitoba Premier Heather Stefanson in Winnipeg, saidthe average family gets more money back from the federal price on pollution.

“What the premier and others across the country don’t seem to be honest about with Canadians is in the places like Manitoba, where the federal price on pollution applies, average families get more money back from the price on pollution than the extra price on pollution costs them,” Trudeau said Thursday in Winnipeg.

The Manitoba leader has called for the federal government to temporarily suspend its carbon tax to help people deal with inflation. She sent a joint letter with Alberta Premier Jason Kenney and Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe urging Trudeau to take action earlier this year.

Earlier Thursday, the four Atlantic premiers sent a letter to the federal government requesting a short-term extension to submit plans for carbon pricing plans. It said added costs of the tax would amplify inflationary pressures in Atlantic Canada.

Ottawa’s deadline for provinces to submit their plans is Friday.

Trudeau acknowledged Canadians are facing challenges around affordability, but said Canada will continue to lead on fighting climate change while supporting families.

Stefanson’s Progressive Conservatives have been working with the federal government on several fronts, including a recent agreement to upgrade the rail line to Churchill in the province’s north.

However, there are other points of contention. Stefanson has also criticized the federal government’s plan to cut fertilizer emissions by 30 per cent by 2030.

During his daylong visit to Winnipeg, Trudeau met with nursing students at Universite de Saint-Boniface in a mock hospital room with eight fully equipped beds and mannequins for patients.

Trudeau was joined by Dan Vandal, the minister responsible for northern affairs and Prairies economic development, and spoke to the students in French about choosing a career in health care.

Trudeau is laterscheduled to meet parents at a children’s centre.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 1, 2022.