NORTH BATTLEFORD 鈥� As intrigue swirls in Ottawa over the leadership of Erin O’Toole of the Conservatives, members of the local Conservative riding association are taking aim at one of his key policies during the 2021 election.
It has been reported that members of the Battlefords-Lloydminster Conservative association have launched a petition against O’Toole’s move to bring in a “carbon tax.”
The riding association is getting support from Battlefords-Lloydminster MP Rosemarie Falk. In a statement to CTV News that Falk has reposted on her Facebook feed, Falk voiced support for her riding association’s stance.
"The Conservative Party of Canada is a grassroots political party with an obligation to be accountable and responsive to its membership," said Falk. "As the Member of Parliament for Battlefords-Lloydminster, my position has always been that a carbon tax is ineffective and unfairly punishes the rural communities that I represent."
On a Facebook post, Cypress Hills-Grassland MP Jeremy Patzer said he supported Falk’s position.
“I agree with Rosemarie Falk. It's important for us as Conservatives to hear what our members have to say on important issues. This is accountability in action,” Patzer stated.
During last fall’s federal election, O'Toole ran on a platform calling for the current carbon tax to be replaced by a “Personal Low Carbon Savings Account,” which would have maintained a price on carbon.
Critics, however, saw this plank as a carbon tax by another name, and the policy put a number of Conservative MPs in the position of having to defend it in ridings where the carbon tax was unpopular.
During the election in Battlefords-Lloydminster, Falk downplayed the policy, instead reiterating her staunch opposition to the Liberal carbon tax. In a response to 麻豆传媒’s “Meet the Candidates” page during the election, Falk stated the following:
“I do not support a carbon tax. Trudeau’s carbon tax is unfairly punishing rural communities and hurts those who can afford it the least. Canada’s Conservatives have committed to repealing Justin Trudeau’s consumer carbon tax. Erin O’Toole has committed to work with provinces to safeguard our environment and as federal partner he would not enforce a federal backstop in lieu of a made-in-Saskatchewan plan like the one presented by Premier Scott Moe this past July.”
The local intrigue in Battlefords-Lloydminster this week comes as Conservative MPs were set to vote on whether to keep O’Toole as leader.
Reports were that a number of Conservative caucus members were bringing a letter to trigger a caucus vote on O’Toole’s leadership. This vote would be under the Reform Act rules that allow 20 per cent of caucus members to be able to force a leadership vote.
In a Facebook post Monday night, O’Toole made it known he would accept the result.
“There is a report tonight of members of the Conservative caucus who are unsure of what road to take. They are, it is said, bringing a letter to caucus to trigger a vote on my leadership of the party.
“Good. I’m not going anywhere and I’m not turning back. Canada needs us to be united and serious!
“It’s time for a reckoning. To settle this in caucus. Right here. Right now. Once and for all. Anger vs. optimism 鈥� that is the choice in simple terms. I will accept the result of this vote. The signers of this letter must accept it, too. They brought it. They’ll have to live with it.
