Majority of Quebecers think province should end carbon pricing, survey says
MONTREAL - Weeks after Prime Minister Mark Carney scrapped the federal consumer carbon levy, more than half of Quebecers want their province to follow suit and abolish its own price on carbon, a new poll says.
Published Tuesday, the Léger survey also found that a majority of Quebecers support building a pipeline across the province to transport oil or gas from Western Canada to international markets. The poll offers the latest evidence of shifting public opinion on environmental issues in Quebec, where there has long been a broad consensus in favour of carbon pricing and against pipelines.
Quebec has had some of the highest gas prices in the country since April, when Carney ended the consumer carbon levy that applied in most provinces. British Columbia quickly moved to end its own carbon tax as well, leaving Quebec as the sole province that remains fully committed to carbon pricing.
According to the survey conducted for Québecor media properties, 56 per cent of respondents believe Quebec should put an end to its cap-and-trade carbon-pricing scheme. That includes a majority of supporters for all major political parties in the province, except the left-leaning Québec solidaire. Another 28 per cent said the province should keep its price on carbon, while 15 per cent didn't know or refused to answer.
An even larger majority – 68 per cent – said the cost of the carbon price should be clearly indicated on gas station receipts, which is not currently the case. The cap-and-trade system adds about 10 cents per litre to the price of gasoline.
The survey comes as Statistics Canada reports that lower gas prices drove inflation down across all provinces except Quebec in April. On Tuesday, the agency said the annual pace of inflation in Canada cooled to 1.7 per cent last month, down from 2.3 per cent in March, driven largely by the removal of the consumer carbon price. But in Quebec, the annual inflation rate rose 0.3 percentage points from March to 2.2 per cent in April.
According to the website
GasBuddy.com
, Quebec on Tuesday had the highest average gasoline price of all provinces except B.C., and had an average price more than 20 cents per litre higher than in Ontario.
In response, the Parti Québécois called on the government to reduce the 'unfair gap in the price of gasoline' between Quebec and neighbouring provinces. Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon said the government has several options to reduce the disparity, including cutting the province's fuel or sales taxes.
Quebec, he added, could also return some of the proceeds from the carbon market to taxpayers. Currently, the money goes to Quebec's electrification and climate change fund, to be spent on programs that reduce emissions.
However, St-Pierre Plamondon said it would be costly to scrap Quebec's cap-and-trade system, which is linked to California's. 'There are several options for harmonizing pump prices across provinces, but leaving the carbon market would be the least intelligent option from a cost-benefit perspective,' he said in a social-media statement.
The new survey also found that 55 per cent of respondents think it would be a good idea to relaunch a pipeline project that would cross Quebec to export oil or gas from Western Canada. Another 26 per cent said it would be a bad idea, while 19 per cent didn't know or refused to respond.
Quebec Premier François Legault has repeatedly said there's more openness to pipelines in the province since U.S. President Donald Trump began his tariff war. Speaking at the national assembly on Tuesday, Legault said the province could support an oil or gas pipeline if there are benefits for Quebecers, but said he would invest no public money in such a project.
'We're not dogmatic. We're OK with Quebec making money,' he said. 'The world has changed.'
The poll surveyed 1,051 people between May 9-11 from Léger's online panel. A margin of error cannot be assigned to panel surveys.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 20, 2025.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Who's responsible for online harms? Responsibility for troubled file floats between ministers
OTTAWA — As ministers settle into their new roles, discussions are underway about who is best suited to steer the government's efforts to legislate against online harms, cabinet minister Steven Guilbeault said on Tuesday. Questions have arisen about which minister and department would be best suited to handle the complicated issue after the Liberals' proposed Online Harms Act died in Parliament when Prime Minister Mark Carney triggered a federal election in March. 'It's a good question,' said Guilbeault, who oversees the Canadian Heritage department, told reporters on his way into the Liberals' weekly cabinet meeting. 'We're having conversations to see what would be the most appropriate department to bring this forward.' Canadian Heritage had been the first department to develop and later introduce the Liberals' initial plan to combat the harms Canadian users experience online. That proposal, which was released in 2021, was met with widespread backlash over concerns about the requirement for social media companies to remove content within 24 hours after receiving a complaint. Experts had warned the provision was overly broad and risked infringing on free expression, given that companies could remove legal content. The Liberals then struck an advisory group and got to work on figuring out a Plan B. Responsibility for the bill also shifted from Canadian Heritage to the Justice Department. In early 2024, former justice minister Arif Vriani introduced Bill C-63, which proposed to create a new digital safety regulator that would be tasked with ensuring social media giants took steps to reduce users' access to content, such as child sex abuse images and incite extremism and violence. That bill was also met with backlash over its proposal to introduce stiffer sentences for hate-related offences and reintroduce a controversial section to the Canadian Human Rights Act to allow people to bring forward complaints of hate speech, which civil liberties advocates and Parliamentarians said risked violating free speech. Virani spent months defending the need for the tougher Criminal Code measures to be included in the online safety bill, but last December announced the government was prepared to split the bill to help get it passed. In January, former prime minister Justin Trudeau announced his resignation and that Parliament would be suspended until March. Emily Laidlaw, a Canada Research Chair in cybersecurity law at the University of Calgary, who sat on the government's expert advisory group, said it was a mistake for the government to have combined different provisions into the same legislation and that by the time it announced the legislation would be split, 'it was too late.' 'What I'm hoping is, when they reintroduce it, they have very firmly the platform regulation law,' she says. Should the Liberals want to propose changes to the Criminal Code or the Canadian Human Rights Act, that should be separate, she said. Justice Minister Sean Fraser told reporters on Tuesday that the government was going to look at different measures when it comes to protecting children online, but would have more to say in the months ahead. One new factor in how the Liberals may decide to proceed is the fact that Carney named to his cabinet the country's first minister responsible for artificial intelligence and digital innovation, a position currently held by former broadcaster Evan Solomon, who was elected in late April's general election. The Liberals in their last bill listed AI-generated sexualized 'deepfakes' as one of the harms companies would have to take steps to tackle. Asked whether online harms would fall under his mandate, Solomon told reporters on Tuesday that it was 'up for debate.' 'But probably yeah.' Laidlaw said while she does not believe the government needs to start a new round of consultations, it ought to take a second look at the scope of harms it is seeking to tackle. For example, she suggested there was room to include the issue of identity fraud. 'I actually think it should be broadened to include some of the ways that AI can be used to facilitate harm, so it might not just be the typical social media on Instagram.' National Post staylor@ Hate crime laws to be split from Liberals' online harms bill after blowback PBO: Creating proposed online harms regulators estimated to cost $200M Get more deep-dive National Post political coverage and analysis in your inbox with the Political Hack newsletter, where Ottawa bureau chief Stuart Thomson and political analyst Tasha Kheiriddin get at what's really going on behind the scenes on Parliament Hill every Wednesday and Friday, exclusively for subscribers. Sign up here. Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Council to receive results of internal audit
Jun. 10—In early April, Lodi City Manager Scott Carney made public claims about widespread credit card fraud at city hall, and now a recent internal controls review has determined that some misuse has occurred, although to what extent is remains unknown. The City of Lodi contracted Moss Adams, LLP to perform an evaluation of its internal controls framework in September, and the Lodi City Council will receive a report on the document during a special meeting Tuesday afternoon. The report, which was completed in January, focused on assessing internal controls for protecting city assets and resources, as well as timely processing and reporting of financial information. Some of the firm's recommendations include implementing a fraud, waste and abuse hotline; establishing an internal audit function; assessing staffing levels; assessing the necessity of fleet vehicles and dispose of vehicles that are no longer needed; and strengthening credit card use and review process, among others. In its report, Moss Adams found that city employees had been using CAL-Cards for inappropriate personal purchases, which constitutes potential fraud and abuse and demonstrates a lack of a controlled purchasing environment, the firm said. Based on interviews with staff, multiple departments said employees might use their personal credit cards for small transactions rather than the CAL-Card, and they subsequently file for reimbursement through the city Using personal credit cards instead of city credit cards violates use policy, the firm said, results in non-compliance issues and gives the city less oversight over the purchasing process. In addition, using personal credit cards could subject the city to inappropriate or fraudulent purchases, and creates inefficiencies as there is a higher volume of employee reimbursement requests, the firm said. The report suggested the city implement pre-approval processes for certain types of purchases, set transaction limits on CAL-Cards that would restrict the amount that can be spent in a single purchase or within a month, and conduct regular audits of CAL-Card transactions to identify any patterns of misuse. The firm also suggested ensuring goods purchased with CAL-Cards are shipped to a city address to secure purchases, and to review and update its use policy to appropriate use of the cards. To address employees' using personal credit cards for small transactions instead CAL-Cards, it was recommended the city establish clear guidelines that detail when personal cards should not be used and the preferred methods of payment for city-related expenses. In addition, it was recommended the city provide annual training sessions emphasizing the importance of adhering to purchasing policies and the potential issues associated with using personal cards. During an April 1 special meeting, Carney made reference to personnel matters being investigated by city staff while accusing the city clerk and city attorney of editing staff reports without his knowledge or approval in a non-agendized statement. Carney was placed on leave days later. The Brown Act forbids city staff and elected officials from discussing personnel matters that are not placed on an agenda. The council will also be discussing potential litigation from Carney and his attorneys during closed session Tuesday. In its report, Moss Adams also found that the city does not have a mechanism in place for reporting potential fraud, waste or abuse, which creates the risk that potentially suspicious activities may not be investigated or resolved. This may lead to potential misappropriation of assets, fraudulent financial reporting, or other related activities, the firm said. A hotline would offer employees, residents and vendors a confidential avenue to report suspicious activities or concerns in a timely manner, which would allow the city to respond and address the concerns, the firm said. In addition, the firm said a hotline would enhance transparency, encourage accountability and foster a culture of integrity in the city. Moss Adams added the lack of an internal audit function can result in less oversight, which can lead to undetected errors, mismanagement or fraudulent activities within departments. The firm suggested the city outline the scope and objectives of an internal audit function, and create a comprehensive plan that prioritizes high-risk areas and establishes a schedule for regular internal audits of various departments and functions. The city should also identify qualified resources to carry out the internal audit function, either through recruitment or outsourcing to a qualified firm, and regularly assess its effectiveness and make adjustments as necessary to improve its impact on departmental and operations, the firm said. To view the entire document, visit Tuesday's meeting begins at 3:30 p.m. at Carnegie Forum, 315 W. Pine St. It will also be livestreamed at
The Hill
4 hours ago
- The Hill
Canadian road trips to US drop 38 percent year-on-year
The number of Canadians returning from road trips to the United States fell sharply in May compared to the same period in 2024. Canadian-resident return trips by car totaled 1.3 million, a 38.1 percent drop from May 2024 — marking the fifth consecutive month of year-over-year declines. Canadian-resident return trips from the U.S. by air also fell — by 24.2 percent — compared to May 2024. The decline in Canadian-resident air travel from the U.S. accounts for the overall dip in return air travel. While Canadians' return travel by air declined by 3.7 percent overall, return air travel increased by 9.8 percent among Canadians returning from overseas countries compared to last May. U.S. residents, meanwhile, traveled to Canada at a lower rate than they did last year but saw a more modest decline than their Canadian counterparts. U.S.-resident arrivals to Canada by car fell by 8.4 percent and, by air, fell by 0.3 percent, compared to last May. The decline in Canadian road trips to the U.S. continued a trend seen in prior months. In April 2025, Canadian-resident return trips by car from the U.S. totaled 1.2 million — a 35.2 percent decline from April 2024. Canadian-resident return trips by air fell by 19.9 percent, compared to the prior month. The overall tourism decline threatens to wipe out $12.5 billion from the American economy this year, NewsNation reported. The decline in tourism comes as tensions between the U.S. and Canada have cooled under the Trump administration, as President Trump continues to muse publicly about making Canada a 51st state of America, which Prime Minister Mark Carney has repeatedly rejected as a nonstarter.
