G20 Summit | Justin Trudeau praises the carbon tax

(Rio de Janeiro) Prime Minister Justin Trudeau defends his carbon pricing program on the international stage and says misinformation threatens environmental progress.

Justin Trudeau arrived in Brazil today for the G20 leaders’ summit and spoke at a conference organized by the anti-poverty group Global Citizen.

He touted Canada’s carbon tax on consumers, saying it is one of the strongest in the world but “an easy political target” in Canada.

Mr. Trudeau acknowledged that there is resistance to the policy, but he said it is fueled by what he called propaganda and misinformation that accessibility is at odds with the fight against climate change.

He said his Liberal party had already won three elections on the issue of carbon pricing and that the policy was “very much in question” for the next election.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has promised to reverse the policy, pushing for a “carbon tax election” to lower the cost of living.

Prime Minister Trudeau made the comments during a panel on the topic of Canada hosting the G7 Summit next year, although he did not speak about the impending initiative.

Ahead of the event, his office said the remarks would focus on “the economic case for climate action and Canada’s climate finance and international aid policies” for the G7 presidency.

Mr. Trudeau’s remarks focused almost entirely on defending the carbon tax, saying it had been the subject of “propaganda, misinformation, misinformation and outright lies.”

The federal NDP and some of its provincial counterparts have distanced themselves from the policies they previously supported.

Ottawa sends the rebates to offset what people pay in carbon pricing when they buy fuel so they aren’t worse off as a result. People who do things to reduce their fuel consumption are even better off, because they still get the same rebate, but pay less in carbon pricing.

The tax applies in provinces and territories that do not have carbon pricing systems that Ottawa deems consistent with its federal objectives.

The parliamentary budget officer says the vast majority of households receive more in rebates than they pay for carbon pricing, but for most those gains are erased once broader economic factors are taken into account.

Mr. Trudeau disputed this analysis, notably in his remarks on Sunday.

“It actually became a way to help with accessibility and put more money in the pockets of people who are struggling,” he said.