Liberal leadership hopeful Clark says she would scrap carbon tax, denies having been Conservative
Former B.C. premier Christy Clark says she would scrap the federal carbon tax if she becomes the next Liberal leader and prime minister — and is denying that she was ever a member of the Conservative Party.
Clark told CBC Radio’s The House that she is “seriously thinking about” running to replace Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and would end one of his key environmental policies if she is successful in winning the leadership.
“I don’t think we should keep the carbon tax that the federal government has. I think that the Trudeau carbon tax isn’t working. It’s very different from what we did in British Columbia,” she told host Catherine Cullen in an interview airing Saturday.
Clark’s comments come after Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre billed the former premier as “carbon tax Clark” and the “carbon tax queen” during a press conference on Thursday.
Clark kept the B.C. carbon tax in place that was implemented by her predecessor, Gordon Campbell, in 2008. While the tax was initially meant to increase over time, Clark’s government froze the price at $30 per tonne in 2012 after she took over leadership. The current federal levy is $80 a tonne and set to increase to $95 in April.
Former B.C. premier Christy Clark, who is considering running for the federal Liberal leadership, tells CBC’s The House she thinks ‘the Trudeau carbon tax isn’t working.’ As premier, Clark kept a carbon tax that was implemented by her predecessor, but says it was ‘very different’ than what Trudeau’s government has implemented.
“A carbon tax isn’t the only answer to fighting climate change. There is a whole range of other tools in the toolbox and we would be committing to figuring out which tools we want to put to work, but also with a mind to making sure that they aren’t things that will hold people back, that will hurt our economy,” Clark told Cullen.
Clark denies ever being a Conservative, despite past comments
The former B.C. premier also denied ever having been a member of the federal Conservatives, even though she previously endorsed former Quebec premier and Progressive Conservative cabinet minister Jean Charest’s bid for that party’s leadership in 2022.
Clark told Cullen that she endorsed Charest because she didn’t want Poilievre to win, but that she never formally signed up with the party to vote for him.
“I never got a membership and I never got a ballot,” she said.
“I came out and I supported Jean Charest and the reason I did this is simple: I thought it was vitally important that we stopped Pierre Poilievre.”
A spokesperson for the Conservative Party refuted Clark’s claims, saying they have records of Clark’s membership from the 2022 leadership race.
“Christy Clark purchased a Conservative Party membership through Jean Charest’s leadership campaign. That membership is no longer active,” Sarah Fischer, the party’s director of communications, said in an email.
Former B.C. Premier Christy Clark tells CBC’s The House she was never a member of the Conservative Party of Canada, despite supporting Jean Charest in the party’s 2022 leadership race. A party spokesperson says Clark purchased a membership through Charest’s leadership campaign and it’s no longer active.
When asked about Fischer’s statement, Clark pushed back and insisted she had never been a member.
“Why don’t they come out and show my membership or my ballot? They never sent me any of those — although I wouldn’t put it past them to manufacture one of them,” Clark told Cullen.
Following Clark’s interview on The House, the Conservative Party provided a screenshot of a membership database that suggests Clark had membership from June 2022 to June 2023.
Clark’s comments to CBC News also contradict what she had said during the time of the Conservative leadership contest.
In an August 2022 interview with the Conservative Journal of Canada, Clark explicitly said she was joining the Conservative Party to support Charest.
“I’m joining the party so I can support Mr. Charest and what I think he can bring to the national dialogue,” said Clark when asked if she would be getting involved with the federal Conservatives.
Clark also told The Canadian Press in 2022 that she had received a ballot and was looking forward to voting in the leadership race.
The Vancouver Sun and The Hill Times also reported in 2022 that Clark had signed up with the Conservatives to vote in the leadership contest.
“I said I wanted to support [Charest]. I said I would join the party. At the end of the day I never did,” Clark told The House.
The Liberal Party revealed Thursday night that it will be announcing its new leader on March 9.
