Former B.C. Premier Christy Clark says she would repeal the federal carbon tax if she becomes the next Liberal leader and premier — and is denying she was a member of the Conservative Party.
Clarke told CBC Radio House She is “seriously considering” running to replace Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and would end one of his key environmental policies if she wins the leadership.
“I don't think we should keep the carbon tax that the federal government has in place. I think the Trudeau carbon tax is not working,” she told host Catherine Cullen in an interview that aired Saturday.
Clarke's comments came after Conservative leader Pierre Poilivre billed the former prime minister as “Carbon Tax Clark” and “Carbon Tax Queen” at a press conference on Thursday.
Clark kept the BC carbon tax enacted in 2008 by his predecessor, Gordon Campbell, in place. While the tax was initially supposed to rise over time, Clark's government capped the price at $30 per tonne in 2012 after taking over. The current federal levy is $80 per ton and will increase to $95 in April.
Former BC Premier Christy Clark, who is considering a run for the federal Liberal leadership, tells CBC's The House she thinks 'the Trudeau carbon tax is not working.' As premier, Clark kept the carbon tax introduced by her predecessor, but says it is 'very different' to the one implemented by Trudeau's government.
“A carbon tax is not the only answer to fighting climate change. There is a whole range of other tools in the toolbox and we will be committed to finding out which tools we want to work, but also with the brains to make it happen. Make sure those are not the things that hold people back. , which hurts our economy,” Clarke told Cullen.
Refuses to ever be a conservative
The former BC premier also denied being a member of the federal Conservatives, although he previously Former Quebec premier and Progressive Conservative cabinet minister Jean Charest endorsed that party's leadership bid in 2022..
Clarke told Cullen that she supported Charest because she didn't want Poilivre to win, but she never formally signed up to vote for him in the party.
“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 it is simple: I thought it was important that we stop Pierre Poilivre.”
A Conservative Party spokesman refuted Clarke's claims, saying they had records of Clarke'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 Fisher, the party's director of communications, said in an email.
Former BC Premier Christy Clark told CBC's The House that she endorsed Jean Charest in the party's 2022 leadership race, even though she was not a member of the Conservative Party of Canada. A party spokesman said Clark bought membership through Charest's leadership campaign and it was no longer active.
Asked about Fisher's statement, Clarke pushed back and insisted she was never a member.
“Why didn't they come out and show me my membership or my ballot? They didn't send me any of those — even though I wasn't going to let them build one of them,” Clark told Cullen.
After Clark's interview house, The Conservative Party provided screenshots of a membership database that suggested Clarke had membership from June 2022 to June 2023.
Clark's comments to CBC News contradict what he said during the Conservative leadership contest.
In an August 2022 interview Conservative Journal of CanadaClarke has made it clear that she is 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,” Clarke said when asked if she would join the federal Conservatives.
Clarke also told The Canadian Press in 2022 that she Received the ballot and was eager to vote in the leadership race.
The Vancouver Sun and The Hill Times Clark also reportedly signed up with the Conservatives to vote in a leadership contest in 2022.
“I said I wanted to support (Cherest). I said I would join the party. At the end of the day I never did,” Clark said. House.
The Liberal Party revealed on Thursday night that it will announce its new leader on March 9.
