Here’s a weird one. Maybe “Captain Divisiveness” is onto something here. I’m pulling data from Stats-Can, and it’s kind of shitty, but on the below map table, red is heating using Natural Gas:
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Outside of BC, or west of Manitoba, hydroelectricity is minimal just because of reality. Below is estimates of Natural Gas usage by Province in Canada.
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By exempting Heating Oil, that’s used in about 40% of households in the Maritime Provinces…& a tiny portion of rural Ontario, and pretty much nonexistent for all intensive purposes, through the rest of the country…this could be the beginning of an East/West divisive liberal ploy, like most pre-elections…and the way to demonize AB & SK in the eyes of Central & Eastern Canada again….Seriously, but only time will tell.
"I cannot accept the federal government giving an affordability break to people in one part of Canada, but not here," Moe (SK Premier) said in a video posted on X, formerly Twitter.
Last week, Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith called on Ottawa to apply the same exemption to natural gas, used by a majority of residents in their provinces for heating.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is standing firm that his government will not make any further exemptions to the carbon tax after announcing a three-year break on heating oil. Last week, Trudeau announced that the government would exempt heating oil from the carbon tax for three years. He said the pause is meant to give Canadians who use oil to heat their homes more time to switch to other sources, such as electric heat pumps.
Heat Pumps, on their own without another method to also heat homes like Natural Gas or Electric (if you happen to have affordable hydroelectric power) don’t work as a stand alone option in a Northern Mid-Continental Climate without large bodies of water to moderate the temperatures. I doubt I’d even be able to insure my home if I only had a Heat Pump for heating it.
Trudeau defended the decision to “only exempt heating oil” on Tuesday, arguing that it is more expensive than gas and propane and is generally used by low-income Canadians….
in the Maritimes…& it exempts foreign (Saudi Arabian?) petroleum products but not Canadian ones. Sounds about right.
In addition to the carbon tax exemption, Trudeau also announced Thursday that his government would be topping up a grant program aimed at helping Canadians switch to using heat pumps to heat their homes and away from using fossil fuels.
So far “only” (?) the Atlantic provinces have signed up for the enhanced grant program. On Tuesday, Trudeau challenged Prairie premiers to join in on the program….where heating oil really isn’t a thing…
Can Trudeau spin this into a way to make AB & SK look like Uncaring Hillbilly whatever’s to split the vote East/West again instead of Clued In/Clueless???
The Liberals need another two years to stabilize their Keystone-cops cabinet, plot a new reason for their re-election and hope their Conservative nemesis squanders his huge polling lead with some major gaffes of his own.
Failing that, they desperately hope Justin Trudeau will read all this negative writing on the wall as his political obit — and quit.