Ottawa, ON – Today, the Hon. Erin O’Toole, Leader of Canada’s Conservatives and the Official Opposition, unveiled the Conservative climate change plan. 

Recognizing the important role Canada has in combatting climate change, the comprehensive plan will achieve substantially the same emissions reductions by 2030 as the government's current plan, while creating jobs and growing the economy.

"Our plan takes swift action on climate change," said O'Toole. "Our plan trusts Canadian families to be part of the climate change plan. When compared to the Trudeau Carbon Tax, our plan is just as effective in emission reduction but vastly superior in preserving jobs and growing the Canadian economy."

The plan includes scrapping the federal carbon tax and working with the provinces to implement an innovative, national Personal Low Carbon Savings Account. This will maintain a price on carbon, without one penny going to the government, recognizing that Canadians are the ones who should be choosing the best way for them to live a greener lifestyle.

The plan includes several other measures, including:

• Requiring automakers to sell more zero emission vehicles;
• Lowering industrial emissions;
• Increasing use of renewable natural gas; and
• Implementing a low carbon fuel standard.

Independent analysis, conducted by Navius Research, found that the plan would be expected to achieve substantially the same emissions reductions as the government’s current plan in 2030, while resulting in a boost to jobs and the economy.

“We will fight climate change and protect the environment, but we won’t do it on the backs of hardworking Canadians,” said O’Toole.

Details on the Conservative plan to combat climate change can be found here.

Ottawa, ON – The Hon. Erin O’Toole, Leader of Canada’s Conservatives and the Official Opposition, issued the following statement:
 
“Last spring, when it was clear that vaccines would be the key tool to turn the page in the crisis, Justin Trudeau dropped the ball completely.
 
“He turned to China, of all countries, to partner with on the making of a vaccine. It was the worst in a series of bad decisions and it is why we are lagging the developed world today.
 
“We’re still scrambling to catch up. It’s a national disgrace, especially in a country as strong and prosperous as Canada.
 
“It all belongs to the past. What matters is the future. What matters is that this never, ever happens again.
 
“Last month, Canada marked a National Day of Observance for those lost to this pandemic, but to truly honour their memory, we must pledge to learn from the mistakes made and improve our resilience and readiness as a country.
 
“Our attention should be on getting the country back on its feet.
 
“But when the pandemic is over, we need answers, we need to know what worked and what didn’t. We need complete transparency and accountability.
 
“A Conservative government will call a public inquiry to examine every aspect of the government’s pandemic response. We also call on the government to appoint a special monitor from the Office of the Auditor General to track the pandemic response in real time to ensure that valuable ‘lessons learned’ are captured for future emergency readiness.
 
“The inquiry will ensure that all lessons learned from the crisis are publicly aired and learnings can immediately be adopted. Canada must be better prepared for future threats. We cannot afford to once again fail to keep Canadians safe.
 
“To secure the future, we must learn from the past.”

Ottawa, ON – The Hon. Erin O’Toole, Leader of Canada’s Conservatives and the Official Opposition, issued the following statement on the Supreme Court of Canada’s ruling on the Liberal Carbon Tax:
 
“Canada’s Conservatives will repeal Justin Trudeau’s Carbon Tax. We will protect the environment and fight the reality of climate change, but we won't do it by making the poorest pay more.
 
“The Supreme Court recognized that policies related to emission reduction touch on federal and provincial jurisdiction. Conservatives prefer a collaborative approach to tackling climate change to make progress while also helping maintain a strong economy.
 
“After promising not to, Justin Trudeau tripled the Carbon Tax, jeopardizing hundreds of thousands of jobs. Under Trudeau, Canada’s unemployment rate is among the highest in the G-7 and we are experiencing the worst economic growth since the great depression. It’s impossible to understand why Trudeau would choose now, of all times, to put Canadians out of work.
 
“The Supreme Court highlighted the risk of carbon leakage between provinces. The same risk of leakage of jobs and investment exists between Canada and the United States.
 
“Canada’s Conservatives will put forward a clear and comprehensive climate plan focused on reducing emissions, but we won’t do it on the backs of the poorest and working Canadians.
 
“Our relentless focus will remain on securing jobs, securing the economy, and securing our future.”

Ottawa, ON – The Hon. Erin O’Toole, Leader of Canada’s Conservatives and the Official Opposition, issued the following statement on the GDP numbers released by Statistics Canada:
 
“Today’s GDP numbers confirm that our country and its workers are in desperate need of economic leadership.
 
“We are almost a year into the pandemic and Justin Trudeau has failed to put forward an economic plan that will get Canadians back to work. Under the Liberal government, Canada has had a record economic decline, the highest unemployment in the G7, and the worst economic growth per capita since the Great Depression.
 
"The fact is Canada spent more per capita in this crisis and is achieving the worst outcomes in the G7 when it comes to employment, vaccine rollout, and business confidence.
 
“Unlike the Trudeau Liberals, Conservatives will work hard to promote an economic recovery that benefits all Canadians. This means jobs and growth in every sector of the economy and in every part of the country.
 
“Conservatives are ready to do whatever it takes to get the economy back on track and secure our future. Canada’s Conservatives got us out of the last recession – and I know we can lead Canada out of this one too.”

Ottawa, ON – The Hon. Erin O’Toole, Leader of Canada’s Conservatives and the Official Opposition, released the following statement on the latest disastrous developments in Canada’s vaccination procurement:

“Today is another disappointing day for Canadians who know that without vaccines, there is no recovery.

“Canada’s daily vaccination rate is the lowest in the G7 – and we have no domestic manufacturing capacity. Now, we’ve learned that there are no confirmed shipments of Moderna vaccines after this week.

“This news is not only frustrating for Canadians, but devastating. We cannot secure jobs, we cannot secure our economy, we cannot secure the future until Canadians are vaccinated.

“We need the government to succeed in securing vaccines for the sake of all Canadians – but Justin Trudeau is letting us down. Every cancelled delivery of vaccines, every delay of vaccines, means Canada has to wait longer to turn the corner in this pandemic. It’s another day that businesses are forced to stay shuttered and families are forced to be apart.

“The Liberals need to be honest with Canadians on what they’re doing to secure the vital tools needed today to fight COVID-19 and secure our future.”

O’Toole’s Conservatives post record-breaking second half, and record-breaking Q4

Erin O’Toole’s first six months as leader of the Conservative Party has brought in record fundraising totals, and has put the party well on track towards funding a full election campaign, just 14 months after the last federal election. O’Toole’s Conservatives raised over $7.6 million in Q4, a record Q4 for any party, bringing the second half of 2020 to a fundraising total of over $13.3 million – a record outside of an election for any party.

“Since the start of my leadership, we’ve worked tirelessly on behalf of Canadians, and thanks to a second half that had a record-breaking amount of support from Canadians looking for change in the government, our Conservative team can focus exclusively on getting as many people back to work, in every part of Canada, in every sector, as quickly as possible,” said O’Toole. “The Liberals can focus on keeping their own jobs, Conservatives are focused on securing yours. We’re ready to do whatever it takes to get the economy back on track, while the Liberals are ready to do whatever it takes to help themselves and their well-connected friends.”

The Conservative’s Q4 fundraising total of $7,661,755 from 46,234 donors is a record Q4 for any political party in Canada. The second half fundraising total of $13,316,937 is a record second half outside an election for any political party in Canada.

“We know the next election is going to be about securing the future of the country,” said O’Toole. “It’s securing the financial future, securing jobs, and securing our economic recovery. Our team is focused on jobs, wages, and getting Canada’s finances back on track. These fundraising results show clearly that Canadians are responding to our message, and are trusting us to lead and manage the economy.”

The next fundraising report will cover January to March 2021, and will be released by Elections Canada at the end of April.

Ottawa, ON — The Hon. Erin O’Toole, Leader of Canada’s Conservatives and the Official Opposition, today released the following statement addressing reports that President-elect Joe Biden will cancel the Keystone XL pipeline extension:

“If true, this move will devastate thousands of Canadian families who have already been badly hurt by the economic crisis. We need a recovery for all Canadians, in every part of Canada, in every sector – including energy. Keystone XL is a project of national significance that supports countless workers on both sides of the border.

“At a time when both countries need to focus on job creation, and strengthened bilateral relations, I call on the Prime Minister to immediately reach out to the incoming U.S. administration to stop this from happening and stand up for working Canadians across Canada. I also call upon the incoming U.S. administration to meet with our Prime Minister and affected workers prior to making this decision.”