(Ottawa) Federal Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault criticized Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre for hosting a fundraiser last year in Banff, Alta., with oil and gas executives.
Statements to Elections Canada shared by the Liberals show that a number of executives, including one from a major oil and gas company, attended a Conservative fundraiser billed as “An Evening with Pierre Poilievre” on April 11, 2023.
The documents show that the next day, Alexander Pourbaix, chairman of the board of Cenovus, donated $1,600 to the Conservative Party of Canada.
Minister Guilbeault says Mr. Poilievre’s promise to eliminate carbon pricing is aimed at helping his “rich friends.”
The Conservative leader has promised to eliminate the carbon price on consumption, which was introduced by the Liberals to encourage consumers and small businesses to reduce their carbon-emitting consumption.
Mr. Poilievre, however, has never clearly expressed his position on the industrial carbon pricing system, which makes big polluters pay for a portion of their emissions.