• • Clark is the first potential Liberal leadership candidate to say she’s opposed to the carbon tax

LETHBRIDGE, AB: With former British Columbia Premier Christy Clark saying she’s now ready to ‘scrap’ the carbon tax, the Canadian Taxpayers Federation is calling on other Liberal leadership candidates to be clear about their positions on the carbon tax.

“Clark recognized the reality that the carbon tax is a failure that must be scrapped and now other Liberal Party leadership candidates need to make their positions clear,” said Kris Sims, CTF Alberta Director. “The federal government is scheduled to raise the carbon tax again on April 1 and every leadership candidate needs to make it clear what they’re going to do about the carbon tax before it goes up again.”

Clark voiced her opposition to the carbon tax during an interview late Friday.

“Should I be elected the leader of the party, and prime minister of the country, we would scrap that tax,” Clark said during a CBC radio interview.

The Liberal Party announced it will select a new leader by March 9.

Parliament resumes on March 24 and opposition parties have all promised to immediately bring down the government and trigger an election.

The federal carbon tax is set to be increased on April 1.

Prior to the carbon tax hike last spring, a Leger poll showed 69 per cent of Canadians opposed the increase.

After the next carbon tax hike on April 1, the carbon tax will cost 21 cents per litre of gasoline, 25 cents per litre of diesel and 18 cents per cubic metre of natural gas.

Another potential candidate, Energy and National Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson, has stated he remains “committed” to the carbon tax.

Other potential candidates have not made their positions clear, including: Mark Carney, former finance minister Chrystia Freeland and others.

“The first and most important question every Liberal leadership candidate needs to grapple with is whether they’re going to inflict a carbon tax hike on Canadians in what could be the first week of an election,” said Sims. “Wilkinson says he’s still ‘committed’ to the carbon tax while Clark says she is now ready to ‘scrap’ it.

“Taxpayers can’t afford the carbon tax and they deserve clear answers from every Liberal candidate.”