EDITORIAL: Even Liberals endorse Conservative policies

Poilievre and Conservative MPs deserve credit for effectively holding government to account

Published Sep 03, 2026  •  Last updated 2 hours ago  •  2 minute read

Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks to journalists outside his office in Ottawa the day after the Liberals won three byelections on Sept. 1, 2026. Photo by Blair Gable /Postmedia Network

Prime Minister Mark Carney announced this week that the government will extend its suspension of the federal fuel excise tax on gasoline, diesel and aviation fuel into 2027, yet another policy first proposed by Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre.

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When the government announced the original suspension in April, it said the tax would be re-instituted Sept. 8.

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Instead, the government will now extend the tax suspension to Jan. 31 and apply a 50% reduction from Feb. 1 to March 31.

This will save Canadians 10 cents-per-litre on gasoline, and 4 cents-per-litre on diesel and aviation until Jan. 31 and half of that until March 31.

This is a sensible policy given the cost of fuel due to the war in Iran.

While Poilievre and the Conservatives called for suspending all federal fuel taxes until at least Canada Day, 2027, the fact the Carney government agreed to any extension post Sept. 8, speaks to the importance of having a viable official opposition party in the House of Commons.

The Liberals will argue that their fuel tax announcement was entirely their own idea, but the number of policies they have adopted first proposed by Poilievre discredits that argument.

Carney’s support for a new oil pipeline from Alberta to tidewater in B.C., originated with Poilievre and the Conservatives.

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So did ending the consumer carbon tax, killing the capital gains tax hike, delivering a middle-class tax cut, reducing immigration levels, scrapping EV mandates, bail reform and cutting the GST for new home buyers.

Poilievre warned the high immigration targets the Liberals implemented post-pandemic would lead to a housing crisis, which is exactly what happened, while Liberal immigration ministers suggested anyone who criticized their ill-advised policy was a racist, before even they had to admit they were wrong.

Carney himself last year highlighted two issues first raised by Poilievre — the Liberals’ high immigration policies and runaway spending — as reasons our economy was weak before Donald Trump became U.S. president.

Good government needs an effective opposition.

We applaud those Conservative MPs who continue to do their jobs as opposed to those who have defected to the Liberals motivated by opportunism. and those who declare themselves loyal Conservatives but circle the wagons, fire from within, and weaken their party.

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