WINNIPEG — Federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre says he supports Manitoba’s request for an exemption from the federally imposed carbon price.

Poilievre met with Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew and says he supports Kinew’s idea that Manitoba should be exempt because it has invested heavily in clean hydroelectric power.

However, Kinew’s NDP government has not joined Poilievre and some other provincial governments in publicly calling on Ottawa to cancel Monday’s scheduled increase of the carbon price by $15 per tonne.

The hike will add 3.3 cents to a litre of gasoline and 2.9 cents to a cubic metre of natural gas.

The carbon rebates sent to households every three months are also being increased.

Kinew said earlier this month his government is preparing a formal proposal for the federal government to consider, but he has not offered details.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 28, 2024.

The Canadian Press