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Shopping for the Tim fan in your life will get a little easier for people in the Toronto area when the chain’s first-ever retail store opens at the Eaton Centre soon.

The TimShop, an extension of the similarly named

online store

launched in September 2023, will be a pop-up location opening in early November and operating until “roughly the end of December,” according to a company spokesperson.

The store will sell the same items available online for the same prices, “along with some exclusive items.”

“The retail shop will allow shoppers to experience our merchandise in person, try items on, and there will be a range of items at different price points for holiday gifts,” the spokesperson said.

As reported by

6ix Retail

, the store is located in a former Bentley location next to a Bell Store on the first level of the mall, off of Yonge Street.

When it first launched ahead of

National Coffee Day in 2023

, TimShop.ca featured a mix of apparel that included retro and modern branded t-shirts and sweaters. Also available are select coffee and tea products.

A retro merchandise line in celebration of Tim Hortons 60th anniversary was added in

March 2024

, featuring more clothing and sundry collectables like coffee cups, a lunchbox, decorative throw pillows, a pen set, a keychain and notebooks.

A few months later,

a line of dog and cat toys

was released, some of which are now restocked online after initially selling out.

The most recent new arrivals online are Halloween-themed items — including a costume for kids and one for dogs — a Tims Barbie Hoodie and a selection of new unisex sweaters, shirts and hats.

Today, all the products are listed under one of four collections: Workwear, Tims Canada, Retro and Varsity.

News of the retail location comes about a week after Tims announced a

new partnership with Canadian Tire

that allows customers to link their Triangle and Tims Rewards accounts to earn Canadian Tire money on eligible purchases at Tims.

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On Friday, the Canadian government launched public consultations into the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) that is set for a joint review next year. But a new poll shows that a majority of Canadians don’t expect the U.S. president to respect any deal made between his country and ours.

The latest

Trump Tracker survey

by research firm Pollera asked 2,712 adult Canadians for their opinions on a number of political questions. One of those: “If Canada and the United States sign a new trade agreement in the coming months, how likely do you feel it is that President Trump will respect the agreement?”

Only seven per cent of Canadians said he definitely would respect a new deal, while 18 per cent said he likely would. A much larger portion of respondents were doubtful, with 35 per cent saying Trump would likely break any agreement, and 30 per cent saying he would definitely do so. Just 11 per cent said they didn’t know.

Liberal voters were more likely to predict that Trump would break a deal (74 per cent) compared to Conservatives (51 per cent), but no group had a majority that trusted the U.S. president.

Perhaps not surprisingly, the poll also showed that negative feelings about our neighbours to the south continue to grow. When asked: “What is your overall impression of the United States?” almost half (44 per cent) said their feelings were very negative, while a further 26 per cent said they were somewhat negative. Only 18 per cent chose somewhat positive, and a tiny fraction — just five per cent — went with very positive.

These numbers were the most negative in more than a year of tracking. A February poll found 41 per cent of Canadians held a very negative view of the United States, while a January poll showed only 34 per cent, and a December poll came back with 31 per cent.

In June of 2024, only 12 per cent reported very negative feelings, while more than half (53 per cent) said they felt somewhat or very positive about our nearest neighbours.

The newest poll also found that Quebecers were the likeliest to report negative feelings about the U.S. (78 per cent), as were seniors at 86 per cent.

Pollera also asked Canadians what, if anything, they were doing about those feelings — more specifically as a response to U.S. tariffs — and found that almost three-quarters (73 per cent) had taken one or more personal actions against the United States.

Most common at 52 per cent was to boycott some or all American products in grocery stores, while 38 per cent said they were boycotting non-grocery items from the U.S., and 36 per cent were delaying or cancelling travel south of the border. (The numbers add up to more than 100 per cent because some people chose more than one answer.)

Smaller numbers said they had reduced their investments in U.S. companies (13 per cent) or bought clothing to show Canadian pride (10 per cent). Just 27 per cent answered “none of the above.” The poll also found that Albertans were the least likely to have done something to protest tariffs (66 per cent), while Manitobans and Quebecers were most likely, at 77 per cent and 76 per cent, respectively.

Because the poll was conducted online, it cannot be given a margin of error, but Pollera said a sample of this size would normally have a margin of error of plus or minus 1.9 per cent, 19 times out of 20.

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OTTAWA — U.S. President Donald Trump slammed allied nations for unilaterally recognizing Palestinian statehood — which he said is a “reward” for Hamas terrorists — during a lengthy speech at the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday.

While Trump did not call out specific countries, like

Canada which made its formal announcement ahead of the summit in New York,

he accused member states of seemingly encouraging “continued conflict” in the region by giving into Hamas’ demands.

“The rewards would be too great for Hamas terrorists for their atrocities. This would be a reward for these horrible atrocities, including October 7, even while they refused to release the hostages or accept a ceasefire,” Trump said in a more than 50-minute speech.

“Instead of giving in to Hamas’ ransom demands, those who want peace should be united with one message: release the hostages now,” he added.

Nearly two years after Hamas’ terrorist attacks against Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, it is believed that 48 men and women are still held hostage in the Gaza Strip. Of that number, Israel believes that 20 of them may still be alive along with the bodies of 30 others.

Trump called on all member states to “come together” to stop the war in Gaza, negotiate lasting peace and get the remaining hostages back — whether they are alive or dead.

“We have to get them back now. We don’t want to get back two, then another two, and then one and then three… No, we want them all back. And we want the… dead bodies back too. Those parents came to me, and they want them back… as though they were alive.”

Trump said he has always claimed “the last 20 (hostages) were going to be the hardest (to bring back home), and that’s exactly what happened.”

Prime Minister Mark Carney has consistently said it is “imperative” for Hamas to release all hostages, and that the terrorist group can play no role in the future governance of the Palestinian state — even though it has been nearly 20 years since there has been an election.

At the same time, Carney has chastised Israel for preventing “the prospect of a Palestinian state from ever being established” and of pursuing “an unrelenting policy of settlement expansion in the West Bank, which is illegal under international law.”

The decisions of Canada, along with the United Kingdom, France, Australia and others, to recognize Palestinian statehood bring to 156 the number of countries that have done so.

That happened despite

a recent letter from a group of U.S. Republicans threatening those countries

of “punitive measures” if they did not reconsider their decision to recognize Palestinian statehood which would put them at odds with longstanding U.S. foreign policy.

“This is a reckless policy that undermines prospects for peace,” they wrote in a letter sent on Sept. 19. “It sets the dangerous precedent that violence, not diplomacy, is the most expedient means for terrorist groups like Hamas to achieve their political aims.”

Speaking at an event in New York on Monday, Carney admitted that his government’s goal in recognizing Palestinian statehood is to keep the topic “front and centre” at the United Nations General Assembly with a host of “influential but not decisive countries.”

“We’re under no illusions that this is any sort of panacea, but it’s necessary, in our judgment, and the judgment of most other countries in the world, that we have to push on this now,” he said during a fireside chat with the Council on Foreign Relations.

“So, we’re doing what we can, but recognizing limitations.”

Later that day, Carney said that Canada is acting as part of a “coordinated international effort to preserve the possibility of a two-state solution.” He made those remarks at a conference, organized by France and Saudi Arabia, in support of the two-state solution.

“Recognizing the State of Palestine, led by the Palestinian Authority, empowers those who seek peaceful coexistence and the end of Hamas,” he said.

“This in no way legitimizes terrorism, nor is it any reward for it.”

Meanwhile, back home, Conservatives offered even harsher words to the Liberal government for their decision to recognize Palestinian statehood.

“Doing this on the eve of Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year), emboldening mobs and violence upon our Jewish communities, is evil,” said Conservative MP Shuvaloy Majumdar in the House of Commons. “This is not diplomacy. It is appeasement. It is betrayal.”

“The Prime Minister has dispensed with human dignity and the rule of law. He has emboldened terror with the state. It is evil,” he added.

Carney was set to hold a press conference Tuesday evening, before attending a reception held by Trump in New York.

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OTTAWA

— The federal government announced a pilot program on Tuesday for individual gun owners who want to receive compensation for prohibited firearms.

The Liberals announced the pilot as a way to test the process for compensating gun owners by targeting the program in Cape Breton initially, with plans to expand it nationwide later this fall, but with no specific date.

Doing so fulfills a campaign promise Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Liberals made during the spring federal election and continues a policy introduced under former prime minister Justin Trudeau.

Tuesday’s announcement comes one day after audio of Public Safety Minister Gary

Anandasangaree was circulated to the media, which showed the minister, in a private conversation, casting doubt that local police would be able to enforce the program and saying that Liberal voters in Quebec were a major reason for why Carney’s government was sticking with the policy.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday,

Anandasangaree emphasized that those comments were made in private and that what he meant to express was that the program could have been rolled out sooner.

Officials who spoke to reporters in a not-for-attribution briefing said the government was discussing what the dates would be for a new amnesty period, where firearms owners and businesses in possession of the 2,500 firearms the Liberals have banned since 2020 would need to dispose of them.

The officials said affected gun owners have the option to either apply for compensation, have their weapon deactivated, or turn it over to police.

Should they fail to do any of the above by the end of the amnesty period, one official said they could face penalties under the Criminal Code or have their license revoked.

More to come …

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As U.S. President Donald Trump walked up to the podium at the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, he joked about having to speak “from the heart” due to a teleprompter malfunction. He also said he faced an escalator mishap when he was with First Lady Melania Trump that morning.

“I don’t mind making the speech without a teleprompter, because the teleprompter is not working,” he told the crowd of world leaders gathered in New York.

“I feel very happy to be up here with you nevertheless — and that way you speak more from the heart. I can only say that whoever is operating this teleprompter is in big trouble.”

The crowd burst into laughter.

He then continued reading his speech on paper.

According to the UN

, there is a 15-minute “voluntary time limit for each speech” to cater to the more than 193 speakers over the six-day event; however, it is “rarely” adhered to. Trump’s speech was nearly one hour long.

Minutes in, he spoke about wars that he brought to an end.

“I ended seven wars…It’s too bad I had to do these things instead of the United Nations doing them,” calling out the UN for not offering to help. Then he made light of a situation that he faced earlier with his wife at UN headquarters earlier on Tuesday.

“All I got from the UN was an escalator that on the way up, stopped right in the middle. If the First Lady wasn’t in great shape, she would have fallen, but she’s in great shape. We’re both in good shape. We both stood. And then a teleprompter that didn’t work. These are the two things that I got from the United Nations: a bad escalator and a bad teleprompter.”

video published online by Forbes

shows the couple walking into the building, toward the escalator. Trump motions for Melania to go first. Seconds after they take a step onto it, the escalator stops. Melania starts walking up the stalled escalator and Trump follows.

“And by the way, it’s working now,” Trump told the crowd, about the teleprompter as he continued his speech. “It just went on.”

Trump will take part in meetings throughout the day in New York before returning to the White House on Tuesday night.

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OTTAWA — A group of U.S. Republicans warned Prime Minister Mark Carney and allied nations on Friday that recognizing the Palestinian state may invite “punitive measures in response” for being “at odds” with longstanding U.S. foreign policy.

In an open letter, 25 Republican members of Congress and Senators called on Carney to “reconsider” his government’s decision. Carney

formally recognized the Palestinian state on Sunday,

ahead of his arrival in New York for the United Nations General Assembly.

The letter was also addressed to Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron — who joined Canada and more than 140 countries that have already recognized Palestinian statehood.

“This is a reckless policy that undermines prospects for peace,” wrote the U.S. Republicans. “It sets the dangerous precedent that violence, not diplomacy, is the most expedient means for terrorist groups like Hamas to achieve their political aims.”

They added that recognition is “especially troubling” considering Hamas’s terrorist attacks of October 7, 2023, and reminded the world leaders that Canada, France and the United Kingdom, along with many other countries, had some of their citizens killed that day.

They said Hamas continue to hold hostages, Israeli and other foreign nationals, using them as “bargaining chips” and that those who are still alive are being held in “deplorable conditions.”

“Hamas’s war crimes are clear, and its rejection of diplomacy should lead your countries to impose more pressure. Instead, you offer greater rewards,” they wrote.

Carney has said that it is imperative that Hamas release all hostages and play no role in the future governance of the state. He also said that recognizing the Palestinian state does not legitimize terrorism, nor does it compromise Canada’s “steadfast support” for Israel.

Speaking at an event in New York on Monday, Carney said that his government’s goal in recognizing Palestinian statehood is to keep the topic “front and centre” at the United Nations General Assembly with a host of “influential but not decisive countries.”

“So, we’re doing what we can, but recognizing limitations.”

Later on Monday, Carney offered remarks at an international conference, organized by France and Saudi Arabia, in support of the two-state solution.

In a recent interview, Louise Blais, a former Canadian Ambassador to the United Nations, said the United States is an “important player in the Middle East” and that any effort to get Israel to adjust its position vis-a-vis Palestinian territories will require U.S. input.

The U.S. has indicated that it does not intend to recognize the Palestinian state. Speaking to reporters last week, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio even said he warned allied partners this was “counterproductive” to peace talks.

“We actually think it’s undermined negotiations, because it emboldened Hamas, and we think it undermines future prospects of peace in the region,” he said.

But Canadian government officials, speaking on a not-for-attribution basis, said that Canada and the U.S. share “the same objectives” in the Middle East, and that they have been in talks about Canada’s intention to recognize Palestinian statehood for months.

“Our policies, our direction, are well understood by our U.S. colleagues and counterparts, they understand the rationale that is behind it,” said the officials on Friday.

Rubio said that reports of Israel wanting to annex parts of the West Bank, which has been criticized as being against international law, is a direct reaction to several nations like Canada deciding to “unilaterally” declare Palestinian statehood.

“It’s what we thought would happen. We warned that this kind of action would happen among some in Israeli government if they did what they did,” he said.

“But right now, we’re focused on how we can end what’s happening in Gaza,” he added. “That’s what the president wants and that’s what we’re going to continue to work on.”

U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to meet with the Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly this week.

Carney, for his part, is not expected to meet with Trump during the trip nor has he ever spoken directly to Netanyahu, according to government officials.

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Jimmy Kimmel Live! is returning to television on Tuesday evening, multiple news sources are reporting.

The late night show was suspended last Wednesday after Kimmel’s comments following the death of Charlie Kirk, the MAGA-aligned influencer who was killed nearly two weeks ago while speaking at Utah Valley University.

On his show last Monday night, Kimmel said “We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and with everything they can to score political points from it,” Deadline reported.

The comments led Brendan Carr, the Federal Communications Commission chairman, to call on ABC to sanction Kimmel. The Disney-owned network later suspended the show indefinitely. It prompted a significant backlash and debate, both among conservatives and liberals and Hollywood stars and fellow comedians and talk-show hosts about the limits of free speech and the pressure put on media groups by Donald Trump’s administration.

On Monday afternoon, a spokesperson from ABC said there had been “thoughtful conversations” over the past week, and that Kimmel’s show would return.

“Last Wednesday, we made the decision to suspend production on the show to avoid further inflaming a tense situation at an emotional moment for our country. It is a decision we made because we felt some of the comments were ill-timed and thus insensitive,” the spokesperson said, according to Deadline. “We have spent the last days having thoughtful conversations with Jimmy, and after those conversations, we reached the decision to return the show on Tuesday.”

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OTTAWA — The federal government is seriously considering designating the Bishnoi Gang, an Indian criminal organization police allege is collaborating with the Indian government to carry out violent crimes in Canada, a terrorist organization.

On Monday, Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree’s office confirmed for the first time that the government was eyeing designating the notoriously violent gang as a terrorist group in response to questions about the Bishnoi gang.

“The decision to place an entity on the terrorist list is made based on evidence, intelligence, and the advice of our security and intelligence services. Our national security experts independently evaluate and provide recommendations on whether any entity meets the thresholds set out in the Criminal Code,” the minister’s spokesperson Simon Lafortune said in a statement to National Post.

“That process is rigorous and ongoing, and all potential threats are continually assessed to ensure we are keeping Canadians safe,” he added.

On Friday,

the Ahmedabad Mirror, an Indian news outlet,

first reported that Canadian authorities are “actively considering” declaring the organization led by infamous Indian gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, 32, a terrorist group.

The article was published one day after a discreet meeting between Prime Minister Mark Carney’s National Security and Intelligence Advisory Nathalie Drouin and her Indian counterpart, Shri Ajit Doval.

The news comes as Carney’s government works to rebuild the relationship with the Indian government after diplomatic ties blew up in 2023 amid serious allegations that the latter was tied to the assassination of Canadian-Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada.

The Canadian government is wrestling with its desire to deepen economic ties with the emerging economy as a hedge against China all the while grappling

with ongoing allegations that the Indian government

is violently threatening the Sikh community on Canadian soil.

In its 2024 annual report

, CSIS warned of India’s “continued foreign interference” in Canada. “Transnational repression plays a central role in India’s activity in Canada,” the spy agency wrote.

The process of designating a new terrorist group involves an assessment by Canadian intelligence and police agencies, which make a recommendation to the minister. The minister then brings the file to cabinet, which decides if a group is designated a terrorist group under the Criminal Code.

Designating the gang as a terrorist organization would give the federal government increased ability to sanction its members as well as preventing them from entering the country.

In recent months, provinces, opposition parties and the Sikh community have increasingly pressured the federal government to sanction the Bishnoi gang.

The premiers of British Columbia and Alberta have called on Carney to add the Bishnoi gang to the list of designated terrorist entities, a call echoed by the federal Conservatives and NDP as well as Sikh community groups.

Last fall, RCMP top brass took the extraordinary step of issuing a public warning of growing violent threats against the Canadian Sikh community that were linked to Indian government officials.

RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme said the police had evidence that Indian government agents were linked to homicides and violence in Canada including arson and death threats. He also said organized crime groups were being used to create the perception Canada is unsafe for South Asians.

RCMP Assistant Commissioner Brigitte Gauvin specifically singled out the Bishnoi gang as a group operating clandestinely in Canada, conducting violent crimes on behalf of the Government of India.

The Bishnoi gang is led by

infamous Indian gangster Lawrence Bishnoi

, who operates a network of violent criminals from Indian prison.

Bishnoi gained notoriety back in May 2022, when the gang allegedly murdered prominent Punjabi singer and rapper Sidhu Moosewala in Punjab. Police said Bishnoi’s colleague Goldy Brar allegedly orchestrated Moosewala’s killing from Canada.

The Bishnoi group has also claimed responsibility for attacks on the homes of two prominent Punjabi singers, AP Dhillon and Gippy Grewal, in B.C., over the past two years, as its empire of fear has expanded to Canada.

Jody Thomas, the former national security advisor to former prime minister Justin Trudeau, told National Post that adding the Bishnoi gang to the list of designated terrorist groups a good call because cabinet has a limited number of tools at its disposal.

“The Bishnoi Gang has exercised their power and their terror on Canadians. Short of any other tool, this is the right choice,” Thomas said in a text message.

News that Canada is considering designating Bishnoi’s group a terrorist organization comes within days of two discreet but significant meetings late last week between Canadian and Indian government officials.

On Thursday, Drouin travelled to India to meet her counterpart Doval — who has been linked by Canada to Nijjar’s murder. Both parties “committed to non-interference including refraining from transnational repression,” according to a

Canadian readout of the meeting.

On Friday, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs David Morrison met with his Indian counterpart to discuss how to further restore diplomatic and economic ties since both governments appointed new high commissioners to the other country earlier this month,

according to India

In a statement Monday, World Sikh Organization of Canada President Danish Singh reiterated his call for the government to designate the Bishnoi Gang a terrorist organization.

“The Government of India, through the Bishnoi Gang, continues to wreak havoc across Canada with extortions, murders and shootings. Canada must move swiftly to formally list the Bishnoi Gang as a terrorist organization under Canadian law,” Singh said.

Beyond this, Ottawa must impose sanctions on those in the Indian government who are directing, financing, or facilitating this violence.”

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The Nova Scotia government, prompted by patriotic Halifax high school students, is reinforcing Canadian pride through its education system with a new policy that mandates playing the national anthem as each school day begins and a petition that calls for the same.

“The playing of the national anthem is intended to remind students of their citizenship and foster a sense of pride and being part of a larger community,” reads the

N.S. Department of Education document.

The new directive was issued in response to a letter signed by dozens of students at Charles P. Allen High School who claimed O Canada wasn’t being played at their high school, according to

CTV News

South Korean immigrant KC Kim, one of the three students who penned the letter, said he’d always heard the anthem in junior high, but not since arriving at the Bedford high school two years ago. When classes started this September and the anthem still wasn’t being heard, he and others decided to act.

“I think it’s important to be patriotic … I’m an immigrant here, I thank this country for all the opportunities I have, so I think it’s really important to stand up for our values and patriotism for Canada,” he said.

In the letter, the students say the song’s absence “works to undermine tradition, continuity and national pride” and the efforts of the Canadian Armed Forces and others “to secure the Canada which we love and cherish today.”

Education Minister Brendan Maguire told CTV “a few” schools had stopped playing O Canada, but he wasn’t sure why it happened. Regardless, he said the new order is geared towards “consistency right across the board” rather than singling out individual schools.

“We heard from students directly,” he said. “This is really a good time to enforce civic engagement with everything that’s going on and it’s a good time to enforce pride in being Canadian.”

National Post has contacted Maguire for comment on the policy and to obtain the student’s letter.

The Halifax Regional Centre for Education (HRCE), the public school district overseeing 136 schools in the sprawling city, told National Post via email that it was notified of the students’ letter last week.

“As the principal is currently in an acting role, we were not able to determine the original cause for the change in practice,” they wrote, noting the school has since reinstituted it in all classrooms and will comply with the department’s missive.

The governing Progressive Conservatives have also launched a

petition

in support of the anthem echoing in classrooms and hallways daily, a tradition that it said fosters “pride in Canada and respect for our shared values.”

A spokesperson for the PC Party said the petition was shared for “party members and followers to indicate their support” for the new policy.

“The post has reached thousands of Nova Scotians who are enthusiastic about the government’s directive to schools for them to play O Canada daily,” they wrote in an email to National Post.

BREAKING: Our PC government has issued a new directive requiring all schools to play the national anthem every morning. A simple tradition that builds pride in Canada and respect for our shared values.

Add your name in support today: https://t.co/LkqYp7YuCq pic.twitter.com/wJzc2h0SNC

— Nova Scotia PC Party (@nspc) September 18, 2025

Allan Williams, executive director of the Canadian Institute for Historical Education, commended Min and his peers for taking the initiative and Maguire for swiftly instituting a policy, but wonders why it was stopped to begin with.

“We hope it was not as a result of a conscious decision on the part of the school principal because that would point to a deeper problem,” he wrote in a statement to National Post.

Williams said hearing the anthem every morning is important for all students, native born Canadians and newcomers alike, as they “reflect on the hard work and sacrifices” it took to build the nation. He said it serves as a “daily inspiration for all of us today to continue working to build an even better country for future generations.”

In a statement to National Post, Anthony Wilson-Smith, President and CEO of Historica Canada, said his organization support anything that causes Canadians, particularly younger ones, to contemplate what it means to be Canadian.

“But our bigger concern is the degree to which Canadian history is taught — or not — in different provinces and territories,” he wrote. “Our history shapes our values and our communities, and those in turn shape us.”

According to the federal government, “There are no laws or rules governing the playing of the national anthem,”

merely suggested etiquette

. However, some provinces do have specific policies in place for schools.

Elsewhere in Atlantic Canada, New Brunswick has had

a policy in place since 2009

after it became known that a rural elementary school principal had stopped playing it, except for during special assemblies, at the request of students whose parents didn’t want them to partake for reasons he would not divulge.

According to

CBC

, the principal resigned after receiving death threats and a policy was instituted ahead of the start of school in September.

Ontario’s

Education Act

also requires “opening or closing exercises” in every school that “must include singing O Canada.”

As of July, Manitoba’s

Public Schools Act

was amended such that principals are required to “ensure the first verse and chorus of O Canada are sung in the school and observed in a respectful manner” daily.

National Post has contacted the other provinces and territories to learn about any existing policies on the national anthem in public schools.

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OTTAWA — The Liberal government’s

oil and gas emissions cap

may not even be fully implemented yet, but the Opposition Conservatives aren’t waiting to go in for the kill.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said in the House of Commons on Monday that, even in its preliminary form, the federal emissions cap is chilling private investment in the oil and gas sector, to the tune of billions in lost opportunities.

“It turns out that nobody wants to build a pipeline when the government bans you from producing the oil to put into it,” said Poilievre.

Poilievre was speaking in favour

of his own motion

calling on Prime Minister Mark Carney to “immediately repeal the oil and gas emissions cap.”

The Liberal oil and gas emissions cap,

a major 2021 campaign promise

, is effectively a cap-and-trade system imposing mandatory reductions targets on industrial emitters.

Draft regulations released last fall

set the first iteration of the cap, starting in the early 2030s, at 35 per cent below 2019 levels, with noncompliance punishable by a fine of up to $12 million.

It was reported by Reuters earlier this month that the Carney government is

considering dropping the cap

, in exchange for commitments to emissions reductions from both Alberta and oil and gas companies.

But Poilievre said it was time for the Liberals to end the suspense.

“We’re giving Liberals an opportunity to vote here and now: If they vote to keep their production cap in place, it will be a signal that all the flirtations that the prime minister has done, with the possibility of producing more or building pipelines, were nothing more than an illusion,” said Poilievre.

The Parliamentary Budget Officer estimated in March that, under the levels set in the draft regulations, the emissions cap would kill 54,400 full-time jobs and cut nominal GDP by $20.5 billion annually by 2032.

The report set off a war of words between the PBO and Liberal officials, who accused

him of misleading Canadians

by not factoring in “technically achievable” carbon capture improvements.

Corey Hogan, the parliamentary secretary for energy and one of two Liberal MPs from Alberta, was quick to pick up on this thread when speaking against the Conservative motion.

“I don’t think there’s an environmental reg (Conservatives) don’t think would kill the pipeline industry in Canada, but it is stronger than they think and the chicken little routine is getting a little bit tiresome,” said Hogan.

Hogan said he was disappointed the members opposite didn’t share his optimism about the potential of Canada’s budding carbon capture technologies.

Energy analyst Heather Exner-Pirot said that, while it is unlikely to pass, the Conservative motion will at least put the party on the right side of history.

“This cap was terrible policy from day one, and it now looks to be on its last legs. I guess they want to be on the record saying they did all they could to push it off the table,” said Exner-Pirot.

Environment Minister Julie Dabrusin told reporters earlier this month that she was still analyzing comments submitted in response to the 2024 draft regulations and that no timeline had been set for the release of final regulations.

“All of that feedback has been gathered and we’re continuing to work through that feedback,” said Dabrusin.

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