“Today I met with my counterparts from all across Canada to discuss key economic and affordability concerns affecting our country.
“Our nation is facing very real issues around productivity, competitiveness and affordability. While we had a purposeful discussion, no concrete actions to address these pressing issues emerged. It is clear that Ottawa is not prioritizing investment attraction. We must be as competitive as possible to stop the drain of investment out of Canada to places like the United States.
“The federal government continues to advance policies and emissions targets that are unrealistic, unfair, and in some cases, unconstitutional. The resulting impact on our economy is startling, and we can no longer afford to wait to act.
“The federal government must also recognize that achieving net zero on the electricity grid by 2035 is simply not feasible. It will result in job losses and cripple the Canadian economy.
“In addition, the federal government insists that affordability remains a top priority, yet has failed to heed provincial calls to remove the carbon tax. At our last meeting, Minister Freeland committed to all provincial and territorial finance ministers that we would have a conversation about the carbon tax, but she refused to put it on the agenda today. If Minister Freeland and others in her government were serious about keeping life affordable for Canadians, they would not penalize us according to where we live and which members of Parliament we elect.
“All of these issues will require bold and immediate action to address, and that’s what I’ll continue to call on the federal government to do.”