In a very close 40-39 vote, Senators have chosen to amend Huron-Bruce Conservative MP Ben Lobb’s private member’s carbon tax bill C-234 taking out half of its intent, and it might be headed back to the House of Commons.
Back in March, the House of Commons passed the bill which would exempt on-farm use of propane and natural gas for grain drying and heating farm buildings from the carbon tax, with opposition MPs voting for it, inlcuding NDP, Bloc, both Green Party MPs and a few liberal MPs.
Last month, proposed amendments at the senate’s agriculture committee to remove barn heating from the bill were defeated 42-28, and another proposed amendment to reduce a sunset clause was defeated as well.
On Tuesday, December 5th, another amendment proposed by Senator Pierre Dalphond to remove farm building heating from the tax carve out was adopted.
Meanwhile, in the House of Commons, the federal government has said it will not allow any more carve outs from its carbon tax plan, after it recently exempted home heating oil.
While the Senate voted in favour Tuesday of the amendment to remove heating from the exemption, the amendment still needs to be passed, and if that happens, it would go back to the House of Commons. While debate over C-234 has heated up in the House over the past month, the bill could simply die.
Last week, the Conservatives put forward a motion that called on the Senate to adopt bill C-234. That motion was defeated.
Vote result on Senator @DalphondPierre’s amendment to Bill #C234:
Yeas: 40 ✔️
Nays : 39 ❌
Abstentions : 0#SenCA #CdnPoli
— Senate of Canada (@SenateCA) December 5, 2023