Pierre Poilievre calls on Trudeau Liberals, NDP to suspend gas and diesel taxes for the summer

Last week, Pierre Poilievre announced that his Conservative government had called on Justin Trudeau and the Liberal-NDP coalition to give Canadians a "summer break" by suspending gas and diesel taxes from Victoria Day to Labour Day.

He suggested that lower gas prices would allow more families to go on road trips at a time when vacations have become but a dream for so many across the country.

"Canadians are struggling and they are unable to even afford a vacation," Poilievre began, standing outside an Esso on Rupert Street in East Vancouver. "They need a break for God's sakes."

He called on the prime minister to take action, explaining that the move would reduce gas prices by 35 cents per litre and allow families to "get on the road and go off to their favourite campsite, … maybe a cottage or a cabin, do some fishing, some hunting, or just get away for a weekend."

"Canadians need that now more than ever with how miserable things are going in this country of ours," Poilievre continued. "It's a common sense step the government could do, and if you wonder how we can pay for it, this prime minister is spending $21 billion on consultants, money that could be in the pockets of Canadians."

He closed by urging Trudeau once more to "give Canadians a fuel tax holiday," saying it's "the least that we could do."

Gas prices from coast to coast have soared under the Trudeau government, especially in Vancouver, where it has become common to pay more than $2 per litre for regular unleaded gasoline.