Prime Minister Mark Carney turned heads Friday with a dramatic flourish, signing a document to kill Canada’s consumer carbon tax in a move straight out of a political blockbuster. But the applause from his cabinet barely faded before the plot thickened—sparking a fiery debate over whether the paper he inked was more prop than policy.
In a rare spectacle for Canadian governance, Carney invited cameras into his first cabinet meeting to capture the moment he opened a red folder and signed away the carbon price with a theatrical stroke. “It’s my honour, on behalf of my colleagues, to sign this,” he declared, cueing a standing ovation. Think less Ottawa, more Hollywood—or, as critics noted, a page from Donald Trump’s executive-order playbook.
Conservatives weren’t buying the show. “That paper’s not worth the Sharpie it’s signed with,” scoffed MP Michelle Rempel Garner on X, accusing Carney of staging a stunt while the carbon tax lingers in legal limbo. Guy Giorno, ex-chief of staff to Stephen Harper, doubled down, posting that the document “has no legal effect.” Cue the conspiracy buzz.
But the twist came fast. By Saturday, an order-in-council dropped online, officially setting fuel charge rates to zero after March 31, 2025—signed by the governor general, no less. Tyler Meredith, a policy expert from the Munk School, called Carney’s public signing a “record of decision”—a preemptive strike against doubters. “The video’s value? Proof the gears are turning,” he said, noting the swift order-in-council showed Ottawa’s machinery was ready to roll.
Still, the opposition’s not ready to clap. Conservative MP Michael Barrett insists the carbon tax can’t die without Parliament’s say-so, warning Carney could resurrect it post-election when votes aren’t at stake. With the consumer price axed but industrial pricing spared, Carney’s threading a tricky needle—and with Parliament back March 24 and an election looming, the saga’s far from its final act.