Federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has at least one thing in common with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau — neither will commit to reducing the toll to cross the Confederation Bridge between P.E.I. and New Brunswick.
Poilievre was asked the question during a visit to Prince Edward Island on Tuesday.
“I’m not going to make any promises until we go forward with our platform,” he said.
The same question is often asked of Trudeau, including in 2017 when he promised to “pass along concerns” to the Island’s four MPs, who are all Liberal.
In last week’s federal budget, the Trudeau government said it would set aside $14 million to keep bridge tolls at $50.25 for a two-axle vehicle leaving P.E.I. until the end of 2026.
But for years, Islanders have been calling for Ottawa to either eliminate or reduce the toll.
In December 2022, Premier Dennis King raised the issue again in a letter to Dominic LeBlanc, Canada’s minister of infrastructure and a New Brunswick MP.
The federal government owns the 12.9-kilometre bridge but contracted Strait Crossing to operate it and collect the tolls until at least 2032.
While Poilievre would not commit to reducing the toll, he said it’s something he and Jamie Fox, the Conservative candidate for P.E.I.’s Malpeque riding, “are looking at right now.”
