Smith, Notley both upset Alberta natural gas users left out of Trudeau's carbon tax relief plan

It's not often Danielle Smith and Rachel Notley agree on policy, but both Alberta's premier and her opposition counterpart are criticizing Justin Trudeau's latest announcement.

On Thursday, the prime minister declared a three-year pause on the carbon tax applied on home heating oil, a break that will primarily benefit residents of Atlantic Canada, because that is where it is most commonly used.

"I am frankly disturbed that same break will not be extended to Albertans and those from Saskatchewan and elsewhere in Canada who heat their homes with natural gas," Smith posted Thursday on X, formerly known as Twitter.

"Question for the Liberal Government: Are we not Canadians too? What a terrible message this sends about how dysfunctional and divisive Ottawa has become."

Notley joined in that outrage in her "alternative speech from the throne" on Friday morning, when she promised an emergency motion to demand Albertans also get relief.

"To apply a carbon price to some regions and some fuels but not all is totally unacceptable. We must act together as Canadians or this just won't work," she said.

"[We] call for any federal actions to be applied equitably across all Canadians regardless of their location or the form of home heating method that they use."

The Alberta NDP leader said she is "passionately committed" to fighting climate change, reducing emissions and supporting a greener economy, but said Trudeau's announcement also detracts from those goals.

Trudeau also announced Thursday that the Climate Action Incentive Payment rural top-up rate will be increasing from 10 to 20 per cent of the baseline amount starting in April 2024.

He also promised a pilot project intended to help low-to-medium-income households that heat their homes with oil switch to heat pumps, starting first in Atlantic Canada.

"This is an important moment where we're adjusting policies so that they have the right outcome," the prime minister told reporters in Ottawa.

But Notley is hoping her motion encourages the feds to include Albertans, many of whom are also struggling with the high cost of utilities, in any affordability measures.

She invited United Conservative MLAs to vote for her motion, which she hopes will be unanimous and show a "unified front" from the province.

"The significance of that will be compelling and persuasive and so I'm offering an opportunity to our government to be heard in a different way, on the national stage, on something that is this fundamentally important," she said.

Alberta's legislature resumes sitting on Monday.

Smith said the UCP looks forward to debating the NDP motion, and that they will present their own demanding that all federal carbon pricing be scrapped.

"Alberta joins the vast majority of our fellow Canadians in calling for an end to the failed carbon tax and the burden it places on each of us and our families," she wrote in a statement to CTV News Edmonton before taking aim at the Alberta NDP leader.

"If Rachel Notley cared about making life affordable for Albertans then [the NDP] would have never introduced a carbon tax. That’s why our UCP government repealed Rachel Notley’s carbon tax as our first act of government after being elected in 2019."

Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe has also said the carbon tax relief should apply to natural gas users in his province.

CTV News' official pollster Nik Nanos believes Trudeau’s break on the carbon tax is "indicative of a government that's politically on the ropes" and at risk of losing as many as 13 seats in Atlantic Canada.

Trudeau denied the decision was about saving Liberal seats, but he did acknowledge it was something voters wanted.

With files from CTV News' Rachel Aiello and The Canadian Press