Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced a new carbon tax today that will come into effect next April. At the same time, he promised most Canadians will get back more money than they spend, but Premier Doug Ford doesn’t buy it.

Trudeau says it will no longer be free to pollute in Canada, when his national climate change plan comes into effect next April in Ontario, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and New Brunswick, provinces where the current provincial governments don’t have a climate strategy in place.

“Here in Ontario a family of four will get $307 with their tax return this spring, that will double to $718 dollars by 2222.” Trudeau

Premier Doug Ford fought back today in a statement saying, “let me be clear, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau does not have the right to ram a carbon tax down the throats of Ontario families and job creators.”

Catherine McKenna, the minister of the environment and climate change stood by Trudeau this morning when he made the announcement and fought back against Ford this afternoon at Mohawk College.

“For conservative politicians, who want to take no action on climate change…the question is what will you do to tackle climate change?”

If the provincial government comes up with a plan to fight climate change before April, Ontario could avoid the federal carbon tax.

Catherine McKenna also announced that the federal government will invest $265,000 to create the bay area climate services centre in Hamilton, to help local groups tackle climate change.