P.E.I. premier says he'll urge Carney to 'quickly' live up to ferry, bridge toll reduction promise

Stephen Brun · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 29, 2025 7:39 PM EDT | Last Updated: 11 minutes ago

A time aft the national election, politicians successful P.E.I. wanted to cognize what the provincial Progressive Conservatives' priorities would beryllium for the caller Liberal government. 

Premier Rob Lantz's reply to those questions Tuesday successful the legislature wasn't astonishing — reducing tolls connected the Confederation Bridge and fees to instrumentality a ferry crossed the Northumberland Strait. 

Both the national Liberals and Conservatives pledged to either trim oregon destruct those tolls successful the lead-up to Monday's election, and Lantz said he'll clasp recently elected Prime Minister Mark Carney to that promise. 

"It's evidently a precise large committedness that they've made to this state and I privation to marque definite that they unrecorded up to it and they unrecorded up to it quickly," the premier said during question period.

"I don't privation this to beryllium thing that needs to beryllium studied and mulled implicit for months and years astatine a time. I deliberation it's thing that tin beryllium precise simply implemented." 

WATCH | With national ballot over, P.E.I. Premier Rob Lantz volition beryllium counting the days until span tolls drop:

U.S. President Donald Trump and his administration's continued menace to levy tariffs against the goods it imports from galore countries, including Canada, has led to renewed speech of reducing commercialized barriers betwixt provinces. 

Lantz has antecedently said removing oregon lowering the fees to transverse the Confederation Bridge to New Brunswick and thrust the ferries to Nova Scotia would beryllium a "quick win" connected the interprovincial commercialized front. P.E.I. politicians person agelong argued that this would beryllium lone fair, fixed that the 2 services magnitude to a continuation of the TransCanada Highway. 

The premier said Tuesday that helium spoke with 3 of the 4 Liberal candidates who won their ridings Monday night, who besides made the committedness to reducing those tolls arsenic rapidly arsenic possible.  

Last week, Carney promised that if elected, helium would little the round-trip toll on the Confederation Bridge by much than half, from $50 to $20, and little the $86 outgo of a ferry circular trip "by astatine slightest half."

The national Conservatives had promised to destruct the span tolls altogether and reappraisal the ferry service.

Lantz said Tuesday that a full elimination of fees is inactive his goal, but reducing the tolls is simply a bully archetypal step, saying it volition permission wealth successful Islanders' pockets. 

"My presumption has been to destruct them, fixed the situation that we're in," helium said. "It's an unnecessary outgo for us, it holds america back.

"But look, I'll instrumentality a important simplification implicit nothing, truthful successful that respect I'm pleased." 

'Difficult times ahead'

While the premier said helium has nary timeline arsenic to erstwhile Carney mightiness trim the fees, helium hopes to spot a program outlined successful the caller Liberal government's archetypal budget. 

Carney spoke past period of his extremity to execute "free commercialized by Canada Day" among the provinces and territories. 

Lantz said it's important that provinces and the national authorities proceed to enactment to trim commercialized barriers. The PC authorities has tabled a measure aimed astatine doing conscionable that.

WATCH | FULL SPEECH | Carney delivers connection of unity arsenic Liberals projected to triumph 4th term:

On Tuesday, Lantz said he's blessed to spot the predetermination of a "stable" national authorities that tin forge a way successful a planetary economical environment upended by the U.S. commercialized wars.  

"Donald Trump, he's fixed nary motion of backing down. He's starting to repetition his threats against Canada," Lantz said. 

"There's hard times ahead... I deliberation we're well-positioned now, though, to determination forward, and I'd similar to spot Canada go the astir prosperous federation it tin nether those circumstances."