Both major federal parties commit to reducing Confederation Bridge tolls, P.E.I. premier says

Thinh Nguyen · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 24, 2025 9:31 AM EDT | Last Updated: 10 minutes ago

P.E.I. Premier Rob Lantz says some large national parties person present committed to reducing oregon eliminating tolls connected the Confederation Bridge.

On Monday morning, Lantz posted connected societal media that helium had received a missive from Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre stating that, if elected, Poilievre would region the tolls and behaviour a reappraisal of the national government's enactment for Northumberland Ferries.

Within hours the party's lawman leader Melissa Lantsman made that the archetypal P.E.I. announcement of the predetermination campaign.

Late Friday Lantz confirmed that Prime Minister Mark Carney had fixed a verbal committedness Islanders would soon perceive "positive news" astir span tolls and ferry rates.

Lantz said the province's stance has been wide for years: P.E.I. wants to spot tolls connected some the Confederation Bridge and Wood Islands Ferry eliminated.

"It's satisfying that our national parties are yet recognizing the unfairness of P.E.I.'s bridge and ferry tolls and the competitory disadvantage they spot connected our state successful a connected, commercialized babelike economy," Lantz wrote connected societal media. "Under the menace of tariffs, it's clip to region barriers to trade."

Canadians volition beryllium heading to the polls connected April 28, and the country's main national leaders are kicking disconnected their predetermination campaigns.

The predetermination comes amid a heated commercialized quality betwixt Canada and the U.S., fueling discussions astir reducing reliance connected American trade. Many politicians and concern leaders person called for stronger interior commercialized and the removal of interprovincial commercialized barriers — including eliminating tolls connected the Confederation Bridge and Northumberland Ferries.

No details yet connected national commitments

Before receiving Poilievre's letter, Lantz had told CBC's Island Morning connected Monday that nary specifics had been provided regarding Carney's pledge.

The Liberal leader has said helium and Canada's premiers person agreed to make a nationalist commercialized strategy and that his authorities intends to execute escaped commercialized crossed the state by Canada Day.

Lantz said it remains unclear whether that includes eliminating span tolls and ferry fares by July 1.

"It remains to beryllium seen. It sounds similar this committedness is astir apt a run commitment," Lantz told CBC's Island Morning.

"We anticipation that radical unrecorded up to the commitments they make. This is politics, truthful I'll support the unit connected and marque definite that radical travel done with what they've promised," Lantz said.

Bridge tolls 'not fair'

The P.E.I. authorities has been arguing for immoderate clip that charging Island citizens and businesses to transverse to the mainland by span oregon car-passenger ferry is unfair, particularly since the Confederation Bridge that joins P.E.I. and New Brunswick is considered a continuation of the TransCanada Highway.

The round-trip toll for a modular two-axle conveyance to transverse the Confederation Bridge is $50.25. For the ferry service, the round-trip fare is $86 for rider vehicles up to 20 feet successful magnitude and 7 feet successful height.

"I've done a batch of enactment connected this, and the Confederation Bridge, arsenic an implicit toll oregon arsenic a per-kilometre toll, is 1 of the highest connected the continent," the premier said. "It's not fair."

The devil is successful the details, says senator

News of the national government's committedness is being welcomed by P.E.I. Senator Percy Downe, who has been advocating for toll elimination for much than a decade.

"It looks similar we're yet getting the results that we each want," Downe told CBC. "I deliberation with the premier curate — and I fishy the Leader of the Opposition volition some springiness their connection — the committedness volition beryllium kept."

Downe pointed to the Champlain Bridge successful Montreal arsenic an example, noting that successful 2015, then-Liberal person Justin Trudeau campaigned connected a committedness to region tolls from that bridge. When the replacement, the Samuel De Champlain Bridge, opened, tolls were so eliminated.

"I deliberation the aforesaid happening volition hap here," the P.E.I. legislator said.

"The importance, of course, is that we besides person to person tolls reduced connected the Wood Islands ferry, fixed the value of that to Eastern P.E.I. and the system of the region, truthful we request to spot the details of what's being proposed."