A dispute erupted in a committee of the House of Commons on Wednesday as Liberal MPs rejected what they described as a farce led by the Conservatives, after the chair unilaterally called on opposition premiers to testify regarding the carbon tax.

Before the first premier listed - Scott Moe from Saskatchewan - began his testimony before the Government Operations and Estimates Committee, Liberal MPs raised numerous points of order.

Liberal MP Eric Cuzner said, "You called the meeting unilaterally without instructions or consultation with members of this committee... This is a political stunt and theater, just an integral part of where our Conservative colleagues are going to get clips."

Liberal MP Francis Drouin warned that setting this precedent would not please Conservatives in the long run, when Liberal committee chairs start summoning witnesses at their own discretion.

Wednesday's session was initiated by the premiers of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Saskatchewan, and Alberta, who released letters urgently requesting attendance before the Liberal-led House of Commons Finance Committee to express their concerns about the imminent increase.

With their request ignored – as MPs will not meet this week and most committees have no scheduled meetings – Conservative MP and committee chair Kelly McCauley decided to invite them to the committee he chairs instead.

Defending the move as "fully within his powers," McCauley explained that since MPs were studying government spending plans, they were listening to what premiers said was relevant.

He said, "There are many examples of other chairs doing such things. And I think it is the chair’s privilege and duty to call meetings." "And I did that."

After twenty-five minutes of the hearing, Moe was given the floor.

He said, "I appreciate the very warm Canadian welcome." "I wore a red tie in the spirit of cooperation," Moe continued, presenting his arguments about why he believes the federal price on pollution makes life more difficult, and why Saskatchewan is not "climate backwards."

Moe’s testimony is expected to be followed by New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs later Wednesday, and a second hearing with additional witnesses is likely on Thursday.

Tensions were high in the Parliament building amid rising Conservative-led opposition to the carbon tax ahead of the April 1 price increase that will see the carbon price rise from $65 a ton to $80 a ton.

Trudeau to premiers: present the alternative

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau joined the wave of political leaders writing open letters about the carbon tax late Tuesday, publishing a formal response to Canadian premiers opposing the Liberal policy. He urged them to come up with a better climate action plan.

In a two-page letter released on social media, Trudeau thanked the premiers for raising the issue before proceeding to defend carbon pricing and the simultaneous rebate program as deliberately designed to be revenue-neutral and beneficial to the government and most Canadian households, while driving climate action.

Trudeau wrote, "Setting a price on pollution is the foundation of any serious plan to combat climate change. It is the most effective way to reduce emissions across the economy." "Carbon pricing alone will account for a third of our emissions reductions by 2030."

Noting that the federal plan acts as support for provinces that failed to implement an adequate system of their own, Trudeau said the federal government remains open to withdrawing its plan from provinces that oppose it, once they propose "credible systems."

Currently, the federal price applies in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland and Labrador. The pollution pricing system has been in effect since 2019, applying a tax on greenhouse gas emissions, making burning fossil fuels more expensive in an attempt to encourage Canadians to change their habits.

The prime minister described claims that the carbon tax is a big driver of inflation as "plain wrong," referring to Bank of Canada calculations also cited by a series of economists in an open letter released Tuesday seeking tax cuts. Addressing the Conservative-led opposition’s arguments against this policy.

As the pollution price rises, so does the Canadian carbon rebate, meaning Canadian families can expect more money in their bank accounts quarterly. Trudeau said the rebates are about to increase, pointing to the upcoming rise in the amount of money returned to households.

The prime minister ended the letter with the phrase, "Please accept my warmest regards."