OTTAWA — Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer says he would scrap new standards that will force cleaner-burning fuels in addition to eliminating the federal price on carbon if his Conservatives win the fall federal election.

In a letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau this morning, Scheer surmises the new standards, due to take effect on liquid fuels like gasoline in 2022, could increase the cost of gas by at least four cents a litre in addition to the national price on carbon.

Scheer’s letter brands these new fuel standards as a “secret fuel tax” and calls for Trudeau to scrap them.

The clean-fuel standard is meant to reduce overall greenhouse-gas emissions by 30 million tonnes a year, a portion of the nearly 200 million tonnes Canada has to cut to meet its commitment under the Paris climate-change accord.

Scheer says he would get rid of the fuel standard as well as the carbon tax if he is elected prime minister.

The fuel standard was first promised three years ago but final a draft of the regulations isn’t expected until 2020.

The Canadian Press