OTTAWA — New Prime Minister Mark Carney suggested on Friday that he would get rid of the much-maligned consumer carbon tax on his first official day in office.

Asked by a reporter how he would reverse the tax before it is scheduled to rise on April 1, Carney responded that a better question would be whether it would be gone by the end of the day.

“How are we going to do it by the end of the day? That’s a great question and we’ll come right back to you on that, following the cabinet meeting,” said Carney, at a press conference following his swearing in ceremony at Rideau Hall.