Wading into treacherous political waters, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s plan to dramatically increase taxes on carbon emissions to combat climate change is dividing the country, pitting six of the provinces against Ottawa and setting the stage for a bitter and partisan federal election next year.
“Scrap the job-killing carbon tax,” has become the rallying cry for Ontario’s Progressive Conservative Premier Doug Ford and his political allies across the country, who are revving up to defeat Mr. Trudeau’s center-left Liberal Party government in the national vote in October.
The Canadian clash is being watched carefully around the globe in the wake of violent protests that have shaken the government of French President Emmanuel Macron, protests originally sparked by a now-abandoned plan to hike fuel taxes at the pump as a way to fight climate change.
About 40 countries, including China, Japan, and ten European nations, have imposed some kind of levy on carbon emissions, although some, such as Australia, have repealed their carbon taxes in the face of political opposition. The U.S. is one of the few large industrialized countries without a carbon tax.
Mr. Trudeau’s plan to set a national price on carbon emissions of $7.5 a ton rising to $37.50 by 2022 has become a political wedge issue unlike any other in Canada in recent times.
“It penalizes farmers, it penalizes industry, it penalizes Canadians,” said Candice Bergen, head of the Conservative opposition in the House of Commons, predicting the tax would not be the boost to the environment that backers claim.
Although Mr. Trudeau’s plan allows each province to meet the emissions reduction targets in its own way, officials in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, Prince Edward Island, and New Brunswick have turned against his project. Three provinces have gone to court to stop the tax.
Andrew J. Weaver, leader of the Green Party of British Columbia, is not one of Mr. Trudeau’s opponents.
Yet when he and provincial Premier John Horgan announced their province’s plan to limit greenhouse gases, the two men made clear that British Columbia was going in a different direction from Ottawa.
“This isn’t a plan to make people spend a bunch of taxes and hurt people’s take-home pay,” Mr. Weaver said. It’s about sending a message that “we welcome business in B.C., but that business will be a clean business.”
Mr. Trudeau has vowed to fight for his tax, and an Angus Reid poll found that national support for the tax has rebounded from July’s low of 45 percent to 54 percent in October after the government announced plans to offer individual rebates for the extra costs.
But the tax remains unpopular in Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec and the Atlantic provinces.
“Canadians are divided on the carbon tax by age and demographics, by politics and ideology. It’s an issue opponents are using to attack voters’ trust in the Trudeau government and whether carbon pricing is the right way to go,” said pollster Shachi Kurl, executive director of the Angus Reid Institute.
The government rejects the parallels some have drawn between Mr. Macron’s problems in France and the opposition in Canada.
Officials note that revenue from the Canadian carbon tax will be levied on industry and corporations — with some costs passed on to consumers.
In provinces that follow the federal tax model, some 90 percent of the revenue will be given back to taxpayers in refunds.
In France, the proceeds of Mr. Macron’s now-withdrawn gas tax were to be kept by the government to pay down the national debt.
Read rest at Washington Times
The French are known for their protests. Canadians, not at all. Dumping a Prime Minister after one term is about as mean as we get.
One thing to remember about Canada is their federal government does not have the same degree of authority over the provinces as the US federal government does over the states. As such Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, and Quebec have a better chance of resisting the tax on carbon dioxide.
Two points:
First, I get so F*CKING tired of the lie calling these “carbon” taxes or “carbon” emissions. It is CO2, a trace gas that is critical to life on this planet, that is emitted!
Second, how can there be support for this CO2 (not Carbon) tax when the two most populous states along with others are against it? Unless the others like BC, Alberta (being the energy producer I’m surprised at that one) and some of the Maritime Provinces (and maybe the far north with a few thousand people?) went almost 100% for this debacle.
Years ago, Liberal leader Stephane Dion campaigned openly for a “Green Shift” economy. He got trounced. (Former) Ontario Liberal leader Kathleen Wynne pushed it too far. The provincial Liberals lost official party status. Voters had to have known what Trudeau stood for. Now they realize he’s willing to put the environment ahead of our economy. There’s an election next year.
Canada is taking a step closer to the bottomless pit of Socialism we want to avoid and Micheal Moore can go live in Canada if he thinks their care is better t hen ours like liberal blob
The “individual rebates” is a flat out lie and has been changed. Never mind the bullshit claim that we will be getting more back than the amount we get scammed. Rather than “individual rebates” which is virtually impossible, he now says rebates will be made to “various jurisdictions”. That means his stinking Trudeau Carbon Tax collected in Sudbury will go to possibly a CNG bus in Mississauga or wherever he needs the votes. It is a typical Liberal vote buying scam.
It is very disturbing that our Prime Minister would get so involved with this IPCC hoax!! Is he not bright enough to recognise the hoax or he is a participant trying to land a job with the IPCC after he robs Canada with this BS carbon tax! No doubt this would give Turdeau a leg up helping to finance the IPCC ruin our economy and land his dream job!