Lakeland MP Shannon Stubbs has presented another petition to Parliament, this one rallying against plans for a national carbon tax.
“Ultimately, it’s Canadians – families, workers, consumers, business owners, the middle class, people on fixed incomes, the working poor, and charities, who are going to pay the high costs and increased prices of all goods and services – the result of yet another tax,” said M.P. Stubbs. “This particular tax will disproportionately target and harm rural and energy based communities. It’s just another cold-hearted cash grab from this Liberal government.”
The Liberal government has said they will impose a minimum carbon price on provinces that fail to come up with a system of their own. Minister Catherine McKenna says she has been working with the various provinces to come up with a national strategy, “Quebec has a cap-and-trade system, it works well. It’s a different system. The cap needs to be lowered so we can have fewer emissions. With a tax like we have in Alberta and B.C., it has to be raised. And I’m working with everybody.”
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also expressed his support for the project in a news conference on Wednesday, “All provinces are agreed that we have to follow through with the Paris agreement. And all provinces also agreed that carbon pricing is an essential part of the mix in terms of how we will reduce emissions.”
Stubbs however, questions the motivation for introducing such a tax.“Canada accounts for less than 2% of global emissions. The effectiveness of such a tax in significantly reducing global emissions is questionable. It seems that this is another Liberal cashgrab to take money from hard-working Canadians to finance their big spending… There is no guarantee that the tax revenue will even be earmarked for environmental stewardship, management, or innovation, rather than used as a general revenue tool.”
Interestingly enough, it seems the idea of a carbon tax is at least accepted, if not enthusiastically supported by most Canadians. A recent Abacus Poll showed that only 31% of respondents nationwide opposed a tax. While only 25% came out in favour, a 44% block said they could accept such a policy. Even in Alberta only 49% said they were outright opposed.