Danielle Smith, Conservative premiers continue to spar with Ottawa over carbon tax
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is among a group of Conservative provincial leaders continuing to push back against the federal carbon tax hike as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accuses them of "not telling the truth.”
On Wednesday, the PM said his pollution-pricing opponents are "misleading Canadians" when they don’t acknowledge the April 1 price increase coincides with an increase to the quarterly federal rebate households receive.
But according to Smith, that rebate is still not enough.
“Because the carbon tax is not rebated to businesses, every small business has to take the cost of that fuel and has to take the cost of the natural gas heating (and) work it into their prices.”
“That’s why it’s inflationary.”
- The information you need to know, sent directly to you: Download the CTV News App
- Top headlines on Canadian politics, all in one place
Tensions have been high on Parliament Hill amid escalating Conservative-led opposition to the carbon tax, ahead of the incoming hike that will see the $65-per-tonne carbon price increase to $80 per tonne.
Premiers of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Saskatchewan have joined Smith in publishing letters asking to appear before the Liberal-led House Finance Committee to air their concerns.
With their request left unheeded — MPs are not sitting this week and most committees do not have meetings scheduled — Conservative MP and Government Operations and Estimates Committee chair Kelly McCauley decided to invite them instead.
Smith will appear on Thursday morning.
Is the carbon tax working?
Trudeau and his government have long insisted the pricing model is effective.
“Not only are we fighting climate change and reducing emissions, we’re putting more money back in the pockets of families,” he said Wednesday.
Both of those points have been disputed — but it’s the former that is a little trickier to parse out.
Only a handful of studies have looked into the effects of the policy on emissions reductions, and the vast majority are focused on European countries.
When CTV News asked a Calgary economist if the levy was helping fight the climate emergency, he answered with a short “sort of.”
“Given time, it will result in a reduction in consumption and a move towards cleaner energy,” Moshe Lander, a professor of economics at the University of Calgary, said.
“But in the short term, there’s very little change that’s going to happen because people are locked into their natural gas providers and addicted to their cars.”
It’s also tough to quantify because the tax isn’t Canada’s only climate-focused policy, and because the changes people make as a result are not easy to measure.
Between 2019 and 2021 – after the carbon price was first applied and through the latest year for which there is data – Canada's emissions overall fell by 53 million tonnes, but how much of that was due to carbon pricing is hard to say.
Lander believes the years-long political battle has hurt perception — and the opposition isn’t solely to blame for it.
“(The federal government) has completely mishandled what the objective is here, and how to sell it to Canadians, and that’s what’s giving the space for other parties that want to get rid of it,” Lander said. “It’s just tapping into anger and bad salesmanship.”
With files from CTVNews.ca’s Rachel Aiello
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Police arrest 3 Indian nationals in killing of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar
Three people have been arrested and charged in the killing of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar – as authorities continue investigating potential connections to the Indian government.
Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
Quebec man who threatened Trudeau, Legault online sentenced to 20 months in jail
A Quebec man who pleaded guilty to threatening Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Premier François Legault has been sentenced to 20 months in jail.
TD worst-case scenario more likely after drug money laundering allegations: analyst
TD Bank Group could be hit with more severe penalties than previously expected, says a banking analyst after a report that the investigation it faces in the U.S. is tied to laundering illicit fentanyl profits.
Human remains found in rural Sask. possibly a decade old, RCMP say
RCMP say human remains found in a rural area in central Saskatchewan may have been there for a decade or more.
2 charged after police find 'concerning and diverse' explosives at Manitoba home
Winnipeg police say they have arrested two people in their 20s after a large amount of explosives were found in a home outside of Winnipeg, Man.
Canadian doctor concerned new weight-loss drug Wegovy may be used inappropriately
As Wegovy becomes available to Canadians starting Monday, a medical expert is cautioning patients wanting to use the drug to lose weight that no medication is a ''magic bullet,' and the new medication is meant particularly for people who meet certain criteria related to obesity and weight.
Spain abolishes national bullfighting award in cultural shift
Spain scrapped an annual bullfighting award on Friday, prompting a rebuke from conservatives over a backlash against a centuries-old tradition they see as an art form but which has run into growing concern for animal welfare.
Drew Carey is never quitting 'The Price Is Right'
Drew Carey took over as host of 'The Price Is Right' and hopes he’s there for life. 'I'm not going anywhere,' he told 'Entertainment Tonight' of the job he took over from longtime host Bob Barker in 2007.