Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew says he will take up his challenge to provinces that oppose a federal carbon tax to come up with a credible alternative.
In an interview with CBC chief political correspondent Rosemary Barton, Kinew said the government will argue Manitoba doesn’t need a federal backstop.
“Manitoba is making a strong case that we have a very credible path to net zero,” he said in an interview broadcast Sunday. rosemary burton live.
Kinew said Manitoba is already “effectively decarbonizing electricity” thanks to investments in the province’s hydropower grid over the past 50 years. He also said new measures included in the government’s next budget, expected to be released Tuesday, will put Manitoba on track to reach its zero-emissions goal without a federal tax for consumers. .
“Governments like ours that are working to solve the climate crisis must at least show they are willing to do their part, be flexible and maintain affordability,” he said. .
The Manitoba government confirmed Thursday it plans to submit a proposal to exempt the province from the federal carbon tax. Federal Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland welcomed the development at a press conference in Toronto on Saturday.
“If a state or territory is interested in paying the price for pollution and is prepared to come up with their own state or territory plan, we are very keen to work with them,” she said. Ta.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called on carbon tax opponents to devise their own approach to carbon pricing in a letter Tuesday. The letter was issued in response to a request from Canada’s seven prime ministers to suspend tax increases that are scheduled to take effect on Monday.
Taxes and rebates will rise
Canada’s price per tonne of carbon is set to rise from $65 to $80 on Monday.
The increase will increase prices by 3.3 cents per liter of gasoline and 2.9 cents per cubic meter of natural gas. The carbon rebate sent to households every three months has also been increased.
The federal “backstop” carbon price is imposed by Ottawa on provinces that have not developed their own carbon price plans that meet or exceed the federal plan.
The policy, introduced by the Liberal government in 2019, includes both a tax on fossil fuels and a rebate paid directly to households. It is designed as a financial incentive to encourage people and businesses to reduce their fossil fuel consumption and move to greener forms of energy.
Canadians living in the eight provinces subject to the federal carbon tax will receive quarterly rebate payments. Rebate payments vary by state and household size.
Quebec, British Columbia, and the Northwest Territories all have their own systems and are not subject to federal tax.
local opposition
Although Mr. Kinew has expressed concerns about the carbon tax in recent months, he has not been as vehement in his opposition as some others. The premiers of seven provinces – New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Saskatchewan, Alberta, Ontario, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador – asked Ottawa to either suspend tax increases on Monday or cancel the plan altogether. called for it to be abolished.
Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston first expressed interest in developing an alternative carbon plan over Trudeau’s objections, but it remains unclear whether he intends to submit a plan to Ottawa.
“We’re going to have those discussions,” Houston told reporters Wednesday. “But I think the prime minister has been very clear, and I think the Liberals in general have been very clear as well. They are absolutely focused and obsessed with a carbon tax.”
Three premiers – Alberta’s Daniel Smith, Saskatchewan’s Scott Moe and New Brunswick’s Blaine Higgs – appeared before the federal government’s steering committee last week to testify against the carbon tax.
“The carbon tax is just punitive,” Smith told CBC. power and politics Thursday. “People are upset because the cost of everything they pay is going up and there is no practical way to move to another fuel.”