Carbon price increase officially comes into effect despite controversy – National | 24CA News
The controversial federal carbon worth enhance formally comes into impact Monday.
Despite calls from premiers for a pause, carbon pricing will rise to $80 a tonne on April 1, up from the present $65 a tonne. The worth will proceed to rise yearly by $15 till it reaches $170 a tonne by 2030.
The carbon worth is a “cornerstone policy” of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s minority Liberal authorities, mentioned Hadrian Mertins-Kirkwood, a senior researcher with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.
But provincial leaders like Newfoundland and Labrador Liberal Premier Andrew Furey have been calling for a halt over affordability considerations.
Fury mentioned in an open letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau earlier this month that whereas his authorities is “deeply invested” in environmental sustainability, the rise “is causing understandable worry as people consider how they will manage the mounting financial strain.”
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith referred to as the carbon worth enhance “inhumane” throughout testimony at a House of Commons committee on Thursday.
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Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has additionally been vocal about stopping the carbon enhance, however his “spike the hike” movement was defeated on the House of Commons earlier this month.
British Columbia, Quebec and the Northwest Territories are the one areas which have their very own carbon pricing programs in place.
“A province or territory can decide to voluntarily adopt the federal pricing system,” the federal authorities mentioned on its web site.
Speaking at a daycare announcement in Surrey, B.C., Trudeau accused Conservative premiers and politicians of “misleading” Canadians on the carbon worth.
“It’s concrete action to fight climate change at a time where we’re seeing the impacts of extreme weather events, floods, fires, droughts,” Trudeau mentioned.
Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault mentioned on The West Block final week that low-income and middle-class Canadians will get the cash from the carbon worth enhance again of their pockets.
“If we remove carbon pricing from the equation for individuals, people — eight out of 10 Canadian families will be worse off economically. They will have less money in their bank account if we do that,” he mentioned.
The enhance beginning Monday shall be most noticeable on the fuel station and on power payments in provinces and territories the place the federal backstop plan applies, Mertins-Kirkwood informed Global News earlier this month.
“The idea is that by putting a price on pollution, people will use fewer fossil fuels, and that drives down overall emissions from the economy,” he mentioned.
At the pumps, the hike starting Monday will add roughly three cents to the price of fuel, Mertins-Kirkwood mentioned.
It’s a “much smaller increase than you’d normally expect through a fluctuation of oil prices,” he mentioned.
© 2024 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
