Two Prince George opposition MLAs are glad that Premier David Eby has announced he’ll repeal BC’s consumer-facing carbon tax, but they say that the carbon price on industry will mean that costs are still passed down to the average person.
On March 14, one of new Prime Minister Mark Carney’s first actions after being sworn in was to sign an order-in-council eliminating the federal carbon tax.
In response, Eby put out a statement later that same day announcing he would follow through on a campaign promise from last fall’s provincial election that his party would remove BC’s carbon tax if the federal requirement was removed.
All provinces and territories were required to have a price on carbon pollution, with the federal government implementing a backstop if they didn’t have strong enough measures in place.
BC’s carbon pricing was stringent enough not to be subject to the backstop, but would have been subject to it prior to March 14 if the province decided to repeal its carbon tax.
In a statement, Eby said his government his government doesn’t want British Columbians to have to choose between taking action on climate change and affordability and is “preparing legislation for this session to repeal the tax in BC.”
“As the federal government removes the requirement that B.C. have a carbon tax in place, we will act quickly so the people of British Columbia don't feel the pinch when filling their cars or heating their homes,” Eby said.
"While we eliminate the consumer carbon tax, we will continue to ensure big industrial polluters pay their fair share by maintaining an effective price on carbon for large emitters. Our goal is to incentivize industry to adopt lower-carbon technologies while maintaining their competitiveness.”
The premier added that the carbon tax has been an important tool to help the province’s efforts to tackle climate change, but “there is no longer support for the measure.”
In 2008, BC was the first jurisdiction in North America to implement a carbon tax under the BC Liberal government of Gordon Campbell.
Reached by phone, Prince George-North Cariboo Conservative MLA Sheldon Clare said his party has been successful at influencing the government on a number of issues, but particularly the carbon tax.
“I think (Eby)’s facing a lot of opposition within his own caucus because I think they’re starting to realize that some of the actions they’ve been taking are not popular with their constituents.”
Clare said he thinks the legislature will have to be recalled early if the government wants the tax eliminated before the carbon tax increases on April 1.
Though he’s glad the consumer-facing carbon tax is being removed, Clare said the average person will still be affected by the price levied on businesses considered large polluters.
“It gets passed on down to consumers regardless, so it doesn’t really make a difference to keep it on one and take it off the other,” Clare said. “I’d like to see the whole thing go.”
His colleague, Prince George-Mackenzie Conservative MLA Kiel Giddens, called the announcement “a win for British Columbians” given ongoing affordability concerns and the spectre of American tariffs.
“Right now, this needs to end,” Giddens said of the carbon tax. “This week in question periods, (party leader) John Rustad was demanding carbon tax removal again and David Eby stood up and was defending it, saying he wasn’t going to remove it right away. This is long overdue.”
Like Clare, Giddens said the industrial carbon tax gets passed down to consumers as well.
“It’s a burden for workers, for small businesses and for all families,” Giddens said. “It adds to the cost of goods, services and ultimately our jobs in the province. John Rustad has been very clear that we want the entire carbon tax to be removed, so we’re going to keep fighting.”
He said the tax’s removal is especially good news for Northern BC residents, who pay a higher cost for energy to heat their homes and must travel larger distances.
Both Clare and Giddens said their party is gearing up its opposition to the government’s Bill 7, which the NDP says will give the government the power to react quickly to the ever-evolving trade war between the United States and Canada.
In a statement issued March 13, the government said the bill would allow the provincial cabinet to reduce barriers related to interprovincial trade, toll non-Canadian commercial vehicles using provincial public infrastructure like highways, allow public-sector bodies to exclude U.S. suppliers for procurement and “temporarily make changes to cut red tape and regulations to take fast action to defend the BC economy from challenges brought on by continued threats.
The Opposition Conservatives have described the legislation as a power grab, with Clare directly comparing it to the Enabling Act of 1933, which allowed German dictator Adolf Hitler to make and enforce laws without the input of the country’s president or legislature.
“It makes going to the opposition unnecessary,” Clare said. “You can just make rules and have all sorts of changes done. That’s another thing to look into, we’ve been paying attention to that quite a bit this week.”
Giddens said the bill made him think of the John Locke quote “where law ends, tyranny begins.”
“We can’t take away the rule of law and expect that we’re going to get good governance,” Giddens said. “That’s what the Legislature and our democracy is for. And ultimately with Bill 7, the premier is telling British Columbians that he wants to basically be a benevolent dictator. That’s not how we do things in Canada.”
Prince George-Valemount MLA Rosalyn Bird didn't respond to The Citizen's request for comment.
