B.C. Premier David Eby's flip flop on carbon tax is bait for his rivals

B.C.’s NDP Premier David Eby drew fire from all political opponents after announcing he’ll scrap the consumer carbon tax if Ottawa does the same.

From the tax-supporting Greens to the stridently opposed BC Conservatives, all of the NDP rivals accused Eby of selling out his principles just before the fall provincial election.

Eby formerly supported the carbon tax, even going so far as to ridicule Federal Conservative Leader Pierre Pollievre’s appeal to join the fight against the climate measure as a “baloney factory” campaign tactic. 

The Conservatives seized on the tax backtrack, claiming victory for Eby’s pivot while Furstenau suggested it’s “clearer than ever that you can’t trust the NDP on the environment.” 

Eby’s flip flop is a cynical and desperate move because his campaign is losing ground, Rustad said in a press statement. Since the premier has reversed course on the tax, he’ll likely do it again if elected, he alleged.

Furstenau said that rather than ditching the carbon tax, the NDP should make it fair and show how it can benefit residents and invest in the green transition.

The province is making up climate policy on the fly and trading good policy for bad politics, she added.

“We see a government that has consistently failed in terms of creating a vision, a plan, a clear stance and action to get us unhooked from the fossil fuel industry economy and moving forward.” 

B.C.’s carbon tax was introduced in 2008 and was a Canadian first. It was generally lauded as a successful carbon pricing model, given B.C. led economic growth over the next decade while managing to reduce fuel use and emissions from personal vehicles. 

However, the deepening affordability and housing crisis means the “axe the tax” mantra the BC Conservatives adopted from  Poilievre has resonated so deeply with voters, that supporting the tax is now increasingly seen as politically untenable. 

Soaring costs and inflation combined with the Liberal government’s mismanagement of the federal carbon levy nationally has politicized and undermined support for the climate measure which had formerly enjoyed wide support in the province, Eby stated. 

“I’m deeply committed to both fighting the climate crisis while helping British Columbians with costs, so they can afford and benefit from lower-cost clean energy alternatives,” Eby said when he withdrew support for the tax. 

We can reduce emissions, keep our climate plan on track, and keep moving forward.” 

Eby is taking a risk with the policy pivot, said Stewart Prest, a political scientist at the University of British Columbia. Whether it will serve him well in the election, remains to be seen, Prest added.

It might convince people the NDP is serious about affordability issues. 

However, voters may question the party’s principles if the NDP continues to adopt conservative positions, as they have with the carbon tax and drug decriminalization, Prest said. 

Besides gifting opposing parties with a new line of attack, Eby may have also given their campaigns an added boost, he added. 

Conservatives can argue they are the true guardians of affordability and potentially revive the Green Party's campaign by highlighting their unwavering stance on environmental issues, he said. 

“Voters might think, ‘If I’m going to get conservative “lite,” I might vote for the genuine article,” he said. “The NDP have now lost a point of contrast with the conservatives.” 

The Green campaign has had trouble getting traction in the run up to the election but it may garner some momentum from the NDP policy change.

“This can potentially reinvigorate the Green campaign in a way that didn't seem possible a couple days ago," Prest said. 

Environmental groups decried the carbon tax reversal. 

Abandoning the tax will negatively impact carbon pollution reductions and B.C.’s ability to meet its climate goals when the province is already struggling to meet its targets, said Shelley Luce, Sierra Club BC campaigns director. 

To maintain climate credibility, the NDP must tackle the lack of progress on emissions targets and make concrete and transparent plans to meet them, Luce said. 

That includes accelerating climate measures like more stringent carbon pricing on the fossil fuel industry, delivering the promised cap on oil and gas emissions, denying new fracking and liquified natural gas (LNG) projects, and shifting to renewable energy sources, she added.

To blunt the cost of living, the province can opt for climate policies that benefit consumers, such as fully funding the switch to heat pumps, and ensuring sufficient, lower-cost, clean electricity, Luce said. 

“It's going to be very expensive for everyone if we keep having to fight these wildfires, pay to cool our homes during heat waves, and food prices are going to keep going up,” Luce said. 

“So if we're really concerned about affordability, which we are, then we need to take steps to reduce carbon pollution every way we can.”

Rochelle Baker / Local Journalism Initiative / Canada’s National Observer