Political frenzy on B.C. carbon tax ‘whiplash’ politics: Greens

The political frenzy around the carbon tax continued as B.C. politicians returned to work this week.

The federally mandated carbon price jumped to $80 a tonne from $65 on April 1, an increase that translates into approximately three cents extra a litre at the pump.

Like his federal counterpart Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, B.C. Premier David Eby is in the eye of a political firestorm as the last provincial leader to back the carbon tax that puts a price on carbon pollution.

Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew recently confirmed he’ll craft an alternative to the carbon tax, joining seven other provinces — Alberta, Ontario, Saskatchewan, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador — pushing to sink the carbon levy. Quebec has implemented a cap-and-trade system in place of the carbon tax.

On Thursday, Eby acknowledged fierce debate is underway over the carbon price but reiterated his commitment to measures that combat climate emergencies while unveiling a new wildfire training and education centre in Kamloops.

“Our province is in the middle of what I would say is an unfortunate debate about whether or not we continue to take action on climate change in this province,” he said.

The premier said staying the course would guarantee a future for younger generations and economic growth.

“It's going to [be] a low-carbon future and we need to be part of that if we want to be economically successful,” Eby said.

Implemented provincially in 2008 by the former BC Liberals — the now renamed BC United party — the provincial carbon tax was the first geared to reduce fossil fuel emissions and drive clean energy innovation.

BC United, however, has dropped any allegiance to the tax launched by former premier Gordon Campbell. Party members led a tag-team attack on the tax alongside the B.C. Conservatives in the legislature this week, arguing the price increase will aggravate the affordability crisis for gas, groceries and heating.

Conservative Party of Canada Leader Pierre Poilievre also joined the fray, timing a visit to the West Coast as the increase went into effect across the country Monday. Poilievre has been sparring with Eby after the premier rebuffed his call to join the fight against carbon pricing last month. Eby labelled the request a “baloney factory" campaign tactic. Leading an “axe the tax” rally in Nanaimo on Vancouver Island, Poilievre promised to ditch the tax if elected and back the expansion of fossil fuels, including liquified natural gas (LNG).

Eby called out MLAs who have changed their stance on the tax earlier this week. In the legislature, he noted BC United MLA Shirley Bond’s opposition, saying she was once a very vocal advocate for the carbon price while in government.

“I think that all British Columbians see the forest fires, the drought, the impacts on farmers, on our province right now and they want a government that will continue to take action on climate change,” Eby said.

The premier and Environment Minister George Heyman dismissed the idea people would pay more as a result of the federal price hike.

Every penny is going back to people — low- and middle-income people — through the climate action tax credit, Heyman said.

The constant wrangling over the carbon tax is a distraction from measures necessary to address affordability and the climate crisis, BC Green Party Leader Sonia Furstenau told Canada’s National Observer.

She too said it’s ironic that BC United is dropping its predecessor's carbon pricing strategy like a hot potato.

And the BC NDP is now the target of “axe the tax” crusades since former party leader John Horgan devised the catchphrase to campaign against the carbon tax in its early days, Furstenau said. “What goes around, comes around. B.C. politics can give you whiplash,” she said.

BC United and the provincial Conservatives reject all climate solutions, yet ignore the immense social and financial and social costs tied to climate impacts like floods, drought and wildfires, Furstenau said.

Canada’s economy may face a $5.5-trillion hit by the end of the century due to climate change, recent studies suggest.

And even the Eby government commits to climate initiatives like the carbon tax, but undermines them by pursuing the expansion of fossil fuels, like liquified natural gas projects, responsible for nearly a fifth of the province’s emissions, she added.

Political conversations around the carbon price ignore the bigger picture and obscure the fact that the oil and gas sector industry in Canada earned $70 billion in profits in 2022, Furstenau said, adding the biggest polluters need to pay their fair share.

The Canada LNG project, set to come online next year and become the biggest source of planet-heating emissions in the province, has carbon pricing fixed at $30 a tonne.

“The carbon tax goes up year over year for everybody in B.C. at a time when the single biggest polluter gets discount rates on their carbon,” Furstenau said.

“If we are serious about creating conditions for better affordability for people, the government would look at investing in a massive investment in public transit, ensuring that people can move around within and between their communities at a low cost.”

— With a file from John Woodside/ Canada’s National Observer

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