Wednesday October 12, 2016

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Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator Ð Wednesday October 12, 2016 Liberal governmentÕs carbon tax plan provokes anger from provinces Prime Minister Justin Trudeau issued an ultimatum to the provinces on Monday, announcing his governmentÕs plan to set a minimum carbon tax even as environment ministers were meeting in Montreal to discuss options for carbon pricing. Several provinces and territories reacted angrily Ð three environment ministers walked out of the federal-provincial climate talks Ð after Mr. TrudeauÕs unilateral announcement in the House of Commons. Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall said the decision is a ÒbetrayalÓ of the co-operative approach the Prime Minister had promised and that the tax would devastate his provinceÕs economy. Mr. Trudeau essentially told premiers to adopt a carbon tax or cap-and-trade plan or Ottawa will impose its own levy Ð a minimum of $50 a tonne by 2022 Ð and return the revenue the provinces. It comes as the Liberal government is embroiled in a dispute with the provinces over health-care funding, and signals the Prime MinisterÕs determination to exert federal leadership in areas where the premiers largely had free rein for the past decade under the Conservatives. Saskatchewan Environment Minister Scott Moe left the Montreal environment ministersÕ meeting before it concluded, as did Nova ScotiaÕs Margaret Miller, and Perry Trimper, Minister of Environment and Conservation for Newfoundland and Labrador. ÒToday is not a good day for federal-provincial relations,Ó Mr. Moe said. ÒWeÕre struggling a little bit to understand where the Prime MinisterÕs message came from today, and whatÕs going to happen moving forward,Ó Ms. Miller said. Nova Scotia Premier Stephen McNeil says his province is leading the country in reduction of greenhouse gases by cutting emissions in the electricity sector, but does not want to impose higher taxes on gasoline and diesel fuels. Mr. Trudeau has long promised that Ottawa would

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Wednesday October 12, 2016

Liberal government’s carbon tax plan provokes anger from provinces

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau issued an ultimatum to the provinces on Monday, announcing his government’s plan to set a minimum carbon tax even as environment ministers were meeting in Montreal to discuss options for carbon pricing.

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator - Friday March 4, 2016 Ottawa willing to impose carbon price if impasse drags on The federal government is prepared to impose a national price on carbon if Canada's premiers fail to come to an agreement on their own, CBC News has learned. Putting a price tag on pollution would pit Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government against some provincial premiers who see the move as another blow to an enfeebled economy. Trudeau is meeting with premiers and territorial leaders today in Vancouver. A senior official close to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the Liberal government campaigned on environmental change and won a majority. "We feel that we've got a mandate to do it. And we want to do it in co-operation with the provinces," the official said. "But at the end of the day we are going to do it." Federal action isn't imminent, but Ottawa won't allow carbon price talks to drag on indefinitely. "This should be a conversation about how we are going to price carbon, not whether," said the source. Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall has been the loudest critic of a carbon tax, saying it will only hammer an already sluggish energy sector. Wall told reporters on Wednesday that he wasn't alone in his position, and that's been backed up in public and private statements by officials from other provinces here in Vancouver. "You're going to hear a lot more about carbon management than carbon pricing," said one premier in explaining the view in their private meetings. Five provinces already have a price on carbon. Penalizing polluters financially is aimed at curbing the greenhouse gases that cause climate change. (Source: CBC News) http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/carbon-price-cap-and-trade-first-ministers-meeting-vancouver-1.3473524 Canada, provinces, Christy Clark, Phillippe Couilliard, Kathleen Wynne, Rachel Notley, Justin Trudeau, Brad Wall, Dr. Jekyll, Mr. Hyde, carbon, tax, environment, climate change

March 4, 2016

Several provinces and territories reacted angrily – three environment ministers walked out of the federal-provincial climate talks – after Mr. Trudeau’s unilateral announcement in the House of Commons. Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall said the decision is a “betrayal” of the co-operative approach the Prime Minister had promised and that the tax would devastate his province’s economy.

Mr. Trudeau essentially told premiers to adopt a carbon tax or cap-and-trade plan or Ottawa will impose its own levy – a minimum of $50 a tonne by 2022 – and return the revenue the provinces. It comes as the Liberal government is embroiled in a dispute with the provinces over health-care funding, and signals the Prime Minister’s determination to exert federal leadership in areas where the premiers largely had free rein for the past decade under the Conservatives.

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator Ð Tuesday September 20, 2016 Trudeau's challenge is to lead on pricing carbon and building pipelines Canada's first commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions was made by Brian Mulroney in 1988, at an international conference on the "changing atmosphere" in Toronto. It was pledged then that Canada would seek a 20-per-cent reduction in its annual greenhouse gas emissions by 2005. Two years later, that target was adjusted to merely stabilizing GHGs at 1990 levels by 2005. Still, that would have kept emissions to 613 megatonnes per year. Instead, in 2014, the last full year for which data is available, Canada emitted a total of 732 megatonnes of greenhouse gases, a 20-per-cent increase since 2005. If Mulroney had put Canada on a path to achieving that target of 1990, if Jean ChrŽtien or Paul Martin or Stephen Harper had set Canada on its way to achieving any of the targets they subsequently set, Justin Trudeau would now be heading into a merely interesting fall, the biggest issue of which would be the negotiation of new health accords with the provinces or the consideration of a new electoral system. In November, he is due to meet the premiers to finalize a national plan on climate change, or at least the makings thereof. By Dec. 19, his cabinet must decide whether to approve the Trans Mountain pipeline proposal that would transfer oil from Alberta to the port of Vancouver. And between those two, Trudeau gets to wrestle with questions of federalism, the national economy and the future of humanity on a warming planet. The climate change plan seems likely to include some kind of mechanism for pricing carbon.ÊÊAnd while putting a price on carbon has become the focal point of debate about what to do about climate change, pipelines have, fairly or not, become a focus of attention for those who worry about the impact of GHGs on the planet. The prime minister has, either explicitly or implicitly, committed

September 20, 2016

Saskatchewan Environment Minister Scott Moe left the Montreal environment ministers’ meeting before it concluded, as did Nova Scotia’s Margaret Miller, and Perry Trimper, Minister of Environment and Conservation for Newfoundland and Labrador.

“Today is not a good day for federal-provincial relations,” Mr. Moe said.

“We’re struggling a little bit to understand where the Prime Minister’s message came from today, and what’s going to happen moving forward,” Ms. Miller said. Nova Scotia Premier Stephen McNeil says his province is leading the country in reduction of greenhouse gases by cutting emissions in the electricity sector, but does not want to impose higher taxes on gasoline and diesel fuels.

Wednesday April 15, 2015Mr. Trudeau has long promised that Ottawa would impose a minimum carbon price on provinces unwilling to adopt their own system, but on Monday, he seized the leadership from premiers, who have insisted on the right to regulate carbon emissions as they see fit.

The Prime Minister said he will convene a first ministers’ meeting on Dec. 8 with the aim of concluding a pan-Canadian climate plan, which would include carbon pricing and other measures. (Source: Globe & Mail)