This policy divide represents a significant shift in B.C.’s political landscape, with the NDP moving away from their previous strong support for the carbon tax[7], the Conservatives maintaining their opposition, and the Greens replacing the NDP as the fiercest defenders of carbon pricing in the province.
NDP
- After adamantly supporting the carbon tax, on Sept. 12, the federal NDP abandoned the policy because they want a climate crisis-fighting strategy that “doesn’t put the burden on the backs of working people, where big polluters have to pay their fair share,” according to federal leader Jagmeet Singh.[8]
- Hours after Singh’s announcement, NDP Premier David Eby also announced his intention to abandon his government’s long-held belief in the tax, while also promising to make “the big polluters pay a carbon price.”[6]
- BC NDP proposed removing the consumer portion of the carbon tax, contingent on the federal government ending its legal requirement[10[2][3]
- Would maintain a carbon price for large pollution emitters to help fight climate change[2][3]
- This marks a significant shift from their previous strong support for the carbon tax[4]
Greens
- Committed to upholding and “fixing” the carbon tax[9]
- Plan to increase taxes on polluters and ensure the money goes back to families[1]
- Promise to close loopholes that allow companies to claim carbon offsets while continuing to pollute[1]
- Propose increasing the carbon tax by $15 per year, with revenue returned to citizens[1]
Conservatives
- First B.C. party to pledge to completely eliminate the carbon tax[2][3]
- View the carbon tax as “an economic disaster and an environmental failure”[5]
- Promise additional measures to address affordability beyond just removing the carbon tax[2]
- Rustad says the NDP version of the carbon tax will still cost British Columbians because they will hide it as an industry levy that will eventually get passed back to consumers[10].
- Rustad has caught some heat for approving the carbon tax while a minister in the BC Liberal government, then coming out against it as a BC Conservative. He said, as have several of his former colleagues, that the carbon tax introduced by the BC Liberals was “carbon neutral” and a different entity from what it has become under the NDP.
Carbon chatter
“The carbon tax has made a significant difference in British Columbia emissions,” NDP Environment Minister George Herman said on Oct. 28, 2023. “With our government, the principles of the carbon tax are that we give back to low and middle-income British Columbians. By 2030, 80 percent of British Columbians will get the climate action tax credit, and a significant majority of them will get more back in the tax credit than they pay in carbon tax. I think that’s the right path.”
In response, Rustad said, “half the people in this province are struggling to put food on the table, and the consumption of fossil fuels per capita has gone up at the same rate as the rest of the country, so I don’t quite understand what this minister doesn’t get about the failed carbon tax.”
“When will [the BC government] slash this punishing carbon tax so that everyday workers can afford to live?” Rustad asked.
Answer: Sept 12. 2024.
Fun Fact
In 2008, when BC NDP were in Opposition, they opposed the carbon tax brought in by the Gordon Campbell government. Then when NDP gained power in 2017, they supported it. So much so, they raised in step with federal increases[11].
Citations:
[1] https://vancouver.citynews.ca/2024/09/25/bc-greens-furstenau-carbon-tax/
[2] https://www.castlegarnews.com/news/ndp-carbon-tax-shift-draws-laughter-and-derision-from-bc-opposition-7535442
[3] https://www.wltribune.com/news/ndp-carbon-tax-shift-draws-laughter-and-derision-from-bc-opposition-7535442
[4] https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/bc-ndp-shifting-positions-1.7323578
[5] https://thenarwhal.ca/bc-carbon-tax-drama/[6] https://thenarwhal.ca/bc-carbon-tax-drama/
[7] https://thenarwhal.ca/topics/carbon-tax-canada/
[8] https://torontosun.com/opinion/editorials/editorial-toxic-carbon-tax-losing-former-allies
[9] https://bcgreens2024.ca/bc-greens-propose-fairer-carbon-tax-and-ensure-polluters-pay/
[10] https://www.conservativebc.ca/john_rustad_exposes_eby_s_carbon_tax_lie_swapping[11] https://www.bcndp.ca/releases/statement-david-eby-national-carbon-tax
[11] https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/2008-ndp-axe-the-tax-carbon-tax-david-eby-1.7323422
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