KENNEY WHINES AGAIN
Jason Kenney calls for halt to the scheduled federal carbon tax increase

By Paula Tran 770 CHQR
Posted March 28, 2022 


Alberta Premier Jason Kenney, Finance Minister Travis Toews and Government House Leader Jason Nixon will make an announcement on Monday that will call for an end to the federal carbon tax increase scheduled for April 1.


The event comes after the Alberta government announced a temporary halt of the provincial gas tax in response to rising gasoline prices on Mar. 7.

Kenney previously called this move a “back-door way” to scrap the federal carbon tax in the province, which he said punishes people for consuming energy.

“Those economists, the NDP and Liberals are in favour of carbon taxes that drive up energy prices. This is a fundamental philosophical difference,” Kenney said on Mar. 10.

“Albertans spoke to this in the last provincial election and we are fulfilling our commitment in a way to scrap the carbon tax.”

READ MORE: Alberta’s fuel tax holiday is a ‘back-door’ way to scrapping federal carbon tax, says Premier Jason Kenney

A University of Calgary’s School of Public Policy report released that week, however, said the fuel tax holiday cannot be called a “reverse carbon tax” because it is tied to oil prices and only applies to two types of fuel: gasoline and diesel.

The report also said the tax holiday is more beneficial to higher-income families because they purchase more fuel compared to lower-income families.

“Relative to the carbon tax, which the government cites as an important motivation behind this policy, the holiday more than offsets it… The holiday, however, is not a ‘reverse carbon tax,'” the report reads.

In response to Kenney’s comments, Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) said pricing carbon pollution is a central part of the federal government’s plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and is the lowest overall cost to the economy.

“Wherever the federal carbon pricing system is in place, all direct proceeds are returned to the jurisdiction of origin – the federal government does not keep one penny,” an ECCC spokesperson said.

READ MORE: How carbon pricing works across the country

The ministry also said the policy is designed so that most households receive more in Climate Action Incentive payments than they pay in increased costs because of the carbon tax. The federal government uses most of the proceeds to support individuals and households through Climate Action Incentive payments in Alberta, according to ECCC.

“Carbon pricing has been in place across Canada since 2019 through a mix of federal, provincial and territorial pricing systems. The federal government sets minimum national stringency standards that all systems must meet,” the ECCC spokesperson said.

“The federal carbon pricing system applies in any jurisdiction that requests it, or that does not implement its own system that meets these minimum standards.”

Gas price analyst says Alberta initiative will make a ‘big difference’ – Mar 7, 2022

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