Doug Ford is promising to act swiftly, to do something the people want and Justin Trudeau is vowing to stop it.
Perhaps setting up a fight that could severely hurt Liberal fortunes in the next federal election.
“Upon the swearing in of my new cabinet, at the top of our agenda, the very first item will be to pass an order to cancel the Liberal cap-and-trade carbon tax,” Ford said Friday.
Ford has even suggested a quick summer session for the Ontario legislature to scrap cap and trade which would lower gas prices by 4.3 cents per litre. His party also promised to cut the provincial share of gas taxes to bring a total reduction of 10 cents a litre.
It was hugely popular with voters.
Now Justin Trudeau is vowing to stop Ford.
It’s something I talked about at the opening of my radio show on Friday night, listen and share that rant below.
The fight is on.
Before Ford’s words were even sinking in, Environment Minister Catherine McKenna’s office was vowing to impose a national carbon tax on Ontario. Reporter Marieke Walsh at iPolitics getting the scoop first.
“The federal government’s jurisdiction on this matter is clear,” Environment Minister Catherine McKenna’s spokesperson Caroline Thériault said a statement.
“On Thursday, Bill C-74 passed the Senate. It includes new supports for families, tax cuts for small businesses, and a federal standard for pricing pollution that provinces must meet. Ontario’s current pollution pricing system meets the federal standard. If the new government changes or eliminates its system, that assessment may change and the federal price on pollution would apply.”
Let’s set aside for a moment that the government that claims to be all about science, facts and evidence calls carbon dioxide pollution, which it is not. The question is, does the federal government have the legal authority to do this?
That isn’t clear despite what liberal law professors continue to tell liberal reporters.
Political factors could be huge.
A secondary factor, would Trudeau want to be fighting for higher gas prices in 2019?
If Ford keeps his word and pulls out of the cap and trade scheme, the lawsuit could take quite some time.
That means that Trudeau would be campaigning in the middle of next summer, and over long weekends, to make gas prices go up in Canada’s largest province. Forget good or bad policy, and it is bad policy, this would be bad politics.
A study done by Navigator on why people voted for the PCs in the Ontario election is telling. The first reason given was the promise of lower gas taxes, second was hydro prices and third was the overall tax burden being lowered.
Can you imagine being the Liberal MP telling everyone at the door that you want their vote to make life more expensive?
While Kathleen Wynne was in power this didn’t matter, Trudeau’s Liberals could say it was a provincial decision.
Not anymore.
It would be one thing for the Liberals to have to fight only Saskatchewan. The party has one MP in that province. They won’t get anymore.
If they were to fight Alberta down the road, say if Jason Kenney and the UCP win the May 31, 2019 election, then again, they have 3 MPs.
In Ontario the Liberals have 80 MPs right now.
If Trudeau spends next summer trying to convince voters that they need to pay more for basic functions of modern life he and his party could end up like Wynne’s Liberals. Just 7 seats and holding the caucus meeting in a mini-van.
Trudeau could win this case at the Supreme Court and lose it at the ballot box.
But I don’t see him winning both.
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Premier Ford is right. A carbon tax has no effect on the climate. Climate change is normal, climate always changes no matter what we do or fail to do. I like Carleton Professor Michael Hart’s statement: “Politicians are throwing money that they do not have, at a problem that does not exist, in order to finance solutions that make no difference.” Go for it, Doug!
That’s a bit myopic. Are you trying to suggest that consumption of petrochemicals has no impact on our climate (demonstrably false), or that a cost-based cap and trade system will not cause some reduction in that consumption (also demonstrably false)?
Climate change has accelerated and essentially EVERY credible scientist and scientific body has affirmed it’s human-caused.
According to Premier Notley, Alberta carbon taxes go into General Revenue. 60% of Albertans get carbon tax rebates and it’s no coincidence that the carbon tax rebate cheques are scheduled to be mailed immediately before voting takes place in a spring or fall election. Carbon tax was never meant to have any effect on the climate; it’s meant to allow the government to increase spending and stay in power; NOTHING ELSE.
I’d be willing to pay higher gas prices for a year if it meant getting rid of the Trudeau government!
Use the not withstanding clause and take all that federal carbon tax money and keep it in Ontario – use it to build and create jobs.
Trudope will just give it away to despotic nations while breaking the Canadian personal finances.
Typical conservative agender, short term thinking for immediate gain. Regardless of the long term effects. We need to reduce the use of fossil fuels not make it easier to use. Plus what difference is 4.3 cents going to make to anyone’s pocket or profits. Get real.
I think you’ve been drinking too much of the liberal koolaid. Explain to me how taxing Canadians will benefit the environment. How does money lower the temperature, or make it rain or even make fields grow . Being brainwashed by the Liberal clowns doesn’t make you any smarter but more like sheep.
What planet are you on..4.3 or any other number is not the point..climate change or bio al warming is natural..not man made…carbon tax is just a money grab..take from everyone and give to 1%..
I’m sure you’re right and that carbon tax does go to the 1%. How convenient for them that they’ve brainwashed some of the people to the point that they support that, some rabidly. In Alberta, 60% of the population gets carbon tax rebates. Cheques are mailed immediately before voting to pay people for their vote.
Typical liberal thinking, get into taxpayers pockets.
[…] announcement of Ontario’s intention to withdraw annoyed all the right people. In Ottawa, Trudeau’s environment minister Catherine McKenna […]
Doug Ford is a true leader of Ontario who seeks to do everything for the people while #Trudeau is just doing the opposite. He is the enemy of the Majority of the Canadians. He is a traitor who betrayed all who voted for him in 2015. In the year to come, we must all stand out and vote him out. We must kick him out forever!
What a fabulously irresponsible article. This isn’t an argument at all between Conservatives and Liberals, it’s one between truth and stupid. Deniers of climate change are in the same category as members of the Flat Earth Society, and yes, science has proved the world is round too. Taxation has the function of directing spending for the collective public good. Tax cigarettes so smokers smoke less and don’t burden the rest of us with health care costs. Tax gas, so future generations don’t live in a seriously damaged world. Hell, tax gas so that future generations actually have some – what’s the rush to pump every last drop as quickly as possible and leave none left for the next hundred million years. Tax where it helps society, then decrease where it helps, like groceries. Tax the same amount of money to run the government and support smart policies essentially for free.