Trudeau’s carbon targets slammed
Natural resources minister fails to offer viable alternative, though
Natural Resources Minister Greg Rickford delivered stinging criticism of Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau’s proposed national targets for reducing carbon emissions in Calgary on Thursday but offered few specifics when asked by reporters what the Conservative alternative would be.
Rickford chose the same Calgary Petroleum Club venue where Trudeau unveiled his policy in early February, but while Trudeau’s speech was delivered to a sold- out crowd in the main hall, Rickford spoke to a handful of reporters in a small meeting room.
“Frankly, Justin Trudeau’s risky, nationally imposed unilateral carbon pricing scheme, an effective carbon tax, would set hardworking Canadian families back and derail Canadians’ economies,” charged Rickford.
“It’s important I say that right here in Calgary, the heart of Canada’s energy sector.”
Trudeau unveiled a plan to let the provinces create their own policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions across the country, a medicare- style approach to fight climate change by working with the provinces to develop a national framework.
He said the framework would build on carbon pricing models in British Columbia, Alberta, Quebec and Ontario.
Rickford said Trudeau’s plan would increase prices for “gas, for groceries and everything else that families buy,” adding “only someone with a trust fund would think middle- class families can afford higher prices and higher taxes.”
Asked what the federal government’s climate change plan is, Rickford said it takes a “sector by sector” approach and involves “working with our North American counterparts in the United States and Mexico,” while investing in carbon capture projects and providing incentives for liquefied natural gas developments.
Trudeau’s risky carbon pricing scheme, an effective carbon tax, would set hard- working Canadian families back.
In November, U. S. President Barack Obama and President Xi Jinping of China proposed a deal where the U. S. would cut emissions by 26 to 28 per cent by 2025 and China’s emissions would drop after 2030. It’s part of a formal written submission to the United Nations ahead of efforts to forge a global climate change accord in Paris in December.
“America has looked to move forward with China,” Rickford said. “We would encourage them to explore that option with us in Canada.”
He said Canada appreciates the U. S.- China plan but feels more should be done in the short- term in North America, focusing on targeted greenhouse gas reductions without unfairly disadvantaging any jurisdiction.
Last December, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said it would be “crazy economic policy” to introduce greenhouse gas regulations for the energy sector during a period of low oil prices.