Christy Clark got it right
Canada has no shortage of purposeful provincial premiers, including Christy Clark in British Columbia. Her Liberal government’s handling of the climatechange file deserves the attention of Alberta Premier Rachel Notley when it comes to balancing good intentions with economic realities.
B.C. struck a blue-ribbon committee of environmentalists, academics and business leaders in May 2015 to look at the carbon tax that’s been frozen at $30 per tonne of emissions since 2012. The group recommended the rate be increased five-fold, to $160 a tonne, by 2030. Wisely, Clark has refused to follow the advice, preferring to take a waitand-see approach as she presides over a strong economy.
It’s worth noting that, unlike the hasty measures Notley has implemented to address climate change, B.C.’s policy is revenue-neutral. That means income taxes and corporate taxes have been reduced a commensurate amount to account for the carbon tax levied by the government.
In Alberta, energy prices paid by consumers will rise Jan. 1, and again the following year, with the vague promise that some of the money will be returned to families of limited means. No one knows what impact higher gas prices will have on groceries and other products, such as clothing, which must be shipped by fuel-powered vehicles.
Clark’s reticence isn’t being universally applauded. But the Vancouver Sun got it right in a recent editorial: “Prudence suggests that a bit of wait-and-see is neither hypocrisy nor folly on the part of B.C., which has had leading-edge carbon-emissions policies to which other jurisdictions are still playing catch up.”
Let’s hope Notley borrows from Clark’s playbook and acknowledges that well-intended policies can’t be imposed without considering their impact on Albertans’ economic health.
It isn’t wise to ratchet up taxes when other jurisdictions such as Saskatchewan are taking a more cautious approach.
Leadership means making tough decisions, and sometimes that means ignoring the dangerous advice of blueribbon panels, as Clark knows.