PCs snub California governor
Tories deny Jerry Brown opportunity to speak on climate change
Jerry Brown, the California governor who was in town to talk climate change with Premier Kathleen Wynne, was snubbed Monday by the Progressive Conservatives, who refused to allow him to address the Ontario legislature. Wynne noted her government’s rebuffed request after holding a “fireside chat” with Brown, a leader whose state’s economy is the sixth largest in the world, bigger than that of all of Canada.
“We were hoping that Governor Brown would be able to speak to the legislature,” Wynne told reporters.
“The Conservatives blocked that because I think, essentially, they don’t want to talk about climate change. They don’t want to talk about that problem. They don’t want to talk about solutions. And that is extremely short-sighted.”
Brown was instead introduced during question period, receiving a standing ovation from all parties. A spokesperson for the Progressive Conservatives said “dignitaries come to Queen’s Park all the time and aren’t afforded the opportunity to address the legislature.” Wynne “held a campaignstyle event alongside the California governor on the taxpayer dime,” said Simon Jefferies. “At this event, (she) bragged about Ontario’s expensive cap-andtrade carbon tax that makes life harder for Ontario families and our economy more uncompetitive.”
Weeks ago, the Liberals said, they approached the opposition parties about allowing Brown to speak in the legislature, a move that requires unanimous consent. The Tories declined.
Dignitaries to address the legislature have included former PC premier Ernie Eves in 2005, lieutenant-governor James Bartleman in 2006, Japanese ambassador Kaoru Ishikawa in 2011, and Quebec Premier Phil- ippe Couillard in 2015.
Ontario and California’s climate change actions are linked alongside Quebec’s in a shared carbon market, where polluters can buy extra — and sell unused — carbon “credits.”
So far, Ontario has brought in $2.4 billion, which it has used to fund environmentally friendly initiatives. The federal government requires every province to have a carbon pricing system by the end of the year.
Ontario PC Leader Doug Ford has said he opposes any carbon tax and is willing to go to court to fight it.
“The Ontario PCs have been clear — we will scrap Kathleen Wynne’s carbon tax scheme,” Jefferies said. “We will put money back into the pockets of Ontario taxpayers and stand up for our job creators.”
Brown said the Tory plan echoes similar moves by U.S. President Donald Trump.
“If you want division, chaos, further polarization, you know the path. But if you want to stay the course, then you have to invest in reasonable climate action.”