NO TALK ON CARBON TAX
You’ve got to hand it to the Rachel Notley government: it is apparently committed to consulting with Albertans. The notion of scrapping the twiceyearly time change is gaining momentum, but Cheryl Oates, Notley’s press secretary, says the government wants to ensure Albertans are fully consulted before any decision is made.
The premier has also promised to consult with Albertans about provincial legislation on legalized marijuana, including the age at which people will be able to use the drug. A federal task force has recommended the minimum age be set at 18 and that provinces be permitted to harmonize their regulations with the purchasing of alcohol and tobacco.
“It’s a balancing act, obviously, because on one hand, the objective of legalizing marijuana — for the most part — is to control it and to actually make it more safe,” said Notley. “And we are committing that we will engage with Albertans on some of those options.”
This intention to engage with Albertans is admirable, but it raises the question why the government doesn’t demonstrate the same fairminded spirit with other policies, like, say, the carbon tax. The government never campaigned on introducing an economywide carbon levy in the 2015 election, nor did it consult with the public about what form the tax would take.
The province has had a long-standing levy on heavy industrial greenhouse gas emitters. The NDP could have taken action to phase out coalfired electricity plants, as it has done, and left it at that — certainly until the Trudeau government announced its own carbon tax to begin in 2018, which is being fought by Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall. Alternatively, if it wanted to advance the idea of a broad carbon levy, it could have adopted British Columbia’s approach and made it revenue neutral — reducing other taxes by a commensurate amount, so there was less danger of hurting the economy.
The Notley government could also have pursued a cap-and-trade system, as Ontario and Quebec have done. Using this model, the NDP could have set a lid on emissions and lowered it over time, creating an incentive for companies to pollute less. Albertans would have confidence that emissions would be reduced, which isn’t the case with the tax. Indeed, emissions are projected to increase for years under Notley’s plan.
There is plenty to discuss about how Albertans can best reduce carbon emissions. But while the NDP is prepared to talk about fiddling with our watches and when young people can smoke pot, it’s not open to having a conversation about our climate and our economy.
Ordinary Albertans can’t be trusted to hold valid opinions on such important matters, it would seem.