LeBlanc quiet as carbon-pricing deadline passes
Minister plays down opposition to federal plan
• Despite a deadline that has come and gone, the federal government is refusing to say which provinces failed to submit carbon-pricing plans to Ottawa by Sept. 1, and is reluctant to criticize those that have not.
In an interview Friday with the National Post, Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc struck a conciliatory tone in the face of mounting opposition from the provinces to the Trudeau government’s climate plan. The latest blow came last week, when Alberta NDP Premier Rachel Notley announced her province is pulling out of the federal plan in the wake of an appeal court ruling that overturned the government’s approval of the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe have joined forces to oppose the federal tax, including through court challenges, while several other provinces have proposed climate plans that do not appear to meet the federal requirements.
But LeBlanc, who took on his new role as Ottawa’s emissary to the provinces in July, insisted that provincial governments are “acknowledging that we need a concerted national effort” to fight climate change.
“I’m actually not pessimistic in terms of the desire of provincial governments to recognize that putting a price on pollution is important,” he said.
Environment Minister Catherine McKenna told the provinces in December that they had until Sept. 1 to submit details of their carbon pricing plans, and that any province that failed to meet the federal benchmark would have a federal carbon tax imposed on it starting in January 2019. The federal price would start at $20 per tonne and increase to $50 per tonne by 2022.
On Friday, LeBlanc said that is still the plan, but wouldn’t discuss which provinces have missed the deadline, saying only that “there are some very positive and very effective measures” being proposed by the provinces. Eric Campbell, a spokesperson for McKenna, said the government has received submissions from “the majority” of provinces and territories.
“I think we’re going to be surprised at the extent to which different provinces and territories have worked to come up with plans that are appropriate for their economies and their geography,” LeBlanc said.
Despite LeBlanc’s optimism, Ottawa’s roster of provincial allies on carbon pricing is dwindling. Ontario and Saskatchewan have not formally submitted plans to the federal government — both provinces have said they will not consider economywide carbon taxes and will fight the federal tax in court.
Both provinces have also sent letters to McKenna arguing that their own climate plans — Ontario’s has yet to be completed — will combat climate change effectively.
“We believe that our plan will go a long way towards meeting the ultimate objective of the (federal climate plan) — the reduction of GHG emissions,” Ontario Environment Minister Rod Phillips wrote to McKenna last week. “I look forward to the opportunity to present our plan and its intended outcomes as they compare to the federal carbon pricing ‘benchmark.’ ”
Earlier this week, local media also reported Newfoundland has received an extension to submit its carbon-pricing plan, and that Premier Dwight Ball has said if other provinces manage to opt out of carbon pricing, Newfoundland will, too.
“We would never put Newfoundland and Labrador in a situation where we would not be competitive,” he told the Telegram.
Even among provinces that have submitted plans, several don’t appear to meet the federal standard. Manitoba has proposed a flat price of $25 per tonne, which McKenna has said will not be good enough after 2020. New Brunswick plans to redirect gas-tax revenue into a climate fund instead of imposing a new carbon tax, while P.E.I. has said its plan will not include a carbon tax or a cap-and-trade system. Nova Scotia says its proposed cap-and-trade plan will meet federal requirements, but details have not been made public.
That leaves only British Columbia and Quebec, which already have carbon prices in place, and Alberta, which announced last week that it is pulling out of the federal plan. Alberta’s own $30-pertonne carbon tax would meet the federal benchmark until 2021, though opposition leader Jason Kenney has vowed to scrap the tax if elected next year.
But LeBlanc minimized any suggestion of conflict between Ottawa and the provinces. “I’m confident that jurisdictions are submitting plans and that there’s an active and co-productive discussion back and forth,” he said.
Campbell said the government will release the results of its review of the provincial plans this fall.