Celebrate the carbon rebate this Earth Day

On Monday, April 15, Canadians living in all provinces/ territories, except Quebec and British Columbia, who have filed taxes before March 15 received their quarterly Canada Carbon Rebate payment. Over the next 12 months, a family of four living in St. John's will receive $1,195, and the same family living rurally will receive $1,430.4. You can calculate your rebate here: https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/ child-family-benefits/caipayment/how-much.html

Not only are Canada's pollution pricing policies returning money to households, but they are reducing greenhouse gas pollution. This is good news because Canadians are overwhelmingly concerned about climate impacts.

The fact is, over 85 per cent of greenhouse gases that are heating our planet come from burning fossil fuels. Canada's pollution pricing system places responsibility directly at the feet of those responsible: the lucrative oil and gas industry and the country's highest emitters. In contrast, carbon-conscious consumers, like most middle and low income households are by default, are rewarded. This makes sense, because those who are polluting the least should not foot the bill for transforming our energy systems.

TRANSFORMATION UNDERWAY

Worldwide, this transformation is already underway. Currently, one-quarter of all Americans are now living in jurisdictions that are suing major oil companies for their decades of deception. Just this past month, Zurich Insurance Group AG announced it will no longer underwrite new oil and gas projects.

While most agree that this transformation is necessary, many also ask "at what cost?"

It's regrettable that some folks believe that Canada's pollution pricing is driving inflation. The Bank of Canada has debunked this claim, stating that pollution pricing contributes only 0.15 per cent to inflation. Trevor Tombe - a

University of Calgary economist - has calculated that the direct and indirect impacts of the carbon tax would only affect inflating food prices by 0.207 per cent.

FUNDS REDISTRIBUTED TO PROVINCES

Opponents have also characterized Canada's charge on fossil fuel pollution as a "tax." However, it's important to clarify that all funds collected by the federal government are redistributed back to the provinces. This assertion is supported by the March 2020 Supreme Court of Canada ruling, which stated that "this charge isn't considered a tax within the constitutional context. Therefore, the court concluded that the fuel and excess emission charges imposed by the Act are regulatory charges, not taxes."

What constitutes a tax? It's when the government collects money without offering direct benefits in return. Subsidies for energy, nuclear energy, and carbon capture, though indirectly funded by us, fit this definition.

In fact, fossil fuel subsidies cost Canadians a lot more than the carbon levy last year, and we don’t get the money back. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) warned in October 2023 that relying solely on subsidies to transform our energy systems could increase debt relative to GDP, potentially leading to a debt crisis.

CARBON PRICING POLICIES WORK

The Official Leader of the Opposition and the provincial premiers who oppose carbon pricing lack expertise compared to renowned institutions like the IMF, the Supreme Court of Canada, and thousands of economists worldwide, including 28 Nobel Prize laureates and over 370 Canadian economists. Would you trust your life to a doctor or mechanic who disregards expert advice?

Similarly, while the Conservative Party of Canada failed to reduce greenhouse emissions federally from 2008 to 2015, Canada's suite of climate policies will continue to achieve reductions, with the added bonus of rebates for citizens.

Presently, 51 countries, including China, have carbon pricing policies. Sweden, a cold country like Canada, has priced greenhouse gas pollution since 1990 and emissions have gone 33 per cent down while growing their economy 92 per cent.

Do you know which country was the first to heed the experts and provide carbon rebates to its citizens? Canada. Austria has now followed our lead.

As we near Earth Day on Monday, April 22, the facts are clear that the Canada Carbon Rebate is combating fossil fuel pollution while addressing affordability issues. Let's take a moment to celebrate the rebate.

Gerry Labelle, from Cape St. George, is the co-founder of Citizens' Climate Lobby (CCL) Canada, a non-partisan advocacy organization dedicated to promoting effective climate policies, including carbon pricing, to address the challenges of climate change and building a liveable world for all. https://canada. citizensclimatelobby.org/