Canadians split on new carbon tax plan
Poll shows highest support among young adults, high earners, lowest in Alberta
Canadians have mixed feelings about Ottawa’s new carbon tax plan, but tilt slightly more in favour — especially young adults and higher earners, says a new Forum Research poll.
Close to one half of those polled, or 45 per cent, gave a thumbs up to the carbon pricing strategy that was announced earlier this month by the federal Liberal government, it says.
However, 41per cent don’t approve, the survey found. It also revealed that 14 per cent of Canadians do not have an opinion one way or the other on the tax plan.
The majority of approval (at 52 per cent) came from the youngest people surveyed, those between the ages of 18 to 34, while 51 cent of the wealthiest surveyed (earning $100,000 to $250,000 in annual income) were in favour, the study found.
Provincially, the strongest support came from Quebec respondents at 58 per cent, while the lowest support is in Alberta at just 26 per cent, the poll says.
A majority of the best-educated (post graduate studies) respondents, at 57 per cent, were also in favour of the plan.
Meanwhile, the carbon tax plan had the highest support among Liberal voters at 65 per cent, followed by New Democratic supporters at 55 per cent. Only 11 per cent of Conservative supporters were in favour, the poll found.
“It is quite a victory for the forces of change to see approval for carbon pricing in a plurality position, and in the majority among important core groups like Francophones and youth,” said Forum Research president Lorne Bozinoff.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced a national “floor price” on carbon two weeks ago that would require all provinces and territories to have some form of carbon pricing in place by 2018.
The idea of putting a price on car- bon is meant to give people and companies an incentive to look for loweremission options to save money, the government says.
The price can come in the form of a specific tax or levy, like the minimum $10 per tonne the federal government has set for 2018, or a more indirect cap-and-trade system.
British Columbia introduced a carbon tax in 2008 that now stands at $30 a tonne, adding an extra 6.67 cents to each litre of gasoline and 7.67 cents to each litre of diesel. In August, the province said it would stick to that price until other jurisdictions catch up.
Alberta announced last November it will have a $20-per-tonne carbon levy in place next year, rising to $30 a tonne in 2018. For both provinces, the tax applies to gasoline, diesel, natural gas and propane.
Quebec joined California in a capand-trade carbon market in 2014, and Ontario is set to start trading in the same market next year.
Cap-and-trade systems set economy-wide limits on emissions and then establish a carbon market, within which industries are allotted permits for emissions that they can buy and sell, with the costs passed on to consumers.
The Forum poll of 1,437 randomly selected Canadians 18 years and older was conducted Oct.11to12. Results are considered accurate within 3 per cent, 19 times out of 20.
“It is quite a victory for the forces of change to see approval for carbon pricing in a plurality position.” LORNE BOZINOFF FORUM RESEARCH PRESIDENT