OTTAWA — Liberal leadership candidate Mark Carney added his name to the list of Liberals promising to scrap the Trudeau government’s consumer carbon tax, instead promising incentives on the purchase of “eco-responsible” options and making “big polluters” pay more.
On Friday, Carney said it was time to move on from the much-maligned consumer carbon tax, instead promising to fold anewconsumercarboncreditmarketintotheindustrial carbon pricingsystem.
“SinceCanada’scurrentclimatepolicyhasbecometoodivisive,it’stimeforanew,moreeffectiveclimateplanthateveryonecangetbehind,” he told the crowd in Halifax.
Carney also promised to maintain incentives for Canadians purchasing “eco-responsible” items like energy efficient appliances of electric vehicles, but assured that big polluters would pay for them – not a consumer carbon tax.
He also promised to “improve” the industrial carbon pricing system and extend it to 2035.
“Whatthatdoesisitprovidesaveryclearsignaltolargecompaniestomaketheinvestmentsnowtogettheiremissionsdown,tobecomemorecompetitive,” he said.
Later, Carney — who was once a staunch defender of the consumer carbon tax — said the tax has worked as planned but is now hobbled by negative “perception” among the population. He blamed that on “misinformationandlies” from Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre.
“It’sworked.Ithashadsomeimpactintermsofreducingouremissions,makingthingsmoreefficient,” he said of the consumer carbon tax.
“It’stheperceptionsoftheimpact,thenegativeimpactsofthecarbontaxonhouseholdswithoutfullyrecognizingthepositiveimpactsoftheoftherebatehasmade,” he added.
Carney got some good news on the eve of his announcement in Halifax. Nova Scotia Liberal MP Jaime Battiste dropped out of the race and announced he would throw his support to Carney.
National Post
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