VANCOUVER — VANCOUVER | UNCEDED xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (MUSQUEAM), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (SQUAMISH) AND səlilwətaɬ (TSLEIL-WAUTUTH) TERRITORIES — Premier David Eby said the B.C. government will get rid of the consumer portion of the carbon tax if the federal government removes this requirement for provinces. The David Suzuki Foundation repeats its call to maintain momentum on tackling emissions, including strengthening the carbon price paid by large polluters as a critical climate response.
Thomas Green, Senior Climate Policy Adviser, David Suzuki Foundation, said:
“The fossil fuel industry’s pollution is largely responsible for driving the climate crisis and is a big contributor to making life less affordable. It’s not carbon pricing. Sadly, it seems that pricing carbon pollution and giving rebates to consumers, a tool widely recognized as an effective way to tackle emissions, is falling victim to a targeted misinformation campaign.
“Governments must back policies that make life more affordable for people. That’s why actions such as incentives for heat pumps and energy-efficiency upgrades, free transit passes for youth and building more affordable housing are critical. We need to keep investing in renewable energy and clean electricity.
“If governments drop consumer-side carbon pricing, they are removing a key tool for climate action. They need to replace it with stronger pollution pricing for big industrial polluters and/or with other climate policies and follow the lead of jurisdictions around the world benefiting from the clean energy transition. Limiting action during this critical decade is unacceptable.
“We urge political leaders throughout B.C. to take seriously the unnatural disasters that have been hammering our province. This means relying on science and redoubling our efforts to lower emissions, improve affordability and pivot to an economy powered by renewables — and not being swayed by misinformation.”
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For more information, please contact:
Theresa Beer, David Suzuki Foundation, tbeer@davidsuzuki.org, 778-874-3396