There’s been a major development on the campaign trail in BC, as Premier David Eby announced that he would possibly drop the consumer carbon tax.
It comes under one condition: the federal government dropping the requirement on BC to have a consumer carbon tax.
“Our commitment is that if the federal government decides to remove the legal backstop requiring us to have a consumer carbon tax in British Columbia, we will end the consumer carbon tax in British Columbia,” Eby said.
“We will ensure that the big polluters pay the carbon price in our province,” he added.
Eby dropped the bombshell on Thursday afternoon, almost exactly one month before this year’s provincial election, which lands on October 19.
This year, the carbon tax increased by about three cents per litre of gasoline, bringing the total amount to 17.61 cents per litre, up from the 2023 tax of 14.31 cents.
Not to be outdone, the BC Conservative Party, which has a similar policy, reacted to Eby’s announcement.
“David Eby has lied to British Columbians before, and he’ll do it again,” said John Rustad, the leader of the Conservative Party of BC.
“David Eby’s sudden reversal on the carbon tax is a desperate attempt to salvage his sinking political ship,” he added.
“Let’s be clear: Eby has spent years championing this disastrous tax.”
— Conservative Party of BC (@Conservative_BC) September 12, 2024
BC Green Party Leader Sonia Furstenau also had some scathing remarks for Eby.
“This is a government with no principles and no direction. Fix the carbon tax, make it fair, show how it can improve lives, and invest in the transition we need. Letting industry pollute for free means the public continues to pay the price,” she said.
The David Suzuki Foundation isn’t a huge fan of the idea.
“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,” said Thomas Green, senior climate policy adviser with the foundation.
BC’s carbon tax came into effect 16 years ago, in 2008.