Kenney’s silence on O’Toole’s carbon flip-flop now at four days

The Western Standard has contacted Kenney’s office for comment, but so far has heard nothing back.

Instead, the UCP government trotted out Environment Minister Jason Nixon last Friday who said he would need to study the entire proposal.

“We will need to consider what their proposed price on carbon and introducing personal low carbon savings accounts would mean for Alberta residents,” said Nixon in a statement. 

“We will review the proposed plan from Mr. O’Toole to determine how it respects provincial jurisdiction in the management and development of natural resources.”

On Monday, the Western Standard contacted Nixon’s office to ask whether he will further comment. A spokesman replied there are no plans to issue a statement at the moment.

O’Toole tore up his leadership campaign’s signature promise to end the carbon tax Thursday, and will be campaigning on a large, re-branded carbon tax in the next federal election.

O’Toole is proposing to charge a $50/tonne carbon tax on everything from gasoline to home heating fuel, and use the money to fund government-controlled savings accounts, which Canadians can use to purchase government-approved, environmentally friendly products.

Canadians would pay a carbon tax beginning at $20 per tonne, increasing over time to $50 a tonne, but the Tories promised it would go no higher than that. However, O’Toole emphatically promised there would be no carbon tax at all under his leadership.

When running for party leader, O’Toole signed a Canadian Taxpayers Federation pledge to oppose the federal carbon tax. The vow said: “I, Erin O’Toole promise that if elected Prime Minister of Canada, I will: Immediately repeal the Trudeau carbon tax, and reject any future national carbon tax or cap-and-trade scheme.”

O’Toole repeated his pledge to fight against any consumer carbon tax during the campaign for the Tory top spot.

The O’Toole carbon tax may also leave less money in taxpayers pockets than the Trudeau plan.

Under the Trudeau plan, a portion of the federal carbon tax is rebated to taxpayers to spend as they see fit. Under the O’Toole plan, revenues will go into personalized “green” savings accounts that Canadians could only spend on government-approved environmentally friendly products.

People could then draw on those accounts for “things that help them live a greener life,” the document says. 

The Conservative carbon plan calls for the accounts to be managed by a private sector consortium, appointed by the government.

Giving Canadians control of the money to ensure leaders “won’t be tempted to use the carbon tax revenue to fund (Trudeau’s) big government plans.”

The government control of the account, however, will severely limit what Canadians can spend their carbon rebates on, like gasoline, groceries, or housing.

Dave Naylor is the News Editor of the Western Standard

dnaylor@westernstandardonline.com

Twitter.com/nobby7694