The carbon tax started in BC and ends in BC. BC is only five weeks away from a provincial election, and the NDP government’s political fortunes have dramatically fallen. Desperate to appear to be the defender of the average person dealing with the devastating cost of living, Premier David Eby admits they will drop the carbon tax for consumers and shift the onus to "big polluters" if the federal government removes a legal requirement to keep the tax in place. This recent statement marks a significant shift from their previous staunch support for the carbon tax and their criticism of the BC Conservatives as "climate deniers." It seems the socialists have finally come face to face with reality.Eby admits that residents are struggling with affordability, but a re-elected NDP government would make "big polluters" still pay to take action on climate change. There was no admission that carbon dioxide is a natural substance we breathe and is not a pollutant but necessary for life itself to survive on the planet. Their new scheme claims that the industry will still pay, but in reality, consumers will still pay some of the bill. The NDP keeps their myth of the climate change mitigation fairytale.Eby says the federal government's approach to the carbon tax has "badly damaged" the political consensus on the issue. That is the slick rationalization that Pierre Poilievre has won the carbon tax debate with Canadians.The BC Conservatives have pledged to end the carbon tax from the beginning. Consequently, in view of the polls, the NDP caved in. The economic devastation to average voters can no longer be denied.Eby has always been a staunch supporter of the carbon tax. He previously said that the tax would stay in place even if the federal one was scrapped. Just a few months ago, they saw the challenge from the BC Conservative Party but felt comfortable that they would still win.Despite the mounting pressure and the withdrawal of the BC United/Liberal Party, the NDP has remained steadfast in their defence of the carbon tax. However, the polls indicate that their position is now in jeopardy, and they may be heading towards a political defeat. Their once fervent rhetoric about climate change and the benefits of the carbon tax has evaporated.In 2008, BC made history by becoming the first Canadian jurisdiction to implement a carbon tax under the previous BC Liberal government. Initially, it was a modest tax that aimed to be revenue-neutral by offsetting other taxes. However, when the NDP took over, the tax's true nature was revealed as it transformed into a "cash cow," with rates increasing in line with the federal carbon tax mandate. Notably, consumers in BC did not receive any rebates.The federal Conservatives' push to end the carbon tax has been prominent. Poilievre again challenged to have a "carbon tax election." Consequently, it appears that the federal NDP leader Jagmeet Singh has also caved on the tax, as he is facing two federal byelections in which the carbon tax is a big issue.Singh’s way of wriggling out of his poor polling performance was to say that he wants to see an approach to fighting the climate crisis that doesn’t put the burden on the backs of working people. That is the primary point of both Conservative leaders Poilievre and Rustad from BC.Deputy Conservative Leader Melissa Lantsman told the Western Standard, “No Canadian believes Sellout Jagmeet Singh for one second.""Singh and the NDP have betrayed workers by voting for the carbon tax at least 24 times, making the cost of groceries, fuel, and home heating soar and forcing record numbers of Canadians to rely on food banks and live in homeless encampments," said Lantsman.The federal carbon tax, also known as a price on carbon, came into effect at $20 per tonne in 2019. It has steadily climbed and is scheduled to rise from $65 per tonne to $80. It is scheduled to go up another $15 annually until 2030 when it reaches $170 a tonne. The increases are meant to act as a financial incentive (penalty tax) for people and businesses to change their behaviour to burn less fossil fuel and transition to greener forms of energy such as electricity. A homeowner would be compelled to retrofit their home to save on heating, install a heat pump, or switch a gas-powered vehicle to an electric one.There are many Western Standards articles about how the electrical grid cannot accommodate the mandated change schedule.There are also two systems for pricing carbon in Canada: the fuel charge applied to consumers and another system applied to the industrial sector.So, in both cases of policy reversal by the NDP, it is not administrative wisdom but rather polling that matters. The carbon tax hucksters have lost the debate in the public mind over the unrealistic punitive taxes meant to manipulate consumer behaviour.BC. Conservative leader John Rustad says that Eby's reversal on the tax is a desperate attempt to salvage his sinking political ship. Eby is now campaigning against his own policy.Singh also has felt the pressure. On September 16, there are two federal byelections: one in LaSalle—Émard—Verdun to fill the Quebec seat left vacant by the retirement of former Liberal cabinet minister David Lametti. The second byelection is in Elmwood—Transcona to pick a successor for former Manitoba NDP MP Daniel Blaikie, who left federal politics to work with the provincial NDP government. British Columbia goes to the polls on October 19.
