FORSETH: Premier Eby gets it dead wrong on carbon tax resistance

Federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre recently wrote to B.C. Premier David Eby, asking him to join the provincial effort to halt the federal carbon price increase, slated for April 1. Eby turned him down flat. In fact he summarily dismissed Poilievre's letter as a “baloney factory” campaign tactic. To this writer, Poilievre’s letter seemed nothing of the sort, but instead a straightforward, good faith effort to have British Columbia to join seven other provinces in opposing the April 1 tax increase that is costing too many Canadians, too much. But you be the judge. Here's what Poilievre said on March 15th:Dear Premier Eby:On April 1st the federal carbon tax is increasing by 23%. This is a federally mandated tax that most provinces have refused to administer. In those provinces, the federal government is administering it directly. In British Columbia, your government has agreed to administer it on behalf of the federal government.It makes no difference to the hard-working people of British Columbia who administers the tax, they still pay it. The tax will cost British Columbians an extra 18 cents/litre to fill up their cars this year, and BC already has the highest gas prices in Canada. Nearly 200,000 people in BC used food banks in a single month last year. As people across our country are struggling, the last thing they need is another tax increase.The carbon tax system set up by Justin Trudeau is a federal imposition on the provinces that requires them to accept the ever-increasing federal tax.Your government has explicitly said that the carbon tax regime your provincial government administers will increase the tax "to align with" federal carbon tax requirements.Federal Conservatives are asking Trudeau to stop his April 1st hike. Seven other Premiers in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, PEI, and Newfoundland and Labrador have also asked the federal government to stop the hike.I am writing, asking that you:1. Do not administer the April 1st tax hike.2. Join the seven other Premiers demanding Trudeau stop the hike.British Columbians and all Canadians are in desperate need of relief. They can’t afford another tax hike.Sincerely, The Hon. Pierre Poilievre, P.C., MPWell, if that's baloney, let's have more of it.Here's the thing. The big Canadian lie the Prime Minister has repeated many times in the House of Commons without direct challenge, is that the “carbon tax is a price on pollution”. The truth is that carbon dioxide is a gas that is necessary for life on Earth. It is only a theoretical distant hope at best, to assert that taxing carbon gas production will change the climate. The government has never produced evidence linking cause and effect of the carbon tax to actual climate change. Moreover, measured amounts of CO2 production are going up while the carbon tax has been in place. However, the carbon tax has been linked to poverty and social hurt. It is dishonest for Trudeau to talk about summer forest fires and link it to the carbon tax. If there was no carbon tax, there would be no need for expensively administered rebates. Why rebates? The false reasoning is that someone else (corporations) will pay, and the lowly taxpayer should not. But manufacturers won’t pay, as all their costs of production and delivery of products to customers will include carbon pricing or other expensive climate-related regulations. The customer pays for everything in the end. Trudeau speaks against premiers who are reflecting the desires of their voters. It is called political accountability. Trudeau obviously doesn’t like accountability, as he said it is not his job to be overly popular (or accountable.) He wraps himself in self virtue, and just claims that he needs to do what is right for Canada. He is delusional. He is not right. Politicians are supposed to ultimately reflect the will of citizens, and not dictate beyond reason. Trudeau is saying the opposite, and everyone just shrugs. Canada is supposed to be different from Russia. We have lost count of the scandals and hurtful policy measures the NDP-Liberals have burdened upon Canada. Now, we see BC Premier Eby continue the NDP tradition of wrongful support, for a discredited government.

FORSETH: Premier Eby gets it dead wrong on carbon tax resistance

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