View From the Legislature

During the last election campaign, Manitoba Progressive Conservatives made the case that the Trudeau government’s carbon tax should be removed from home heating costs. Currently in Manitoba, it is applied to natural gas impacting many Manitobans who, of course, have no choice but to heat their homes during the winter months. Manitoba Progressive Conservatives went so far as to commit to removing the federal carbon tax from natural gas if re-elected and taking the issue to court with the federal government.

When this was announced, many Liberal and NDP supporters criticized the idea for several reasons. Some said the carbon tax is equally applied across Canada, others, echoing the Prime Minister, said the carbon tax really does not make things less affordable because rebates are provided quarterly.

Those arguments were quickly destroyed this past week at the hands of Prime Minister Trudeau himself when it was announced that the carbon tax would be removed from the bills of those who heat their homes with heating oil. But only for those who heat their homes in that manner. While this policy applies nationally, it had a much narrower target as almost all those who heat their homes with heating oil live in Atlantic Canada. That is also an area of the country where the Liberals are very concerned about their slumping support. And in case anyone was still uncertain if the move was politically motivated, federal Liberal Cabinet Minister Gudie Hutchings removed all doubts by stating if other parts of Canada also were seeking relief, they should elect more Liberal Members of Parliament.

The reality is that in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta, the Liberal move was a symbolic stick in the eye as residents in these provinces are also facing economic challenges but will not benefit from the carbon tax reversal as they don’t use home heating oil. And the assertion by the Liberal cabinet that only provinces that elect a substantial number of Liberals will be considered for relief is the ultimate insult.

It also calls into question the hallmark policy that the federal Liberal government has been advancing to combat climate change. Already burdened with a lack of evidence that it is reducing the carbon footprint and little public support, the federal government has now acknowledged that it is willing to use the imposition or withdrawal of the tax as a political lever. It also acknowledged with the flip-flop that the rebates are not, as has been the federal position until this week, making up for the additional cost of the tax.

While Manitoba’s NDP have, at the writing of this article, been silent on the most recent development around the carbon tax, the federal NDP and other provincial NDP parties have voiced their concern over the inequity and federal Conservatives have new rationale in their ongoing effort to “Axe the Tax.”

All of this prompted the Saskatchewan government to announce that it would be removing carbon tax from natural gas without federal permission and Alberta is considering a return to court on the basis the tax is now being applied arbitrarily. Both Premiers rightly pointed out that it is their obligation to work to ensure that their residents are being treated fairly. Sadly, Mr. Trudeau seems to have forgotten that fair and equitable treatment of Canadians is something that should concern him as well.