Kinew opens door to carbon tax discussions with Ottawa

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 17/01/2024 (611 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Premier Wab Kinew is interested in working with Ottawa to examine the federal carbon tax in Manitoba.

“I think that Manitoba has a very strong case to make that the carbon price could be revisited here in our province,” he said Wednesday at an unrelated news conference.

Kinew’s government hit pause on Manitoba’s 14 cents per litre gas tax 2 1/2 weeks ago, leading to a drop in the price at the pumps.

The province is doing what it can to lower prices while also “paving the way” for Manitoba to lead a net-zero future, Kinew said.

He spoke during a funding announcement for a study about turning crops to airplane fuel in Portage la Prairie. Federal Energy and Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson was in attendance.

“We’re going to be having those conversations (on the carbon price) with the same sort of constructive, collaborative tone that we’re bringing… today,” Kinew said.

Ottawa’s carbon price will jump to 17 cents per litre of gasoline on April 1, up from 14 cents.

Several provinces, including British Columbia and Quebec, have their own alternatives to the federal carbon tax.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford, among others, has called for the elimination of the carbon tax after Ottawa issued a three-year pause for home heating oil in some parts of the country to help residents transition to cleaner heating systems.

“The carbon price is one tool in the context of a broad approach to addressing the climate emergency,” Wilkinson said Wednesday.

The federal government addressed the issue of affordability through carbon rebates, he added, saying lower-income Canadians “receive more money than they actually pay.”

Kinew didn’t offer details on when conversations about revisiting the carbon price might occur.

gabrielle.piche@winnipegfreepress.com