Brian Pallister refutes Doug Ford tweet on carbon pricing plan

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This article was published 19/07/2018 (2793 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Premier Brian Pallister maintains that Manitoba will stick with its carbon pricing plan after a tweet by his Ontario counterpart, Doug Ford, suggested otherwise.

Following a meeting between the two men Wednesday, Ford tweeted that Pallister had “reaffirmed his government’s commitment to working together to ensure that no carbon tax is ever imposed on the people or our great provinces.”

The Ford tweet was quickly deleted, although the CBC took a screen grab of it before it disappeared.

Speaking to Manitoba reporters Thursday from New Brunswick, where he is attending a first ministers’ meeting, Pallister noted that the tweet was withdrawn within a few minutes. He said it does not represent Manitoba’s views.

Pallister put the mistake down to inexperience on the part of the Ford team.

“I wouldn’t make a big deal of it,” he said. “I would simply ask for you to give consideration to the fact that this is a brand new team of people just come together and they’re doing the best they can with a learning curve we all go though in life.”

Manitoba will begin collecting its carbon tax on Dec. 1. The tax will add a little over a nickel a litre to the cost of gasoline and boost the cost of other fuels.

Saskatchewan and Ontario’s new Conservative government are refusing to implement the tax and are fighting Ottawa in the courts.

In reply to questions Thursday, Pallister said he is not concerned that local businesses could become less competitive if the provinces bordering Manitoba refuse to implement the carbon tax. He said he believes Prime Minister Justin Trudeau that Ottawa will impose the tax on provinces that refuse to implement one.

Pallister also refused to speculate what Manitoba might do if a Conservative government is elected federally in 2019 and abolishes the carbon tax.

“I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it,” he said.

Pallister said Manitoba is imposing its own tax to ensure that it can control revenues that arise from it. He has promised that all carbon tax revenue will be rebated to Manitobans in the form of decreased taxes, including cuts to income tax and a percentage point cut in the PST.

The premiers’ meeting in Saint Andrews, N.B., concludes on Friday. Agenda items include the possible creation of a national Pharmacare program, Greyhound’s planned pull-out from Western Canada, and the reduction of inter-provincial trade barriers.

Reducing barriers to trade among provinces is a big priority for Pallister. He has raised the matter continually with his western counterparts and also at the national level. He says the elimination of trade barriers within Canada would mean more money in Canadians’ pockets.

larry.kusch@freepress.mb.ca