Carbon-pricing: Good for Wolseley, good for all

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 03/02/2021 (847 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

When it comes to climate change, we have run out of time to delay action. I know many of us in Wolseley are deeply concerned about ensuring the habitability of our planet and are willing to make drastic changes to our society to protect the future of our children and grandchildren.

One of those changes we have to make is kicking our carbon dependency. Carbon pricing is a well-established and proven strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The federal carbon pricing plan, if approved past 2023, will see the carbon price increase $15 per year starting in 2023, rising to $170 per tonne of pollution in 2030. Most of these funds will be returned to consumers and the remaining revenue will be reinvested in Canada’s electric vehicle charging infrastructure, incentives for purchasing zero-emission vehicles, home retrofits, and investments in natural capital like trees, wetlands, and agricultural lands.

Here in Manitoba, the Premier has continuously flip-flopped on carbon pricing – indecision we can’t afford in a crisis. He committed to carbon pricing in his 2016 campaign, then promptly refused to sign onto the federal plan. In 2017, he introduced the Made in Manitoba Green Plan with a flat $25 carbon price, but abandoned it one year later. Pallister then proceeded to waste taxpayers’ money with a lengthy court challenge of the federal carbon price, which is still ongoing. In March 2020 he reintroduced the $25 price, pending a one per cent reduction in the PST, but this has been deferred owing to COVID-19.

The provincial government is not committed to climate leadership. It recently congratulated itself for contributing funding to Climate West, a climate-change adaptation organization after cutting funding for other environmental organizations that work to prevent climate change from occurring. You can’t fund one and cut the other.

Now the government has begun a review of recycling and waste diversion when it just cut $360,000 from organizations such as Green Action Centre, which do exactly that. Manitobans see right through the government’s green-washing.

We are running out of time to take serious climate action. Manitobans deserve a government that invests in reducing our emissions and greening our economy – not one that cuts and hides at every turn. We need a climate plan that meets our emissions reduction targets and benefits Manitobans of all income levels. In a just transition, no one is left behind.

Please reach out to our office with questions or concerns as we are still serving you while our office is closed to visitors. Call 204-792-2773 or email lisa.naylor@yourmanitoba.ca

Lisa Naylor
Wolseley constituency report

Lisa Naylor is the NDP MLA for Wolseley.

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