Photo by Vince Fedoroff
Conservative Party Leader Andrew Scheer
Leader challenged on carbon pricing
Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer’s carbon tax stance was confronted by a guest at his Whitehorse luncheon on Wednesday.
Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer’s carbon tax stance was confronted by a guest at his Whitehorse luncheon on Wednesday.
Scheer said a Conservative government would repeal the carbon tax as one of its first actions. He instead wants to offer a green tax credit and patent to incentivize people to go green and cut emissions.
The guest asked how the Conservatives would incentivize the new technology and not just keep using fossil fuels.
Scheer explained that the housing sector troubles in Alberta and Saskatchewan are linked to the Liberals’ positions on the energy sector.
He added that his climate plan offers incentives to get people to renovate their homes, to be more efficient.
This can include replacing furnaces, upgrading windows and improving insulation. It would also include looking at building codes.
“I believe that would be a far more effective way at reducing greenhouse gas emissions than a carbon tax,” Scheer said.
Having an effective conversation about the environment starts by admitting carbon taxes don’t work, he told the luncheon. He said the green tax credit would go a long way to help Canadians.
The questioner said there had been such incentives when Stephen Harper was prime minister between 2006 and 2015 – but they were cut.
Investing in fossil fuels is investing in the past, the guest said, adding that batteries will soon replace fossil fuels.
Scheer said this program was not streamlined.
He stated that there is still a need for fossil fuels. If Canada does not provide them, they will be imported from countries like Venezuela or Saudi Arabia, he said. He would rather see Canadian oil serving Canada.
Scheer’s questioner fired back that had this been done 30 years ago, there would be no more gasoline-powered vehicles in 10 years.
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Comments (19)
Up 0 Down 0
Yukoner79 on Jul 12, 2019 at 11:08 am
To clarify, this "guest" of Scheer's was given the mike for a question, then somehow managed the get the mike back so he could be a total a$$. He became insolent and was very out of line. The fact that the media would make a story out of him, when that's obviously what he was trying to do - steal the show - is a disgrace. I was very excited about the message Scheer gave. However, I am not excited about some douche trying to steal the show. Have some class. Good thing you said you were from Saskatchewan.
Up 4 Down 6
Maxwell Smart on Jul 11, 2019 at 4:42 pm
Mr. Scheer reminds me of something I've been trying hard to forget. Harper!
Up 3 Down 3
Differences pending on Jul 9, 2019 at 6:36 pm
What is Max Bernier's PPC party's stance on women being in charge of the well being of their own bodies?
Up 8 Down 28
Will on Jul 8, 2019 at 1:48 pm
Good on the "guest" for challenging him, someone needs to. Scheer doesn't care about the environment, so the only way anything will ever happen is if he is forced to take some action.
Up 14 Down 15
Joyce Yeh on Jul 7, 2019 at 11:14 am
We need to do more than what anyone is saying about Yukon. Not just carbon tax.
1) affordable housing/rent housing for young people to come and work!
2) Safe community
3) low property tax to the real market value
4) license all business no more underground business; paying tax
5) Policy for air BNB: paying tax, fire inspection, WCB insurance and business license
6) Affordable daycare
7) Signing all agreement with Asian airlines, Middle east airlines and European airlines direct flight to Yukon with landing tourism visa options to bring more tourism people
8) Opening local gaming to help the local gov. income resources not just from only the property tax.
9) Opening mining and hiring some specialists from Australia or Europe (third party) to assess the pollution level in a fair report. Not just hiring people with no experiences and school graduates to do the mining environment checks. B.C. has numbers and numbers of unemployed mining specialist who has no jobs why the gov. not hire them as a contract to do more work ! asap .
10) Helping local economic growing: mining, tourism and mineral trading platform such as a 1 dollar big coin vs. 1 gram gold or something to open trade mineral marketing; the local gov. can have more income from this platform
11) we need big numbers of young teachers to come into Yukon to bring all education up to par.
Up 16 Down 2
BnR on Jul 7, 2019 at 11:03 am
".....rammed down your throat because you’re to dumb to realize you need it."
Oh the irony.....
Up 43 Down 8
Joe the fool on Jul 7, 2019 at 5:31 am
Oh Joe the millennial, pffft....mey mey cra cra! We will need fossil fuels long after you become a centennial. How do you think your little iPad is made, your plastic container where you put your granola crumbs. How to you think batteries are made. You speak like a typical naive little potato! Come October we need big nadas not little spuds.
Up 20 Down 30
D. Lang on Jul 6, 2019 at 9:18 pm
Scheer is challenged by far more than the carbon tax.
Up 10 Down 30
Politic0 on Jul 6, 2019 at 7:27 pm
@Max Mack - You should really read the paper. Haven't you noticed country after country replace carbon the green technology and coal and oil dying slow, screaming deaths. Yes, oil will be around for a long time but it's importance is becoming less and less. Our lungs will thank us!
Up 37 Down 13
Juniper Jackson on Jul 6, 2019 at 6:44 pm
Personally.. right now I am interested in having enough to eat and paying my bills. I want more to my life than work, eat, sleep, work,eat, sleep..The Tax.. is a tax. Scare tactics are always governments way of forcing the populace to do what the government wants them to do. While I think Mr. Scheer is ready..he also has strong allies in the Provinces. He has agreed to tackle our enormous debt, while Trudeau is still saying the budget will balance itself. He's clean..no guilty charges anywhere for Mr. Scheer, not involved in any scandals.
Our trade is in the sewer, business is waiting for Oct. It is to be hoped that Mr. Scheer can repair our international relationships. We need those countries to trade with us, or that bill will never get paid.. our biggest trade partner and ally used to be the United States, we need that relationship back.
The government comes out with figures like unemployment. Hey we created 10 jobs! They don't say they lost 84,000 in 2018 and 2,200. just last month. https://tradingeconomics.com/canada/employment-change
They say our gross national product is in great shape!!! 16th in the world!! woo hoo.. they don't say.. Federal and Provinces owe 1.4 trillion dollars...we pay, just federally, 26 billion dollars a year in interest. Everyone knows what Canada could do with an extra 2 billion dollars a month? http://www.generationscrewed.ca/how-screwed-are-you/explained--government-debt/
I don't even like Larry anymore after knowing him for over 35 years. How can he support and defend the current sitting government? How can anybody? At the very least Mr. Scheer will draw trade and business as they reach out to see what the new guy on the block will do. They already know what Trudeau has done to them.
Up 13 Down 26
John Clark on Jul 6, 2019 at 1:27 pm
Scheer has been presenting costs of Carbon Tax at their Gross figure. He does not take into account refunds, investments in rapid Transit, solar energy (I see Cardston AB is now claiming zero footprint thanks to Federal support), wind farms and intervention into the retail business allowing us to purchase home appliances and lighting at a reasonable cost and great savings.
Up 46 Down 10
Max Mack on Jul 5, 2019 at 11:26 pm
". . . the guest said, adding that batteries will soon replace fossil fuels."
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah!
Up 29 Down 25
Neuron Surgeon on Jul 5, 2019 at 8:24 pm
Everything Scheer alludes to has been or is currently available through many upgrade programs. He has nothing new with no costing or timelines or anything. When did rebates cease to become incentives?
Up 38 Down 22
Seth Wright on Jul 5, 2019 at 7:54 pm
Interesting tax that carbon thingy... The human body is made up of 6 main elements with carbon being the predominant element. Has Trudeau found a way around the politics of the imposition of a head-tax to generate increased revenue through immigration?
It’s not the corporations that will be paying. It is you the citizen... The carbon-based life-form to be forever reminded of your servitude to the corporatist super-structure... Your bond cemented... To be human is to be taxed by virtue of your elemental makeup...
Winston shuddered at the thought... After all, it was a crime to think such things... Life can be so taxing... lol
Up 32 Down 53
Michael Storm on Jul 5, 2019 at 5:40 pm
Trudeau will be more ready the second time around and hopefully it will be a minority government.
Andrew is not ready and he does not care about woman's rights.
Up 64 Down 126
Jim on Jul 5, 2019 at 4:29 pm
Whoever votes for Trudeau needs to leave Canada and return to their home country. He has done so much harm to our once great country.
Up 101 Down 81
Joe the Millennial on Jul 5, 2019 at 4:18 pm
PFFFT - the usual oil company jibber jabber from "Bible Boy Andy".
I am not interested in the country being run by the "oil patch" again.
Up 68 Down 46
Groucho d' North on Jul 5, 2019 at 4:02 pm
I doubt if any answer Scheer could give would have been adequate for these critics, but let's move on to debate about manufacturing batteries and all the carbon and nastiness required for that panacea.
Up 80 Down 58
Dentist on Jul 5, 2019 at 3:54 pm
I think Scheer’s incentive idea is a good one. Having the carbon tax is like having something rammed down your throat because you’re to dumb to realize you need it. Incentives are proactive while some taxes, like this one are reactive. If Sandy had listened to the people, he wouldn’t have imposed it. That’s something that Larry would do. I hadn’t realized they were so similar.
There are many things Scheer could do to lower emissions like allowing MPs two flights home a month instead of the current four.