Premier feels Yukon Party’s heat on carbon tax
Premier Sandy Silver was peppered with questions Thursday
Premier Sandy Silver was peppered with questions Thursday after a national newspaper story reported Ottawa’s carbon tax scheme will follow Alberta’s.
In Alberta, not everybody qualifies for carbon tax rebates, and those who do don’t get 100 per cent back, The Canadian Press reported.
Silver faced a barrage from the official Opposition.
Yukon Party MLAs wanted to know how the premier could live up to his promise of a revenue neutral tax scheme that would see every penny of carbon tax returned to Yukoners, in light of the national news suggesting that won’t be possible.
They wanted to know if the premier knew about Ottawa’s plan to follow Alberta’s lead, and what, if anything, he was doing about it.
“So the premier has promised Yukon families and businesses that 100 per cent of them will get all their money back, but now we find out that the premier’s scheme is based on a plan that doesn’t give rebates to 40 per cent of households,” Opposition house leader Scott Kent told the legislature during question period.
“My question is simple: Why was the premier wrong?”
Silver said he’ll wait to see what Ottawa announces before he comments on the suggestion that the federal government is locked into Alberta’s line of thinking.
“We will wait until Ottawa tells us about their federal pricing mechanism. We’re going to wait,” Silver told the legislature.
“As I have said over and over again, this is a federal carbon-pricing mechanism. It will be collected by the federal government, and when we do have more information, we will determine how this money will be collected and given back in a revenue-neutral way to Yukon businesses and Yukon families.”
The premier said he is not going to adopt a policy of governance based on headlines in newspapers.
Silver continually countered that he’ll wait to learn Ottawa’s position in writing before jumping to any conclusions, and that he’ll wait to see how Ottawa responds to the agreement it has signed with the territory regarding the carbon tax.
The Yukon Party, the premier emphasized to the legislature, knows exactly what the agreement says.
It seems, Silver suggested, the opposition MLAs are attempting to stir up a hornet’s nest unnecessarily – just as they did last week with suggestions of possible layoffs of civil servants, health care privatization or hydraulic fracking as the Yukon faces lean financial years ahead.
The agreement between the Yukon and Ottawa speaks to the principles, goals and objectives of a carbon tax.
It says, in part: “The Government of Yukon and the Government of Canada will also work together to assess the implications of carbon pricing in Canada on the cost of living in Yukon. This will be an important consideration for future policy development.
“As outlined in the federal government’s benchmark, 100 per cent of the revenues from carbon pricing will be retained by Yukon. Yukon government will distribute these revenues back to individual Yukoners and businesses through a rebate.”
The Canadian Press is reporting it has spoken to an inside source who has seen the federal plan, and is saying that it will be released next week.
In its 2016 election platform, the Liberals committed to “working with the Government of Canada to ensure that all funds collected in Yukon through a federal carbon pricing mechanism will be returned to Yukon to be distributed back to individual Yukoners and businesses through a rebate....”
Kent told the legislature Thursday the Alberta model for carbon tax rebates is tied to income levels.
“This means that, by 2018, a couple with two children could pay an average of $600 more in taxes, whereas the rebate for a couple with two kids could max out only at $540 if they are one of the lucky 60 per cent who qualify,” said Kent.
“It turns out that the carbon tax scheme the premier signed on to is going to hit the wallets of Yukon families.”
The premier was not available for comment this morning. He and a couple of his ministers are in Faro attending the annual general meeting of the Association of Yukon Communities.
Comments (8)
Up 9 Down 1
north_of_60 on May 17, 2017 at 2:03 pm
Meeting Trudeau’s 2020 target would mean reducing Canada’s emissions by 109 Mt annually, the equivalent of shutting down Canada’s entire electricity sector (79 Mt of annual emissions) plus 41% of the agriculture sector (73 Mt of annual emissions), in less than four years.
To reach its 2030 target, the Trudeau government would have to reduce current emissions by 205 Mt annually, the equivalent of shutting down Canada’s entire transportation sector (173 Mt of annual emissions) plus 66% of the waste disposal sector (48 Mt of annual emissions), in less than 14 years.
Simply put, none of this is going to happen.
The federal and provincial carbon pricing plans now being imposed on Canadians aren’t going to get us there because their primary purpose is to increase government revenues, not lower emissions. In other words, they’re cash grabs.
http://www.torontosun.com/2017/05/06/greenhouse-gas-emission-promises-should-be-linked-to-past-practice
Up 8 Down 2
Josey Wales on May 17, 2017 at 12:35 pm
JS...how you ask? Decades of public school indoctrination, enviro-nazis breeding creating minions....and heaps of kool-aid.
Factor in the CBC and their sycophants also grabbing a glass, the holier than thou fruit fly scientist and his ENTIRE career of misinformation enabled and funded by his corporation. Which in turn is funded by those who pay tax, and might I add fed so so well by the liberals.
If not for the CBC and the kool-aid, the part time substitute drama teacher would not have the mandate he has.
The red team was devastated when tossed into 3rd party status, next time it might be fourth...behind the Green Party.
Up 18 Down 2
Just Say'in on May 15, 2017 at 9:49 pm
@PSG You see that is the very problem. People don't realize that this tax will be applied over and over again. The brewer down south will have Carbon Tax on their Heating Costs, their Grain that was taxed as well as the freight and carbon tax on the trucks that hauled it. The freight for the Beer to come up the highway and all that Carbon Tax as well. Not to mention the increase in general inflation and wages that all employees will need to survive in this new world order. It is a total scam and it will not be revenue neutral or why do it. Just Say'in. I do not understand how people can be so misled.
Up 20 Down 1
ProScience Greenie on May 14, 2017 at 1:02 pm
Can't understand why a locally brewed beer or locally grown potato, both with a low carbon footprint will have the same 5% carbon sin tax as beer or spuds hauled all the way up the Alaska Hwy from Outside with a heavy carbon footprint.
I'm no AGW Denier or fan of Scott Kent but I do know a cash grab when I see one. Better ways to reduce our footprint than this.
And the whole tax on a tax thing is just right out to lunch. Some out there might be made out of money but our family sure isn't.
Up 24 Down 7
north_of_60 on May 13, 2017 at 9:00 pm
How Fossil Fuels are Greening the Planet should be obvious to any intelligent person not blinded by the foolish Climate Change propaganda.
https://youtu.be/S-nsU_DaIZE
CO2 is plant food, and CO2 levels are finally climbing back to the levels they've been at for most of the earth's history. The greening of the planet has increased by about 30% since the industrial revolution began releasing stored CO2 back into the atmosphere. Taxing us to reduce CO2 is a scam that only fools will fall for.
Up 36 Down 8
Joseph nicolas on May 13, 2017 at 10:19 am
The carbon tax is a multilayered tax which will add up to an HST tax of 15%...total tax fraud ...based on a climate change hoax....how will a tax change the climate? TOTAL FRAUD...How do scientists explain the melting of the ice age ....when NO ONE consumed fossil fuels?...the carbon tax is a total scam and TAX grab.
Up 8 Down 36
Captain Obvious on May 13, 2017 at 8:46 am
This scheme to get people to stop using fossil fuels in a needless fashion because it is screwing up the planet, ( Enough water for you bozos?) has not been engineered by Sandy Silver but will benefit everyone.
If the opposition needs a quick answer as they drive their one person crew-cab into work from Copper belt south, they could ask their National leader. (oh, they don't have anyone qualified yet.)
Up 32 Down 10
Louie on May 13, 2017 at 1:15 am
So we pay more to drive plus you cut 20 million from highways because the safety of the traveling public is not a concern. The north canol is abandoned and the Dempster will not be improved. Umm, I'd say to any tourists don't drive here, Wow what an outfit we elected!!!