Environment Minister Catherine McKenna is berating Conservative MPs for sending information to constituents on how to file income taxes without mentioning the carbon tax rebates to which they may be entitled.
鈥淐anadians deserve a lot better from politicians,鈥� McKenna said in an interview with CTV鈥檚 Power Play. 鈥淭hey deserve to know the facts.鈥�
Earlier this week, she sent a letter to Conservative MPs from Ontario, Manitoba and Saskatchewan -- provinces that have opposed the government鈥檚 so-called 鈥渢ax on pollution鈥� -- to relay her concerns about their sending information to Canadians without mentioning the rebates.
The government says that 90 per cent of all funds collected from the carbon tax will be given back to citizens of the provinces that repeal the tax in the form of a rebate.
McKenna added that Alberta premier-designate Jason Kenney, whose United Conservative Party toppled Rachel Notley鈥檚 NDP government in Tuesday鈥檚 provincial election, fails to understand that climate change is 鈥渁s much an economic issue as an environmental issue.鈥�
She noted that Alberta has seen insurance costs balloon after severe weather events 鈥� forest fires, droughts and floods 鈥� that may have been caused by climate change, so voters there understand better than most the costs of inaction.
Kenney roared to victory by tapping into a widespread sense of grievance and anxiety that has festered since global oil prices crashed in 2014, plunging the oil-rich province into a recession from which recovery has been slow.
He joins the premiers of Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and New Brunswick in opposing the federal government鈥檚 carbon tax and has promised to repeal it once he is sworn in.
鈥淲e don鈥檛 believe that punishing people for heating their homes during a cold winter or driving to work or buying their groceries is an environmental policy,鈥� Kenney said in an interview with CTV鈥檚 Power Play.
He added that his government will be imposing a levy on major industrial emitters of greenhouse gases that will have a built-in 鈥渋ncentive for shrinking carbon intensity.鈥�
Kenney鈥檚 election is almost certain to make Prime Minister Justin Trudeau鈥檚 environmental policies an election issue. He has also taken issue with Bill C-69, the government鈥檚 pending legislation that overhauls the review process for major resource projects.
Kenney said he is prepared to use all of the 鈥減olitical and legal tools鈥� at his disposal to counter obstacles to pipeline construction and to 鈥渁ssert Alberta鈥檚 vital economic interests.鈥�
He said that his campaign pledges to shut off the oil taps to neighbouring anti-pipeline British Columbia and to hold a referendum in 2021 on removing equalization from the Constitution if there鈥檚 no progress on pipelines were not empty threats.
鈥淚n Canada, the squeaky wheel gets the grease,鈥� Kenney said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 what Quebec has shown us for 40 years. It鈥檚 about time we were prepared to assert ourselves with similar strength.鈥�
Kenney鈥檚 comments came on the same day that the federal government announced that it is delaying its decision on the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project until June 18 鈥� nearly a month after its original deadline 鈥� in order to complete consultations with Indigenous groups.
The federal government bought the pipeline, which would carry refined bitumen from Alberta to the B.C. coast and then to overseas markets, for $4.5 billion last year. But construction has been stalled since a federal appeals court judge said that the government failed to adequately consult with Indigenous groups and to conduct a proper environmental review.
鈥淚t鈥檚 frustrating to see all of the endless delays,鈥� Kenney said, adding in a more conciliatory tone that he understands that the federal government has to satisfy requirements from the federal courts.
鈥淨uite frankly, this project should have been shovels in the ground well over a year ago,鈥� he said.
