Ontario Premier Doug Ford had some choice words about the Liberal government’s incoming carbon tax hike.
Recently, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and members of his cabinet revealed that they will be raising the carbon tax on Canadian consumers by $15 a year until it reaches $170 paper tonne in 2030.
Under the new pricing regime, Canadians can expect to pay $50 per tonne of carbon emissions by the year 2022.
“I just can’t understand for the life of me why anyone would want to put a burden on the backs of hard working people of this province,” said Ford during a Friday afternoon press conference.
“Folks, this carbon tax is going to be the worst thing you’ve ever seen. It’s going to increase the cost of your groceries, it’s going to increase the cost of travelling, it’s going to increase every good and service you have out there.”
Since being elected premier, Ford has been a prominent critic of the federal carbon tax. Ontario, along with a number of other provinces, have taken the matter to court where they are arguing that the tax is unconstitutional and that it infringes on the sovereignty of provinces.
“We can protect the environment, I’m a strong believer of protecting the environment, but you don’t have to protect the environment on the backs of hardworking people of this province and this country and at a time where people are barely holding on by their fingernails,” said Ford.
“I was floored when I heard this. As a matter of fact, I couldn’t believe it, I had to double check.”
Critics have claimed the carbon tax has been ineffective in reducing carbon emissions and that it unnecessarily targets regular Canadians instead of heavy emitters.
According to a recent report by the Fraser Institute, carbon taxes around the world have failed to benefit the environment or taxpayers.
“On average, 74% of carbon tax revenues in high-income OECD countries go directly into general revenues for governments with no specific use, 12% are earmarked for environmental spending and only 14% are returned to taxpayers,” the Fraser Institute wrote.
