Chantal Hebert writes that, on Thursday, the Supreme Court will rule on the Trudeau government's carbon tax:
For Justin Trudeau’s government, the stakes could not be higher. Should the court find that Ottawa has exceeded its constitutional powers, one of the consequences of the decision would be to transfer the lead in the Canadian fight on climate change to largely unfriendly premiers.
The federal carbon tax only applies in provinces that decline to meet the floor price on greenhouse gas emissions set by Ottawa using policies of their own. With Ontario, Alberta and Saskatchewan leading the charge, they have been fighting the tax in the courts.
There is a consensus that without a carbon tax in its toolbox, Ottawa would struggle to craft an alternative plan efficient enough for Canada to have a shot at meeting its 2050 target of a carbon-free economy. That consensus includes a number of prominent Conservative thinkers.
Yet, at this weekend's Conservative convention, the delegates voted down a resolution recognizing the reality of climate change. Erin O'Toole bowed to his delegates' wishes:
On Friday, he told his party’s convention that a Conservative government would “scrap Justin Trudeau’s carbon tax on working Canadians.” In the same breath, the CPC leader promised to come up with a credible alternative.
That's exactly what Andrew Scheer promised in the last election, where "two-thirds of the electorate voted for parties that supported a carbon tax."
Back in the 1950s, a significant number of Americans referred to the Republican Party as "The Stupid Party." That moniker applies equally to the 21st Century Conservative Party of Canada.
Image: quotefancy.com
