On wednesday night, the leader of the federal conservatives, Pierre Poilievre, spoke at the Edmonton Expo Centre. He spoke about the new carbon tax increase that would change the current $65 dollars a tonne to $80.
Photo courtesy: Pierre Poilievre’s Instagram page.
Poilievre told the crowd that the carbon tax will also increase the costs of food and housing, but the claim has been challenged. Over 200 economists from Canadian universities signed an open letter saying that the tax is the cheapest way for Canada to reach its national climate goals. In the letter it was stated that oponents of the policy haven’t given any other ideas on how to reduce green-house gas emmisions.
“The sharp increase in inflation between 2021 and 2023 was caused by several factors, mainly related to the COVID-19 pandemic (disrupted supply chains, rapid growth in the money supply, and pent-up demand), and the impact of the Russia-Ukraine war on commodity prices. These forces are global, which is why most advanced countries—whether or not they have a carbon price—experienced very similar inflation.” – Open letter from eonomist on Canadian carbon pricing
