Canada's progressive carbon tax has helped put a dent in the country's pollution and put money back in taxpayers' pockets. But all that progress could be unraveled if conservatives win the upcoming election.
What's happening?
As the Guardian detailed, Conservative Party of Canada leader Pierre Poilievre has warned that the country could face an "apocalyptic" future because of a federal carbon tax that has been in place since 2019. While many experts have praised the tax for its positive environmental impact, conservatives are pushing for its reversal, arguing it causes residents undue hardship amid the country's ongoing cost-of-living crisis.
However, that argument doesn't hold water, as taxpayers receive quarterly rebates that can be roughly equal to the amount they pay in increased fuel taxes. Experts have found that low-income households get even more back from the rebate than they pay in carbon taxes, per the Guardian.
And yet, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who announced plans for the carbon tax in 2018, is falling behind in the polls. Meanwhile, conservatives are sharing their "axe the tax" campaign message throughout the country, aiming to persuade voters that the policy is bad for their wallets.
The massive misinformation campaign could threaten the environment and people's pocketbooks and make it harder for governments to enforce climate policies.
"Climate and more generally the environment is now caught into this culture war where facts don't matter, where the truth has no currency," Canada's environment minister, Steven Guilbeault, told the Guardian. "This is an issue that speaks to the fundamental elements of our democracies around the world, many of which are being weakened by those campaigns of disinformation."
Why is this important?
Canada's Department of Finance states that an average four-person household in Ontario will receive CA$1,120 (about $800) in carbon rebates for 2024-25. A family of four living in rural communities in that province will get CA$1,344 (about $965) in rebates. Going without these rebates could make life much less affordable, especially for low-income residents already strained by higher rents, grocery costs, and energy bills.
In addition, nixing the carbon tax could make it impossible for Canada to meet its 2030 pollution targets. The government introduced a plan for Canada to reduce pollution by 40%-45% by 2030, compared to 2005 levels.
If national carbon tax policies are maintained on consumers and industry, it could slash emissions by up to 50% by 2030, per a report by the Canadian Climate Institute, as the Guardian summarized. Guilbeault told the Guardian that without the tax, there would be "no way" Canada could fulfill its climate agreements.
Canada has already faced unprecedented wildfires, floods, and heat waves in recent years, per the Canadian Climate Institute and Statistics Canada, as a result of our overheating planet. If the tax is dismissed, it would put more communities at risk and cause further environmental damage.
What's being done to save the carbon tax?
Some experts are using their voices to share accurate information about the tax and protect voters from harmful disinformation campaigns.
"Climate policy isn't easy. It requires some effort to push against the things that are easy and simple politically, because that's this transformation that we need," Dale Beugin, the Canadian Climate Institute's vice president, told the Guardian.
We can get involved by voting for pro-climate candidates who are more likely to institute carbon taxes and talking with friends and family about critical climate issues.
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