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Yahoo
31-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
B.C. NDP fast-tracking end of consumer carbon tax. Eby says gas to drop 17 cents
British Columbia's government is fast-tracking the end of its consumer carbon tax ahead of the lifting of the federal equivalent on Tuesday, with Premier David Eby saying consumers should expect immediate price relief at the gas pumps. The NDP's bill amending B.C.'s Carbon Tax Act to set the consumer rate at $0 has passed its first reading, with B.C. Green MLA Rob Botterell the lone dissenting vote. Eby's government then successfully sought accelerated consideration to pass the legislation in one day, after a two-week break in sittings of the legislature. The premier says at a news conference that consumers should expect a gas price drop of 17 cents per litre when the consumer tax is lifted Tuesday. NDP House Leader Mike Farnworth had told the legislature the bill's passage was a "matter of confidence" for the government, and Speaker Raj Chouhan later ruled the bill sufficiently urgent and limited in scope to meet the test for fast-tracking. Opposition finance critic Peter Milobar had said the government could have dealt with the bill sooner by recalling the legislature, and instead it waited until the "11th hour." He said the government's approach has been "ham-fisted," unfairly cutting off discussion among members of the legislature. "We are essentially left to spend a couple of hours trying to quickly cobble together a cognizant response to something that has been in the public conversation for quite some time," Milobar said in the legislature on Monday. B.C. Green Leader Jeremy Valeriote, meanwhile, said his party couldn't support passing the bill in a single day. He said members of the legislature "need time to seek answers from government" about how it intends to resolve issues, including the end of the climate action tax rebate that B.C. residents had come to expect on a quarterly basis and the significant financial shortfall the end of the tax leaves for the province. "We don't consider that meeting the convenience of fuel producers or aligning with other provinces is sufficient grounds for urgency," Valeriote told the legislature. A joint statement issued by Eby's office and the ministries of energy and finance says cancelling the tax and credit will have an estimated impact of $1.99 billion in the coming fiscal year. "The province will restructure programs funded by carbon tax revenue to minimize the impact on B.C.'s budget, while supporting people in British Columbia in achieving climate goals," the statement says. Eby has said the province would continue to ensure big industrial emitters pay through the output-based carbon-pricing system. Tariff response rollback The legislative break also included a significant rollback of the government's proposed response to U.S. tariffs on Canadian goods. Monday's sitting is the first since Eby announced the removal of a portion of the controversial tariff response bill that would have given his cabinet sweeping powers to address challenges "arising from the actions of a foreign jurisdiction" without them being debated in the legislature. Eby said last week that the bill was still needed but required more safeguards after stakeholders raised concerns about overreach, while the Opposition B.C. Conservatives have said the whole thing needs to be scrapped. U.S. President Donald Trump has said he will be bringing new "reciprocal" tariffs against Canada starting April 2, while Prime Minister Mark Carney has responded that Canada would implement new retaliatory tariffs if the president goes ahead.
CBC
31-03-2025
- Business
- CBC
B.C. NDP fast-tracking end of consumer carbon tax. Eby says gas to drop 17 cents
British Columbia's government is fast-tracking the end of its consumer carbon tax ahead of the lifting of the federal equivalent on Tuesday, with Premier David Eby saying consumers should expect immediate price relief at the gas pumps. The NDP's bill amending B.C.'s Carbon Tax Act to set the consumer rate at $0 has passed its first reading, with B.C. Green MLA Rob Botterell the lone dissenting vote. Eby's government then successfully sought accelerated consideration to pass the legislation in one day, after a two-week break in sittings of the legislature. The premier says at a news conference that consumers should expect a gas price drop of 17 cents per litre when the consumer tax is lifted Tuesday. NDP House Leader Mike Farnworth had told the legislature the bill's passage was a "matter of confidence" for the government, and Speaker Raj Chouhan later ruled the bill sufficiently urgent and limited in scope to meet the test for fast-tracking. Opposition finance critic Peter Milobar had said the government could have dealt with the bill sooner by recalling the legislature, and instead it waited until the "11th hour." He said the government's approach has been "ham-fisted," unfairly cutting off discussion among members of the legislature. "We are essentially left to spend a couple of hours trying to quickly cobble together a cognizant response to something that has been in the public conversation for quite some time," Milobar said in the legislature on Monday. B.C. Green Leader Jeremy Valeriote, meanwhile, said his party couldn't support passing the bill in a single day. He said members of the legislature "need time to seek answers from government" about how it intends to resolve issues, including the end of the climate action tax rebate that B.C. residents had come to expect on a quarterly basis and the significant financial shortfall the end of the tax leaves for the province. "We don't consider that meeting the convenience of fuel producers or aligning with other provinces is sufficient grounds for urgency," Valeriote told the legislature. A joint statement issued by Eby's office and the ministries of energy and finance says cancelling the tax and credit will have an estimated impact of $1.99 billion in the coming fiscal year. "The province will restructure programs funded by carbon tax revenue to minimize the impact on B.C.'s budget, while supporting people in British Columbia in achieving climate goals," the statement says. Eby has said the province would continue to ensure big industrial emitters pay through the output-based carbon-pricing system. Tariff response rollback The legislative break also included a significant rollback of the government's proposed response to U.S. tariffs on Canadian goods. Monday's sitting is the first since Eby announced the removal of a portion of the controversial tariff response bill that would have given his cabinet sweeping powers to address challenges "arising from the actions of a foreign jurisdiction" without them being debated in the legislature. Eby said last week that the bill was still needed but required more safeguards after stakeholders raised concerns about overreach, while the Opposition B.C. Conservatives have said the whole thing needs to be scrapped.
CBC
20-02-2025
- Business
- CBC
'Bare minimum': Sask. Opposition slams province's plan for short spring sitting in face of U.S. tariffs
Saskatchewan's Opposition NDP has slammed the provincial government's plan for a shortened spring sitting. On Tuesday, the government announced the Saskatchewan Legislature would open on March 19, with the provincial budget to be presented that day. It will be one of the rare times in the province's recent history — the other being 2021 due to the COVID pandemic — that the government will not face two weeks of questions before presenting a budget. NDP Leader Carla Beck called it the "bare minimum" in the face of the looming threat of U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs. Beck and NDP House Leader Nicole Sarauer stressed they were not accusing the provincial government of breaking the rules, but said the move is not appropriate under the circumstances Saskatchewan is facing. "Not only are we not seeing an emergency session, we are seeing two and a half weeks less accountability at a time when when I think we need more," Beck said in a news conference on Tuesday. Tariff threat imminent Trump has announced plans for two waves of tariffs. The first would implement a 25 per cent tariff on all Canadian goods and is slated to take effect on March 4. The second, scheduled for March 12, would see 25 per cent tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports to the U.S. Beck said that if the legislature were in session, the government would have the ability to quickly respond to those tariffs by passing legislation with unanimous consent. Instead, the legislature will not return until at least a week after the second round of tariffs is expected. "If there ever was an all-hands-on-deck moment, it's this," Beck said. Moe returns from trade trip Moe spent last week in Washington, D.C., as part of a joint-mission by Canadian premiers and the Council of the Federation. He met with American officials like Secretary of Energy Chris Wright and Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum. Moe also travelled to Mexico, visiting Guadalajara and Mexico City. On Wednesday, Moe defended his government's decision to not recall the legislature until March 19. "We'll have much time to talk to the leader of the Opposition and you know, the various critics that they have," Moe said. "I would suggest that they are not influential in the Trump administration and we need to take the time that we have now to engage with those that are." WATCH| Moe says he's working to change minds in Washington: Moe says he's working to change minds in Washington 8 days ago Duration 1:45 Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe is in Washington this week. Before U.S. President Donald Trump announced steel and aluminum tariffs on Canada on Monday, Moe was on CBC's Power and Politics to talk about how he's warning people at the Capitol of the consequences of tariffs and working to change their minds. He says blanket tariffs will mean job losses on both sides of the border. Moe said his trip was meant to strengthen trade ties with both countries. The premier insisted now is not the time to focus on "how hard" Canada can stick it to the United States. "I would say that Canada and Saskatchewan will remain the largest trading partner of the United States long beyond and past this president's term," said Moe. Moe said the upcoming budget will deliver on his government's promise to deliver a better province. The NDP said the government is required to have at least 29 days of budget scrutiny. They don't expect the sitting will last beyond that.
