NDP still supports a carbon levy

Party’s position under fire a day after leader Singh suggested they were looking at alternatives

This article was written by Mark Ramzy and was published in the Toronto Star on April 13, 2024.

Under fire, the federal New Democrats said Friday they continue to support a consumer carbon levy, a day after Leader Jagmeet Singh suggested his party is looking at alternatives.

“New Democrats have not changed our position on the consumer carbon price,” Singh said in a statement. “What we have done is commit to building a climate plan to make big polluters pay, bring down costs for Canadians, meet our emissions targets and unify people in taking on the climate crisis.”

After repeatedly refusing to clarify Friday whether the party saying it has “not changed” its position meant the New Democrats continue to support a consumer price on carbon, a senior NDP staff member told the Star, “We have supported it and that hasn’t changed.”

The clarification came two days after New Democrats supported a Tory motion in the House of Commons calling on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to host a televised national summit with Canada’s premiers to hear alternatives to his government’s carbon pricing policy.

Following Wednesday’s vote, the NDP had refused to say whether it believed a consumer carbon levy remained a necessary part of any climate action plan. Singh would only say his party would release its own plan, which would not place a burden on workers.

The NDP leader doubled down in a speech Thursday, distancing himself from the Liberal program under which, he said, “working families bear the cost of climate change while big polluters make bigger and bigger profits.” He called for more attention on policies that he said are “the biggest drivers of lowering emissions,” such as the industrial price on pollution.

“It can’t just be that our only approach to fighting the climate crisis is using free-market solutions,” Singh said. “That is not sufficient to meet the seriousness of what we’re up against.”

The New Democrats have supported the Trudeau government’s consumer carbon levy since it was implemented in 2019, and even campaigned on it in that year’s election campaign.

However, they objected when the government announced an exemption to the program for home-heating oil that was widely seen as an effort to win back the support of disaffected Liberals in Atlantic Canada, citing their opposition to what they deemed an “unfair” carve-out.

Before the NDP clarified its position on Friday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused it of caving to the Conservatives and taking a step back in the fight against climate change, while the Conservatives charged Singh was “desperate to run from his record.”

“I don’t entirely understand the position of the NDP in pulling back both from affordability measures and from the fight against climate change,” Trudeau told reporters in Vaughan. “The Conservatives are telling everyone they will take away those carbon rebate cheques and step back in the fight against climate change. It’s unfortunate that their arguments seem to be resonating with the NDP.”

In response, Singh said his party has not changed its position, but has committed to building a climate-change plan that focuses on punishing big polluters, bringing down costs, meeting targets and unifying Canadians.

“New Democrats are looking at ways to make life more affordable for people and fight the climate crisis with the urgency required,” Singh’s statement said.

The back-and-forth has drawn criticism from environmental groups, with one arguing the national climate conversation has “been stuck in a loop about rolling back progress” on the consumer price on carbon instead of proposing additional solutions.

“We have been hearing a lot about some parties’ reservations about carbon pricing in past weeks,” said Caroline Brouillette, the executive director of Climate Action Network Canada.

“What we have been hearing a lot less about, unfortunately, are the alternative climate proposals and plans these parties are putting forward.”

On Friday, Trudeau said he understood the challenge of “holding an unpopular position” on charging consumers for carbon, but defended its necessity while highlighting the rebates his government has paired with it.

“I’ll leave it to Jagmeet Singh to explain why he’s stepping back from the urgency both of the fight against climate change and the need to put more money in family’s pockets,” he said.

“But I can tell you that this government will continue to be steadfast in putting a price on pollution and giving that price to Canadians to help with affordability.”