The Carbon Tax Lie

Whatever your take on carbon pricing happens to be (for or against) there's one thing that's for certain: Climate change costs us more. Climate change costs us the health of those we love as they breath in wildfire smoke and it costs Canadians their homes by flooding and fires.

The carbon tax debate also completely leaves out the carbon price's impact on immediate fossil fuel-produced air pollution which claims the lives of 1 out of 7 Canadians.

The fossil fuel industry wants people to believe it's climate policy that costs Canadians, that climate policy is part of some big conspiracy, when its the industry's actions and obscene profits which really make the difference. That's biggest carbon tax lie out there - especially since for each dollar of inflation in the last two years in Canada, 25 cents has gone to oil and gas and mining extraction profits.

Conor talks with about the real costs of carbon pricing and how it's centrality in conversations about the cost of living and climate policy is a distraction from more pressing concerns - a distraction that the oil and gas lobbyists love. We also discus the carbon price's minimal impact on inflation, the minimal impact of upcoming carbon price increases, the methodology of the Parliamentary Budget Officer, and how to talk with others on this issue.

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Dr. Louise Comeau is a Senior Advisor at Re.Climate, Carleton University’s centre for climate change communications and public engagement. She is also a member of the federal Net Zero Advisory Body. Louise has more than 30 years’ experience in climate change policy, communications, and solutions-related advocacy and programming. Louise holds a doctorate in environmental management, focused on environmental ethics and behaviour change from the University of New Brunswick.

Robb Barnes is the Climate Program Director at the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE). Robb has over 20 years of nonprofit governance experience, including 15 years of involvement on climate and environmental issues. Robb’s work has focused on executive leadership, engagement organizing, climate-friendly cities and data-driven communications. 

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