Prime Minister Justin Trudeau achieved a historic climate-change accord Friday but could not win support for his national carbon pricing plan from key Western provinces. Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall and Manitoba’s Brian Pallister would not sign the pan-Canadian framework on clean growth and climate change, while British Columbia Premier Christy Clark postponed any commitment to increase her province’s carbon tax in line with the federal schedule.
Ms. Clark created some drama late in the afternoon when she emerged from the meeting to say she would not sign a deal unless the Prime Minister agreed on a mechanism to ensure carbon pricing was being done fairly across the country. B.C. already has a $30 carbon tax and the Premier demanded assurances that all the provinces will meet an equivalent price before she commits her province to hiking it to $50 a tonne by 2022, in line with the target set by Ottawa.
SHAWN McCARTHY, Robert Fife, and Gloria Galloway – Globe and Mail – December 9, 2016.
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