Leader of the B.C. New Democrats
We’ve got a problem in B.C. when it comes to climate action. Carbon pollution is going up, not down in B.C. under Christy Clark. And if she has her way it will continue to go up for the next 10 years.
And Christy Clark’s government isn’t using the carbon tax that B.C. families pay to directly invest in growing a sustainable economy.
She isn’t using the carbon tax to build green infrastructure and create good jobs.
Instead a big chunk of the carbon tax money that ordinary families pay goes to tax breaks for the rich and Christy Clark’s corporate friends.
Christy Clark is not reducing carbon pollution. Her carbon tax isn’t working. It is not working for families and it is not working for our environment.
Christy Clark only cares about the needs of her corporate friends and the big polluters who pay the B.C. Liberals’ election bills.
British Columbians can’t afford another decade of worsening carbon pollution.
Christy Clark has us going in the wrong direction. We’ve got to turn things around and build a better, clean growth economy.
Especially now that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said all provinces will have to have to a $50 a tonne carbon tax by 2022, or the federal government will impose one.
If nothing is done it will mean a big increase for families already struggling to make it from paycheque to paycheque.
We have to take action now to make sure that ordinary families aren’t paying the full cost of climate action.
And we need to make sure that we are actually reducing climate pollution.
That is why New Democrats are putting forward a climate action plan that focuses on creating good jobs and achieving measurable reductions in climate pollution while ensuring fairness for families.
We’ll make sure it’s corporations who profit from polluting who pay? not everyday families. And we will make sure that families benefit from their efforts to reduce their carbon footprint. We will work with the Climate Leadership Team? and put their hard work into action.
Unlike Christy Clark who used their work for a photo opportunity in Paris, and then left it to gather dust ? we will put their ideas to work creating good jobs and lowering climate pollution in a way that strengthens our economy and benefits more British Columbians.
The five principles of our Clean Growth Climate Action plan are simple.
We will take measures that actually reduce carbon pollution? with legislated targets.
We will bring in any new federal carbon price gradually and predictably? over three years rather than hitting people all at once.
We will make sure families aren’t shouldering the burden of climate action? by putting money back in their pockets with a new climate rebate cheque. This cheque will go to 80 per cent of British Columbians? each year before they pay any tax so families are prepared in advance.
We will take a sector by sector approach to reducing carbon pollution that protects industries and jobs that have to compete with businesses in other places who don’t have to pay any carbon tax.
And we will use a portion of the revenue raised by the carbon tax to create green jobs and invest in green infrastucture.
We want British Columbia to be part of the solution to carbon pollution.
And we also want families to feel confident and secure.
I know we can build a better B.C. where working families and the middle class can thrive? not just the wealthy and the well-connected.
