Alberta Premier Urges Ottawa to Halt ‘Dangerous’ Carbon Tax Rise in Parliamentary Committee Hearing
Addressing a parliamentary committee, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith urged the federal government to halt the scheduled April 1 carbon tax increase, labeling it as a “reckless” policy that is causing a crisis in Canadian unity.
“Both Albertans and all Canadians require sensible compassion and responsible governance to prevail. Thus, I implore you today to listen to the voices of Canadians nationwide and suspend the carbon tax increase on April 1,” Ms. Smith stated in her opening statements to the Committee on Government Operations and Estimates on March 28.
“This is not just reckless; it’s immoral and inhumane, and the additional pressure will devastate numerous lives, futures, and aspirations.”
Ms. Smith was the third premier to oppose the carbon tax in front of the committee this week, following New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs and Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe. Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston was also called to testify.
The premiers had originally requested to appear before the Finance Committee, but the Liberal chair refused to recall MPs to hear them. As a result, the chair of the Government Operations committee, Conservative MP Kelly McCauley, agreed to host a session for the premiers to present their testimonies.
“If you intend to implement the carbon tax, it must be applied uniformly across all provinces and all fuel types. If you’re unwilling to enforce it that way, then a nationwide relief must be granted to ensure equitable treatment for everyone,” Ms. Smith emphasized.
“I believe it’s fostering a national unity crisis.”
Arsons in Alberta
During Ms. Smith’s committee appearance, Liberal MP Irek Kusmierczyk inquired about the significant number of wildfires in Alberta in 2023, which charred 2.2 million hectares of land and caused 299 days of wildfire smoke engulfing the city of Edmonton. He queried, “Can you confirm if these wildfires and smoke days were caused by climate change?”
Ms. Smith disclosed that 60% of the fires were ignited by human activities, and Alberta’s government was launching a public awareness campaign to address the matter.
Mr. Kusmierczyk highlighted that based on the province’s data, a mere 0.1% of the 2.2 million acres burned in Alberta in 2023 was due to human actions. He sought information on the province’s initiatives to combat climate change, but the time elapsed before Ms. Smith could respond.
According to the Alberta RCMP, thirteen arson-related charges have been filed following investigations by the RCMP Forestry Crimes Unit and Alberta RCMP. The RCMP indicated that two significant investigations from 2023 are under review by the Crown.
“In dry years, this becomes tinder. When a fire ignites, it spreads rapidly and burns intensely, causing more destruction than natural fires would. Consequently, we’ve witnessed fires that wipe out entire forests, whereas typically, only the underbrush would burn, leaving the trees unscathed,” he explained.