After returning from Dubai, I can only wonder at the anachronism that Mr. Pierre Poilièvre represents at the international level by speaking out against the carbon tax, although at the COP even the OPEC countries spoke out about the need for a gradual phase-out fossil fuels agreed 28.
Mr Poilièvre appears to be increasingly making the abolition of the carbon tax a central element of his election manifesto. He makes it a symbol of his fight against inflation, although he must surely know that the effects of climate change on agriculture have a much greater impact on inflation than the carbon tax, which is also transferred to households through direct payments from the federal government .
Science tells us that if things continue like this, the carbon budget we have available to stay within 1.5 degrees Celsius will be exhausted by 2030. Today, by emitting greenhouse gases, we are drawing on this very limited budget that belongs to everyone on the planet.
Accept the consequences
Ultimately, the CO2 tax is just a matter of the user paying a tax. By implementing it, we are simply ensuring that users of this rare resource (our limited greenhouse gas budget) pay for its use. The effect of the tax is to provide a small compensation for the depletion of this resource and for the impacts that climate change will cause for those of us who will suffer from it.
Opposing the carbon tax means refusing to accept the consequences that my consumption choices have on the people around me.
License fee
Of course, it's a shame to pay for something that always seemed free to us. But who would think it normal that the oil companies that exploit Alberta's tar sands don't pay royalties to the state? Who would consider it normal that mining companies in Quebec are not charged royalties for the exploitation of the ore that is the property of all Quebecers? Who would think it normal that logging companies that exploit public forests should not be charged royalties?
With the carbon tax, the more we use a rare resource that belongs to everyone, the more we pay. If you think about it a little, nothing could be more normal.
There's something romantic about thinking about stowing away on a crossing, but if the boat you're on sinks due to the extra weight caused by too many stowaways, you won't be very advanced and we will quickly find it less romantic. If I oppose the carbon tax, it's because I want to be a free rider. The big problem is that there are many others like me.
Philippe Noel, Managing Director, Coop Carbone