Posted at 1:41 am. Updated at 5:00 p.m.
(OTTAWA) Air quality is currently worse than Mexico City, Environment and Climate Change Secretary Steven Guilbeault compared during Question Time on Tuesday. Conservatives continue to urge the government to end the carbon tax as wildfires ravage much of the country.
Eight Conservative MPs rose during the speech contest to criticize the measure, which aims to encourage people to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, including Quebecers Joël Godin and Richard Lehoux.
“This government has been in power for eight years and the only thing they’ve done for the environment is put a tax on carbon.” We see it’s working well, we just have to look at the wildfires,” Herr laughed godin
“The CO2 tax drives up the prices of agricultural production and food prices,” Lehoux criticized in turn.
“Canadians are under pressure trying to pay the liberal carbon tax that increases prices by 41 cents a liter on every fill-up,” added Ontario colleague Scot Davidson. He then condemned the clean fuel regulations, which Conservatives see as a “second carbon tax”.
Secretary Steven Guilbeault responded by reading Environment Canada’s latest air quality bulletin, which reported Tuesday of a high health risk in the federal capital.
“The air quality in our national capital is worse than in Mexico City, Jakarta and Kolkata. We have all this because of the wildfires and how is the Conservative Party responding to that? Make pollution free again. That won’t happen on this side of the house,” he replied.
From Ottawa to New York
Gray smoke from those fires, which burned hundreds of miles from Ottawa, blanketed Parliament Hill throughout the day. This smoke was transported to New York City, several American media reported.
PHOTO AMR ALFIKY, Portal
Smoke from the wildfires reached New York on Tuesday.
“We all noticed it when we got to work this morning,” Emergency Preparedness Secretary Bill Blair said in a press briefing. We can smell smoke strongly, see it in the air, and even see dust and ash build up on surfaces. It’s a bit worrying. »
“I think people need to be aware that the impact of these wildfires is not limited to communities near the blazes, but the smoke can spread to other communities as well,” he added.
The latest data from the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Center points to 419 wildfires in the country, of which 243 are believed to be out of control. An exceptional situation at this time of year, which, according to forecasts by the Federal Ministry for Natural Resources, is likely to worsen over the course of the summer. Could a high number of wildfires exceed the government’s ability to react?
“We believe we will have the appropriate resources to respond to what may happen, but we are always striving to improve that response and improve those capacities,” Minister Blair assured. We invest in training and the acquisition of new equipment. »
He’s still preparing a contingency plan to ensure he has enough air tankers if needed. “We need to know where they are and how to access them very quickly,” he said.
How high is the CO2 tax?
The fuel fee is currently 14 cents per liter of gasoline in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta, provinces which unlike Quebec do not have their own carbon pricing system. From July 1, the levy will also apply to Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland and Labrador. This tax will be gradually increased each year to reach 37 cents per liter of gasoline in 2030. In their calculation, the Conservatives add Ontario’s harmonized sales tax of 13% to this amount and come up with 41 cents per liter. However, they fail to mention that consumers receive quarterly checks, ranging from $386 to $244 depending on the province, to offset the rise in gas prices caused by carbon pricing.