Canada’s Ecofiscal Commission debunks 10 common myths about carbon pricing with the evidence in new report.
Ottawa, March 25, 2019—Canada’s Ecofiscal Commission today released a new report, Ten Myths about Carbon Pricing in Canada.
Canadians can see and feel the effects of climate change—from forest fires to floods that threaten our homes, to pollution that threatens our kids’ health. They want a serious plan to take action on climate change. And they deserve an honest discussion about our options.
Canadians are in the midst of a timely policy debate around carbon pricing. As of next week, every province in Canada will have a price on carbon, as the federal government’s system comes into effect.
But unfortunately, myths and misinformation are all too pervasive in this debate.
A debate based on poor information does a disservice to Canadians. The Ecofiscal Commission hopes that this new report will improve the quality of the debate by drawing on the best available evidence to debunk ten common myths. The report aims to serve as a resource for Canadians who want to learn what the evidence says about carbon pricing and its impacts on emissions, the economy, affordability, and jobs.
In weighing the evidence, we find that many common arguments against carbon pricing just don’t hold up.
Overall, Canada’s carbon pricing systems are well-designed, and they are working to reduce emissions without any significant economic impacts. Economists agree: carbon pricing should be a key part of Canada’s fight against climate change.
Canadians are ready to tackle climate change and to debate solutions in good faith. The facts are out there. Let’s use them.
The report is also available as a digital essay at ecofiscal.ca/myths
Additional Resources
Quotes
“Canadians want a serious discussion about climate change and climate policy. There are currently too many myths and misunderstandings floating around for that to be possible. We need to make sure we’re grounding this debate in facts.”
Chris Ragan
Chair, Canada’s Ecofiscal Commission
Economist and Director, Max Bell School of Public Policy, McGill University
“It’s time to cut through the noise on carbon pricing and move to a better, more honest, evidence-driven conversation. We hope this report can serve as a resource to Canadians and help spur that conversation.”
Dale Beugin
Executive Director, Canada’s Ecofiscal Commission
Commission Spokespeople
- National
- Chris Ragan, Chair, Ecofiscal Commission and economics professor at McGill University (available via phone)
- Dale Beugin, Executive Director, Ecofiscal Commission (in Ottawa)
- Brendan Frank, Research Associate, Ecofiscal Commission (in Ottawa)
- Regional
- Quebec and French Canada (in French): France St-Hilaire, Commissioner, Ecofiscal Commission and Vice President of Research, Institute for Research on Public Policy (in Montreal)
- Western Canada: Bev Dahlby, Commissioner, Ecofiscal Commission and Distinguished Fellow and Research Director in the School of Public Policy at the University of Calgary (in Calgary)
- Ontario: Don Drummond, Commissioner, Ecofiscal Commission and Former Chief Economist, TD Bank (available via phone)
Media Contact
Annette Dubreuil
adubreuil@ecofiscal.ca