Opinion Archives - Page 5 of 10 - Canada's Ecofiscal Commission

Photo of Canada's Minister of Environment Catherine McKenna feature image for Why carbon pricing and cash rebates to oil companies go hand in hand

Mar 9 2017

Why carbon pricing and rebates to oil companies go hand in hand

We want firms to get cleaner, not smaller. So we should help those most exposed to competitiveness pressures caused by carbon pricing. Canadian provinces are actively moving toward putting a broad-based price on greenhouse gas emissions. At the same time, some of them are providing cash rebates back to businesses in emissions-intensive sectors. This combination […]

Feb 10 2017

Campbell – A carbon tax is good, but the NDP is going about it the wrong way

by Guest Blogger

Climate and Energy Alberta Carbon tax Opinion Revenue Recycling

by Gordon Campbell All Canadians depend on energy for jobs, for public services, and for transfer payments. Energy is about the value of the Canadian dollar and about how much things cost to buy. We all fall prey to the tired dogmas that suggest a strong energy industry prevents us from being environmentally responsible. The […]

Jan 25 2017

Four myths about Ontario’s cap-and-trade system

by Chris Ragan

Climate and Energy Cap-and-trade Climate Change Ontario Opinion Provincial Policy

Ontario’s cap-and-trade system is now in force and is the focus of much debate. Amidst all of the discussion, there is plenty of rhetoric, hyperbole, and questionable statements. Some of these have grown into large and scary myths which need to be debunked. The first myth is that the cap-and-trade system will significantly raise the […]

Jan 25 2017

Slaying the myths about Alberta’s carbon tax

by Chris Ragan

Climate and Energy Alberta Carbon Pricing Carbon tax Opinion Provincial Policy

Alberta’s new carbon tax is now in effect and is naturally the focus of much debate. Amidst all of this heated discussion, there is plenty of rhetoric, hyperbole and statements that are simply not true. Here is my attempt to slay the four biggest myths about Alberta’s new carbon tax. The first myth is that […]

Dec 15 2016

A significant step forward for Canadian climate policy

by Chris Ragan

Climate and Energy Carbon Coordination Carbon tax Climate Change Opinion

Climate policy is difficult. Effective negotiations between various governments might be even harder. So, kudos to Canada’s First Ministers for making real progress on a seriously difficult issue. As of last Friday, we formally have a pan-Canadian framework on climate policy. Even better, the plan actually comes pretty close to matching the ambition of our […]

Canadian Emissions Reductions With and Without U.S. Policy Harmonization

Nov 16 2016

Carbon Pricing Beside Trump’s America

by Chris Ragan and Dale Beugin

Climate and Energy Carbon Pricing Climate Change Competitiveness Opinion

It seems pretty likely at this point that a future President Trump isn’t going to implement a national carbon price in the United States. What does this mean for Canada? Does the result of last week’s election mean that we should scale back our ambition to price carbon? Unambiguously: No, it does not. American policy […]

An Open Letter from Economists on Canadian Carbon Pricing

Opinion