Bill No. 208 - Environment Act - 3rd reading

CLAUDIA CHENDER « » : Mr. Speaker, I have been following as closely as I can the conversation about carbon pricing. Because there has been so much rhetoric and so little clarity, I began this session by saying I didn't think the government had done their homework, that when they introduced this bill, they did half their homework and they turned it in late. Listening over the last few weeks, I want to posit a different theory.

I think that, in fact, the government has a deal with the federal government. We heard the Minister of Finance and Treasury Board say today in Question Period, we can't remove the fuel tax, the federal government told us a carbon tax was coming and that we couldn't remove the motive fuel tax. If the federal government told them a carbon tax was coming, that's certainly the first we have heard in this House.

I think that what's happening in this bill - and I'll remind members that this bill purports to institute an Output-Based Pricing System that is compliant with federal requirements, but we actually have no assurance of that. There has been no public statement that this bill does that. There has been no clarity that there is a deal. This bill actually comes into force on January 1, 2023. It has effect. They're not hedging their bets.

There are whole sections of this bill that they're holding to come into force on such a day as the Governor in Council orders and declares by proclamation. That's Section 8(1). Those are the parts that would repeal the carbon tax, because it will take some time and nobody knows when that date is, but they know when the date that this will come in is.

I think that's because they have a deal with the federal Liberals. I think what they said to the federal Liberals is, okay, we'll do an output-based pricing system, you'll impose a carbon tax, we'll say we oppose it, and we're off to the races. That is the Conservative way. That is the pattern we have seen across the country. I think it's very worrisome that they've told us today that the Conservative carbon tax is coming.

The Minister of Finance and Treasury Board told us that, and yet we don't know who will have control over the proceeds of that tax. We don't know if Nova Scotians will get rebates in the way that other Canadians get rebates. We don't know where the proceeds would go if we did have control over it. Maybe there's a deal on that, too. Maybe the minister could mention that in his closing remarks. What we know is that we have this bill in front of us that establishes an output-based pricing system, and this bill will usher in a carbon tax.

One thing that we haven't talked about is that right now, our understanding is that this bill will apply to the two biggest emitters in the province: Nova Scotia Power - which we've talked a lot about this sitting - and LaFarge.

Here's the thing: The cost that Nova Scotia Power pays, Nova Scotia Power doesn't pay. We pay those costs. Those are passed through to us. So we know that this bill will cost us more on our power bills, period.

We know that it will create a carbon tax, so it will cost us more at the pump, but here's what this bill and nothing else that we are seeing in this Legislative session will do, is soften the blow. None of it.

Under this legislation, in fact, there is a fund similar, perhaps, to the Green Fund, and that is - let me just find it, Mr. Speaker - Section 112ZC(2). (Interruption) The minister is helpfully reminding me that it is called the Climate Change Fund.

One of the things that this government can do under the Climate Change Fund is mitigate the economic and social impacts of climate change and greenhouse gas emissions, Of course, they don't need this bill to do that. They could do it already. And they're not doing it.

What we are left with is a bill that costs us more at the pump, that costs us more on our power bill, that leaves many more questions than it does provide answers. It absolutely does not in any way protect ratepayers. I don't even know how that assertion could be made.

What needs to happen now is that the government needs to come clean and tell us what is going on. We don't have a climate plan, we don't have clarity on carbon prices, we don't know what the carbon tax will look like, and we don't know where the proceeds will go. And, Mr. Speaker, we will be watching.