Roundup: Premiers concern trolling on the carbon levy

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A number of premiers have been writing letters to the prime minister, imploring him not to increase the carbon price on April 1st, citing the cost-of-living challenges that people are having. Unmentioned, of course, is the fact that the rebates are also increasing, and they’re front-end loaded, meaning the higher rebates already come into effect as the carbon levy increases, so if you pause the increase, the rebates will have already increased, which is going to cause a problem down the road for the federal books.

Nevertheless, this is largely concern trolling from the premiers, and yes, that includes Newfoundland and Labrador premier Andrew Furey, whom everyone has been making a big deal of because he’s currently the last Liberal premier standing, and he too is making the call. “Oh, just hold off on the increase while rates are still high!” they say, but rest assured, it will never be a good time to raise the price, and it will stall climate action, while the premiers mouth that they still believe in fighting climate change so long as it doesn’t cost them anything or that they don’t have to take any action, or that they’ll solve it through magical technology that hasn’t been invented yet, and never will be, especially not without adequate price signals that the carbon levy provides as it increases. Also, we’ve been down this road before with the price of oil. When it rises, people buy more fuel-efficient vehicles, and when it comes down, they go right back to buying SUVs and ridiculously oversized pick-up trucks that drive on suburban roads and never haul anything (especially because the box sizes in newer models are tiny).

If I were advising the government (and clearly, I’m not), I would insist that they hold the line on the increases, make the point about the rebates as much as possible—especially as they are delivering more to those who need it the most—because they can’t afford to show any further weakness on this file if they want to have any credibility left. They shouldn’t have caved on the home heating oil (but should have come up with a better temporary rebate for those in that particular situation), and they most especially shouldn’t have made the announcement in front of every single Atlantic MP (which was the single dumbest thing they could have done, so of course they did it). Maintaining the credibility of the programme may be its best hope for staying put, particularly when compared to all other options.

Ukraine Dispatch:

Russian missiles hit two apartment buildings in Kryvyi Rih on Tuesday, killing three people. Ukraine’s security service says it broke up the largest pro-Kremlin “informational sabotage” networks it has found to date. Russia says they fought off “incursions” coming from Ukraine in the Belgorod region, while Ukraine fired drones and missiles at a major refinery in Russia, inflicting serious damage.

Good reads:

  • One day after pledging aid for Israeli women who faced sexual violence, Mélanie Joly is pledging aid for Palestinian women who have also faced sexual violence.
  • Bob Rae says that UN military intervention in Haiti has become necessary as gangs worsen, while Kenya is backing down on their pledge, citing a lack of authority.
  • It looks like Canada is in for another round of fighting against country-of-origin labelling on beef, dairy and eggs in the US.
  • The military ombudsman is calling on the government to offer special compensation for Afghan nationals who served as interpreters and cultural advisors.
  • Records show the Royal Canadian Navy and military police essentially ignored harassment and misconduct reports against an unnamed officer. (What crisis?)
  • The foreign interference public inquiry is going to allow opposition parties to cross-examine witnesses after all.
  • This Margaret Atwood/Online Harms bill story just refuses to die.
  • Jewish groups are suing the CFIA for new rules around cattle slaughter that make kosher slaughter incredibly difficult and uneconomical.
  • People in the rural parts of amalgamated major cities are complaining they don’t get the rural top-ups for the carbon rebates (which is a problem provinces can solve).
  • Conservatives in Manitoba don’t want to let the so-called “parental rights” issue drop, in spite of their policies losing them the election.
  • Those affected by the Fraser Valley floods want federal money faster (but the piece doesn’t mention they pay when they get receipts). Here are some associated stats.
  • My column looks at the inherent problems of Poilievre’s attempt to make Justin Trudeau personally responsible for everyone’s problems.

Odds and Ends:

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