(OTTAWA) Air quality right now is worse than in Mexico City, Environment and Climate Change Minister Steven Guilbeault compared during question period on Tuesday. Conservatives continue to hound the government to scrap the carbon tax as much of the country is in the grip of wildfires.
Eight Conservative MPs rose during the oratorical contest to criticize this measure, the objective of which is 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 it has done for the environment is to put a tax on carbon. We see that it works well, we just have to look at the forest fires,” laughed Mr. Godin.
“The carbon tax is driving up the prices of agricultural production and the prices of food,” Mr. Lehoux in turn criticized.
“Canadians are under pressure trying to pay the Liberal carbon tax that raises prices by 41 cents a liter every time they fill up,” added Ontario colleague Scot Davidson. He then denounced the clean fuel regulations which the Conservatives consider “a second carbon tax”.
Minister Steven Guilbeault responded to him by reading the latest air quality bulletin issued by Environment Canada, which reported on Tuesday a high health risk in the federal capital.
“The air quality in our national capital is worse than in Mexico City, Jakarta and Calcutta. We have all of this because of the wildfires and what is the Conservative Party’s response? Make pollution free again. It will not happen on this side of the House,” he replied.
From Ottawa to New York
Gray smoke, caused by these fires burning hundreds of kilometers from Ottawa, enveloped Parliament Hill all day. This smoke was transported to New York City, several American media reported.
PHOTO AMR ALFIKY, REUTERS
Smoke from the wildfires reached New York on Tuesday.
“We all noticed it when we arrived at work this morning, noted the Minister of Emergency Preparedness, Bill Blair, in a press scrum. We can smell smoke strongly, see it in the air, and even see dust and ash beginning to accumulate 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 flames, but the smoke can be carried to other communities,” he added.
The most recent data from the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Center indicates the presence of 419 forest fires in the country, of which 243 are considered out of control. An exceptional situation at this time of the year and which is likely to worsen during the summer, according to forecasts from the Federal Ministry of Natural Resources. Could a high number of forest fires exceed the government’s response capacity?
“We believe that we will have the adequate resources to respond to what could happen, but we are always looking to improve this response and improve this capacity,” assured Minister Blair. We invest in training and the acquisition of new equipment. »
He is still preparing a contingency plan to ensure he has enough air tankers if needed. “We need to know where they are and how we can access them very quickly,” he said.
How much is the carbon tax?
The fuel charge is currently 14 cents per liter of gasoline in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta, provinces that do not have their own carbon pricing system, unlike Quebec. From 1er July, the levy will also apply to Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador. This tax will gradually increase each year to reach 37 cents per liter of gasoline in 2030. In their calculation, the Conservatives add the harmonized sales tax of 13% which prevails in Ontario to this amount to arrive at 41 cents per litre. However, they omit to say that consumers receive quarterly checks varying between $386 and $244 depending on the province to compensate for the increase in the price of gasoline caused by carbon pricing.