“Soviet commissars in Ottawa” are dreaming up failed plans to lower emissions across Canada, says UCP MLA Roger Reid. .Reid made the comments during question period on Tuesday, saying the federal government is embracing “Soviet market mechanisms.” .Federal policies like carbon taxes and caps on internal combustion engine vehicles are not enough to stop Canadians from purchasing pickup trucks, Reid said. Sales of light trucks, including vans and SUVs, has exponentially increased since Prime Minister Justin Trudeau introduced the federal carbon tax, he added. .“Alberta has been the wealth creation engine of the nation and there’s a lot of wealth created out of the back of a pickup truck,” responded Finance Minister Travis Toews. “Whether that’s in energy, forestry, or agriculture, pickup trucks are essential and we will defend pickup truck owners in this province from undue taxes.”.Ottawa’s plans to implement a truck tax were outlined in Annex 3 of Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault’s 2030 Emissions Reduction Plan, tabled in Parliament on March 31. .The proposed tax would see the owner of a light-duty truck pay an additional $1,000 in tax, while a Ram 3500 heavy-duty truck would see a tax of $4,000..Guilbeault has denied the truck tax, saying it was simply a suggestion contained in a March 21 report by the federal government’s “net zero advisory board.”.But the proposal was also contained in his Emissions Reduction Plan, released eight days later. .Guilbeault doesn’t seem to be aware of his own plan, Minister of Energy Sonya Savage said on Tuesday..This isn’t the first time Guilbeault has appeared unsure of details in his Emissions Reduction Plan..When Guilbeault and Nixon spoke about the plan in Edmonton, two days after it was tabled, Nixon’s office reported that Guilbeault appeared “unaware” of oil production cuts outlined in the document. .As previously reported by the Western Standard, Nixon brought up his concerns about the federal government’s plan to reduce oil sands, crude oil, and natural gas production, and Guilbeault “seemed unaware of the details in his own plan and refuted the existence of a production cut in the document,” according to a briefing from Nixon’s office..Nixon’s office has since told the Western Standard that their staff had to “slide page 221 across the table” to Guilbeault, to get the federal minister up to speed on the production cuts..Meanwhile, Guilbeault’s staff could be seen “furiously” typing on their laptops, in an apparent effort to find the section about the production cuts, his office said..Page 221 of the plan includes a table titled “Bottom-up Analysis Impact on Crude Oil and Natural Gas Production.”.It provides modelling that shows a 10.6% reduction in oil sands production, an 8.4% reduction in crude oil production, and a 15.9% reduction in natural gas production.. Screen Shot 2022-04-14 at 2.32.23 PM .Guilbeault’s office did not respond to a request for comment from the Western Standard..Rachel Emmanuel is the Edmonton Bureau Chief for the Western Standard.remmanuel@westernstandard.news
“Soviet commissars in Ottawa” are dreaming up failed plans to lower emissions across Canada, says UCP MLA Roger Reid. .Reid made the comments during question period on Tuesday, saying the federal government is embracing “Soviet market mechanisms.” .Federal policies like carbon taxes and caps on internal combustion engine vehicles are not enough to stop Canadians from purchasing pickup trucks, Reid said. Sales of light trucks, including vans and SUVs, has exponentially increased since Prime Minister Justin Trudeau introduced the federal carbon tax, he added. .“Alberta has been the wealth creation engine of the nation and there’s a lot of wealth created out of the back of a pickup truck,” responded Finance Minister Travis Toews. “Whether that’s in energy, forestry, or agriculture, pickup trucks are essential and we will defend pickup truck owners in this province from undue taxes.”.Ottawa’s plans to implement a truck tax were outlined in Annex 3 of Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault’s 2030 Emissions Reduction Plan, tabled in Parliament on March 31. .The proposed tax would see the owner of a light-duty truck pay an additional $1,000 in tax, while a Ram 3500 heavy-duty truck would see a tax of $4,000..Guilbeault has denied the truck tax, saying it was simply a suggestion contained in a March 21 report by the federal government’s “net zero advisory board.”.But the proposal was also contained in his Emissions Reduction Plan, released eight days later. .Guilbeault doesn’t seem to be aware of his own plan, Minister of Energy Sonya Savage said on Tuesday..This isn’t the first time Guilbeault has appeared unsure of details in his Emissions Reduction Plan..When Guilbeault and Nixon spoke about the plan in Edmonton, two days after it was tabled, Nixon’s office reported that Guilbeault appeared “unaware” of oil production cuts outlined in the document. .As previously reported by the Western Standard, Nixon brought up his concerns about the federal government’s plan to reduce oil sands, crude oil, and natural gas production, and Guilbeault “seemed unaware of the details in his own plan and refuted the existence of a production cut in the document,” according to a briefing from Nixon’s office..Nixon’s office has since told the Western Standard that their staff had to “slide page 221 across the table” to Guilbeault, to get the federal minister up to speed on the production cuts..Meanwhile, Guilbeault’s staff could be seen “furiously” typing on their laptops, in an apparent effort to find the section about the production cuts, his office said..Page 221 of the plan includes a table titled “Bottom-up Analysis Impact on Crude Oil and Natural Gas Production.”.It provides modelling that shows a 10.6% reduction in oil sands production, an 8.4% reduction in crude oil production, and a 15.9% reduction in natural gas production.. Screen Shot 2022-04-14 at 2.32.23 PM .Guilbeault’s office did not respond to a request for comment from the Western Standard..Rachel Emmanuel is the Edmonton Bureau Chief for the Western Standard.remmanuel@westernstandard.news
