Trudeau-appointed Senator: Carbon tax will rise ‘until we reach our targets’

"Yes, there is an increase in the price on pollution," bragged Gold, who had previously promised that the carbon tax would not rise above 12 cents per litre. "It’s a serious one, and this price will increase regularly until we reach our targets. It’s the most efficient way, the most effective way to fight climate change."

"We will be seriously fighting climate change for the first time," he proclaimed.

The Trudeau Liberals announced late last week that they would be imposing a substantial increase in the carbon tax rate, from $30 per ton to $170 per ton by 2030. The tax hike will raise the price of gas alone by at least 36 cents per litre. Aviation fuel and diesel are expected to rise in price by an even greater amount.

Many opponents of the move have criticized the Trudeau government for taking advantage of the pandemic to raise the price of carbon. Others have praised the move, arguing that the trajectory of the carbon tax was not enough for Canada to reach its goals under the Paris Climate Accords.

The purpose of the carbon tax as a tool for reaching carbon targets is to raise the price of fuel so high that Canadians seek environmentally-friendly alternatives. Conservatives have often criticized this approach is inconvenient for ordinary people, for whom technology such as electric cars may be too expensive and public transit may be too unreliable. Nevertheless, the Liberals appear to be dead-set on such behaviour-changing policies.

Canadians too are often skeptical of carbon taxes as a mechanism of environmental protection, with Canadians appearing to be more concerned about the rise in the cost of living, which is already high in much of Canada. Many Canadians question how they will be able to pay to heat their homes in the winter, for example, a need that cannot be legislated away by financial disincentives.

The Liberals seek, however, to mitigate the rise in the cost of living by offering rebates, funded by the carbon tax, to Canadians. Canada is one of the few countries with a carbon tax to offer such rebates.

Gold, a Trudeau appointee who had previously said that the government "remains committed to the pricing plan that was legislated," now says that he supports raising the price of carbon. "Canada can be proud of the concrete action and serious work that is being done to fight this existential problem for us, for our children and for our grandchildren," Gold said while claiming that the "plan has the support of experts in the field, and economists."