CCL Canada Education, February 25, 2016 Federal Provincial Carbon Coordination with Dr. Chris Ragan

CCL Canada Federal Provincial Carbon Coordination with Dr. Chris Ragan, Chair of Canada’s Ecofiscal Commission

PRESENTATION: 15 minutes
QUESTIONS: 15 minutes of Q&A which were submitted in advance from Halifax NS, Georgetown ON, Nelson BC and Toronto ON.

Related Articles:
http://ecofiscal.ca/2016/02/17/federal-government-and-three-carbon-coordination-options/
http://ecofiscal.ca/2016/02/24/federal-mechanisms-for-carbon-coordination/?platform=hootsuite

Please also consider watching/listening to this Ecofiscal Commission Panel Discussion on Tuesday, February 23, 2016
http://ecofiscal.ca/events/federal-provincial-carbon-coordination/

Finally, look for a report from the Ecofiscal Commission on April 6, 2016 regarding the recycling of revenue from carbon pricing.

Go  here for the recording:

The First Question was from Joanne in Halifax, Nova Scotia and it focused on businesses and carbon pricing: Do you have any insights into how the Canadian Federation of Independent Businesses, Chamber of Commerce, Canadian Tax Federation and small businesses in general feel about carbon pricing? Do they have preferences for carbon taxes or cap and trade? How important is revenue-neutrality? How best can we can we sell carbon pricing to business people?

The Second Question was  from Michael in Nelson, British Columbia and is about the revenue and the need for a rapid transition to a low carbon economy: Given the need to transition rapidly to a low carbon economy, how can we be assured that provincial governments use the money for such initiatives? For instance, BC uses some of its carbon tax to provide subsidies to the film industry and a program for seniors to make their home wheelchair accessible, plus tax breaks that are more generous for businesses than individuals.
http://www.vancouversun.com/opinion/op-ed/opinion+swiss+show+carbon+revenue/11332978/story.html

The Third Question was from Gord in Georgetown, Ontario concerns the City Mice vs Country Mice divide: How can we get around the difference between what can be achieved in all of the big cities with green energy and infrastructure vs. the reality of the rural needs and capabilities/limitations?

The last question was from Tom in Toronto, Ontario: One of the key issues and hence tasks for the federal gov’t besides the price and regs, is the leakage issue between provinces and more importantly internationally. Must the fed’s create Border Tax Adjustments in the first cut or can that happen later? It seems clear that it needs to happen to protect Canadian businesses before the price can ramp up to any meaningful level.