Trump presidency doesn’t change need for Canadian carbon price, says Trudeau
Posted November 10, 2016 10:05 am.
Last Updated November 10, 2016 10:06 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
OTTAWA – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is suggesting it’s full steam ahead for his government’s environmental plan, including a national carbon price, despite a Donald Trump presidency that could recast America’s climate-change priorities.
Trudeau says Canadians and the world understand failing to fight climate change has a big economic downside, and he is defending carbon pricing as a means of fostering innovation and improving the economy.
Since coming to power a year ago, Trudeau’s Liberal government has been in lock-step with the climate agenda of US President Barack Obama.
Obama and Trudeau jointly announced major reductions in methane emissions last March during a state dinner at the White House, and later joined forces with Mexico on a broader North American climate and clean energy strategy.
But the new president-elect has suggested climate change is a hoax, wants America out of the Paris climate accord and plans to promote the exploration and development of fossil fuels, including coal.
Trudeau announced last month that he’d impose a national floor price on carbon dioxide emissions starting in 2018 and rising to $50 per tonne by 2022.
