Ontario proposes referendum on provincial carbon tax
CTV
The Ontario government says it wants to hear from taxpayers on the future of taxing pollution in the province.
The Ontario government says it wants to hear from taxpayers on the future of taxing pollution in the province.
In an announcement Tuesday, Premier Doug Ford said if passed, the new legislation would give voters a “direct say” over a new provincial carbon tax, cap-and-trade system or other carbon pricing program.
“This new law will guarantee that no provincial government can force a costly carbon tax on the people of Ontario without ensuring their voices are heard loud and clear,” Ford said of the Get It Done Act, which will be tabled in the spring session of the legislature later this month.
Since 2019, Canada has had a national price on pollution and requires provinces and territories to either establish a levy on greenhouse gas emissions or adopt the federal system.
Ford has been long opposed to the tax, going as far as requiring gas stations to display anti-carbon tax stickers on pumps in 2019, before a Superior Court judge said the requirement was unconstitutional a year later.
Currently, the federal carbon tax on gasoline is 14.31 cents per litre and is expected to increase 37.43 cents per litre in 2030, the province said.
“You’re being gouged by the carbon tax, it’s as simple as that. It’s the worst tax ever,” Ford said.
