The province has submitted its carbon pricing plan to the federal government as part of the terms of the Pan-Canadian Framework.
“Our Made-in-Manitoba Climate and Green Plan is the right plan for Manitoba. It will reduce emissions by more than the federal plan. It will cost less for Manitoba families than the federal plan,” said Sustainable Development Minister Rochelle Squires. “Our plan is focused on Manitoba’s needs and Manitoba’s circumstances. It works better than Ottawa’s one-size-fits-all model. That’s why the federal backstop does not, and should not, apply to Manitoba.”
Manitoba’s submission to the federal government provides details on the carbon pricing scope, coverage and enforcement mechanisms, as well as forecast emission reductions and reporting mechanisms. The federal plan calls for the price on carbon to start at $10 per tonne in 2018 and rise by $10 every year to $50 per tonne in 2022. The Manitoba plan includes a flat $25 per tonne carbon levy and an output-based pricing system for large industrial emitters. Manitoba’s plan is projected to reduce emissions by 80,000 tonnes more than a federally imposed plan by 2022, the minister added.
The Made-In-Manitoba Climate and Green Plan will cost less and be more effective than the federal plan, saving Manitoba families hundreds of dollars and the Manitoba economy millions of dollars, the minister said. Over the next four years, all carbon revenues collected in the province will be returned to Manitobans directly through lower taxes, she added.
“We will not allow the federal government to force its carbon tax on Manitobans. Our plan is the best way to make sure that does not happen,” said Squires.
