Question period at the B.C. legislature on Monday was awash in heated debates over the carbon tax. The official opposition party, BC United, urged the NDP to follow suit with Ottawa and provide relief for homeowners battling extreme winter temperatures.
“The refusal of exemption from the carbon tax on home heating is unbecoming of the premier. Why not level the playing field?” questioned BC United’s Chamberlain, Kevin Falcon.
In a rebuttal, Premier Eby pointed out the paradox with Falcon’s party introducing the tax in the past. “It’s intriguing to see the member now being at odds with the carbon tax. Such a stance contradicts their previous actions,” Eby retorted. “Contrarily, our focus remains steadfast on supporting the people.”
This heated exchange resulted from the recent announcement by the federal Liberals, offering a three-year carbon tax relief to provinces where the tax is imposed, along with incentives for transitioning from oil to heat pumps. This move is primarily directed at Atlantic Canada, where a substantial proportion of homes, up to a third, depend on oil for warmth.
B.C.’s administration, where the provincial government enforces the carbon tax, has been left scrambling by Ottawa’s impromptu shift. “The abrupt change by Ottawa, favouring a single heating method over the wellbeing of residents, is genuinely disheartening,” lamented Premier Eby.
In B.C., provincial records show that between 25,000 to 39,000 homes rely on oil heating. The Canadian Taxpayer Federation insists those homes in B.C. should be exempt from the tax. Carson Binda, head of the B.C. chapter of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, drives this point home, noting, “The cost burden of just heating a home in B.C. is going to set back an average family by $260 to $310 just on the carbon tax alone.”
Josie Osborne, B.C.’s energy, mines, and low carbon innovation minister, reveals the province’s push for a larger subsidy from Ottawa to ease the financial burden of transitioning from fossil fuels to heat pumps. “We won’t stop pressing the federal government until they support us in this venture,” Osborne asserted.
She further mentioned that the province is still evaluating whether to waive carbon taxes for homes dependent on oil heating. “Just because the federal government made a rush decision like this doesn’t mean we have to too, but we’re looking at all options,” Osborne stated.
