Climate change and the economy The effects of climate change are already being felt from coast to coast and that issue has emerged as a key one among voters. The four main parties are offering different paths forward on how to deal with one of the most pressing threats to Canadian society. The Liberals will build on their plan that prices carbon at $20 a tonne. That prices will rise $10 each year to $50 a tonne in 2022. The Trudeau government has seen fierce pushback from several provinces and the parliamentary budget officer has warned that Canada will fall short of reaching its Paris climate accord targets under the plan. Following a push from Conservative premiers in Alberta and Ontario, Scheer has said he will eliminate the carbon tax altogether. Instead, he is proposing tax incentives to target large emitters as part of his $2.5-billion climate plan. The NDP are calling for $15 billion in federal investments in environmental initiatives to curb greenhouse gas emissions, which they say would create 300,000 jobs. Meanwhile, May’s Greens are promising to transition fossil fuel workers to jobs in the renewable energy sector, which includes job retraining programs and massive cleanup projects designed to create employment. The plan also calls for a carbon price for all emitters that will keep increasing until a transition to renewable energy is complete. Job Creation The middle class was a major talking point for candidates in 2015 and it will likely be heard again at campaign stops as leaders crisscross the country. The Liberals come into this election on a jobs high. Unemployment is at a record low and there are more than a million more Canadians working now than when Trudeau came into power 4 years ago, but Liberals will have to convince voters that things have gotten better over the last four years and that might be a hard sale to close with votes this time around. Of course, the other parties pitching voters on the idea that things could be better if they were in control and are looking for the opportunity to put their plan into effect come October 21st.
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SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE • OCTOBER 2019
45 OCTOBER 2019 • SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE
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