The Government of Canada formally ratified the Paris climate accord on Wednesday October 5th, after easily beating back an effort from the opposition to give provinces the sole authority to deal with carbon pricing. Members of Parliament approved a motion supporting both the United Nations agreement and the federal-provincial declaration issued last March in Vancouver that committed Canada to undertake the joint action needed to "meet or exceed" its Paris commitment to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions by 30 per cent from 2005 levels by 2030.
Earlier that week, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau introduced the motion on the Paris accord with the announcement that Ottawa would require provinces to have a carbon-pricing plan - either a tax or cap and trade - in effect by 2018. Where premiers refuse to do so, Ottawa will impose a tax of $10 per tonne, rising to $50 per tonne in 2022, the equivalent of 11 cents per litre at the pump. The approach led to much politicking in the media, here is one with some well-crafted arguments that we enjoyed.
From CanSIA
