B.C. Conservative Leader John Rustad is claiming victory, while the B.C. Greens accuse Premier David Eby of abandoning "good policy for bad politics" after he promised to eliminate the carbon tax if Ottawa drops the legal requirement to have one.
Speaking at an unrelated news conference in Vancouver with Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew, Eby said the context around the carbon tax has changed.
"A lot of British Columbians are struggling with affordability and the political consensus that we had in British Columbia has been badly damaged by the approach of the federal government on this issue," he said. "Our commitment is that if the federal government decides to remove the legal backstop requiring us to have a consumer carbon tax in B.C, we will end the consumer carbon tax in B.C."
He added that his government would ensure that the big polluters pay a price on carbon to help fight climate change, but did not spell out a mechanism. When asked whether pressure from the Conservative Party of B.C. forced his change, Eby blamed the federal government for eroding the political consensus around the carbon tax in B.C.
"Combine that with rising interest rates, high global inflation, we need to make sure that we are supporting British Columbians however we can right now."
Eby paired his promise to eliminate the carbon tax for "the farmers, the truckers, the average British Columbians" with the statement that provincial New Democrats "believe that climate change is a real and present threat, unlike John Rustad who thinks it is a hoax" and the promise that "big polluters are paying their fair share."
Eby's announcement drew condemnation from the B.C. Greens and I-told-you-sos from the Conservatives.
Conservative Leader John Rustad described Thursday's announcement as a "sudden reversal" and a "desperate attempt" by Eby "to salvage his sinking political ship."
He added that Eby spent years "championing" this "disastrous tax" punishing families and businesses.
"Now, faced with growing opposition, he’s pretending to care," Rustad said. "It’s nothing more than a cynical ploy.”
But it could also turn out to be a move to take a key issue away from the provincial Conservatives, a point running through the Conservatives' insistence that they are the only party truly committed to getting rid of the tax.
“We forced Eby to back down, but make no mistake, this battle isn’t over,” Rustad said. "The Conservatives will fight to ensure that the carbon tax is gone for good and that British Columbians can finally get the relief they deserve.”
B.C. Green Leader Sonia Furstenau, meanwhile, accused Eby of flip-flopping and making up policy on the fly.
“This is a government with no principles and no direction," she said. "Fix the carbon tax, make it fair, show how it can improve lives and invest in the transition we need. Letting industry pollute for free means the public continues to pay the price."
Furstenau has not shied away from criticizing the carbon tax in its current form, while defending its principle.
"(Eby) now says big emitters should pay for climate change," she said. "(But) his government is giving billions in subsidies to the fossil fuel industry to increase fracking. BC deserves a clear, coherent plan for climate change and the clean economy, not confusing contradictions."
