Carbon tax making life harder

By Chantelle de Jonge Chestermere-Strathmore MLA

Last week, the federal government announced that it is rebranding the carbon tax to the “Canada Carbon Rebate” with an increase set once again on April 1, 2024. For five years, the carbon tax has been making life harder and more expensive for Albertans and Canadians, essentially increasing the cost of everything. In 2023, the Parliamentary Budget Officer determined that many Canadian families are paying more in carbon tax costs than they are getting back in rebates. Recent polling from Angus Reid highlighted that only 15 per cent of Canadians support the continuation of the carbon tax, with 42 per cent of Canadians “strongly opposed” to it. A further 17 per cent of Canadians, meanwhile, agreed the carbon tax should be cut for at least the next three years. As the carbon tax and the cost of living continue to weigh on the minds of Albertans, our government will continue advocating to keep life affordable and taxes low for all Albertans.  

The President of the Treasury Board and Minister of Finance Nate Horner provided an update recently on a potential Alberta Pension Plan and stated that “throughout the first phase of engagement sessions, our government has heard loud and clear that Albertans want more information on the assets Alberta would be entitled to if the province withdrew from the Canada Pension Plan. Late last year, the federal government committed to asking the chief actuary of Canada to provide an opinion on Alberta’s share of CPP assets based on an interpretation of CPP legislation. Alberta’s government has been informed that the chief actuary will launch a panel to interpret the asset transfer formula in the Canada Pension Plan Act to inform the chief actuary’s calculation. The federal government has indicated this panel’s interpretation will be available this spring, and the final calculation from the chief actuary will be given to Alberta this fall.” 

We continue to encourage all Albertans to submit their thoughts on a potential Alberta Pension Plan through the online workbook before the end of February.

Last week, Alberta’s government launched a new long-term provincial tourism strategy that will help Alberta’s visitor economy reach $25 billion in yearly visitor expenditures by 2035. Each of the new strategy’s five pillars will sustainably grow and diversify the economy, support good-paying jobs, and offer pathways for Indigenous peoples to share their heritage, stories and wisdom with Albertans and the world. By implementing the long-term provincial tourism strategy, Alberta’s visitor economy will see a cumulative economic impact of $203 billion in visitor expenditures, a $159-billion impact to the province’s GDP and 190,000 full-time equivalent jobs by 2035.

(Chantelle de Jonge is the MLA for Chestermere-Strathmore and the Parliamentary Secretary for Affordability and Utilities)