Harper government announces new willingness to freely comment on environmental policy in other countries
A love letter to Australia
Tony Abbott speaks to supporters in Sydney, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2013, following his win in Australia’s national election. Australia’s conservative opposition swept to power, ending six years of Labor Party rule and winning over a disenchanted public by promising to end a hated tax on carbon emissions, boost a flagging economy and bring about political stability after years of Labor infighting. (AP Photo/Lisa Maree Williams, Pool)
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Because the mandate of the Prime Minister includes Australian environmental policy, Mr. Harper’s parliamentary secretary, Paul Calandra, issued the following statement yesterday evening.
“Canada applauds the decision by Prime Minister Abbott to introduce legislation to repeal Australia’s carbon tax. The Australian Prime Minister’s decision will be noticed around the world and sends an important message.
“Our government knows that carbon taxes raise the price of everything, including gas, groceries, and electricity. Prime Minister Abbott has said that, in Australia, the repeal of the carbon tax will reduce the average household’s cost of living by (in Australian dollars) $550 a year, take $200 off household power bills and $70 off gas bills.
“Our government has reduced greenhouse gas emissions while protecting and creating Canadians jobs – greenhouse gas emissions are down since 2006, and we’ve created 1 million net new jobs since the recession – and we have done this without penalising Canadian families with a carbon tax.”
In its next statement on Australian environmental policy, the Harper government can be expected to assess whether Mr. Abbott’s alternative plan for emissions reductions makes sense.