Thread by @ThibaultBen

It's really remarkable that Jason Kenney wants to reference this article and this report to justify his complete lack of a climate plan for Alberta. For a number of reasons. #ableg #abpoli

https://twitter.com/jkenney/status/1100795194860032003

1. The report completely ignores the comprehensive approach that Alberta has in place to preserve industry competitiveness for trade-exposed industries, and prevent the "carbon leakage" that it references. It chooses not to address these elements.

1.a. In fact, I'm not even sure that the author is aware of them. The report does not reference the concept of "output-based allocations" even once.

2. Instead, the report argues that carbon pricing - which it notes, economics supports - must be imposed at the global level, and never the provincial level. In other words, it basically advocates for carbon pricing to be designed and collected by Ottawa or Geneva.

2.a. If @jkenney believes that climate policy imposed from afar would be better for Alberta and our industry, he should just come out and say it. But so far, he has advocated for provincial carbon pricing only, so I'm not sure that the report says what he thinks it says.

3. Alberta's approach to rebates from carbon revenues is to protect low-income families and people living on fixed incomes like seniors. This report advocates putting all of the carbon revenues back in the coffers of corporations. To be fair, this does sound up @jkenney's alley

4. But the report's clear opposition to command-and-control regulations does not. @jkenney's time as a federal Cabinet minister shows his preference has always been for state-centred command-and-control measures over market-based approaches. So do UCP MLA comments.

5. According to the article, the report says that the carbon levy is unlikely to reduce emissions. But this is ALREADY WRONG. Emissions in Alberta are already down, in the first year of our industrial carbon pricing approach: coal power emissions down 26% from 2017 to 2018.

5.a. Never mind getting economic theory right. The report and @jkenney can't even accurately observe the world right in front of their eyes. #ableg #abpoli Referencing this report and this article is embarrassing.

5.b. edmontonjournal.com/news/politics/…

Can @jkenney answer: where will the revenues from his carbon tax be put? Will they be put entirely toward reducing corporate taxes and reductions in capital gains taxes for the wealthy? That's the report's recommendation. #ableg #abpoli

Conservative and UCP politicians have consistently indicated that they prefer a more expensive regulatory approach to reducing carbon emissions. But this report condemns that.

Meanwhile, a much more credible source, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, essentially endorses all of the elements of the Alberta approach to carbon pricing and reinvestment in competitiveness, efficiency, and rebates: chamber.ca/media/blog/181…