KAP Pleased with Latest Developments on Carbon Pricing

The President of Keystone Agricultural Producers, Dan Mazier, told FarmScape Online he is pleased that Manitoba has joined the federal-provincial-territorial plan to address climate change

by Bruce Cochrane – FarmScape Online

Last week Canada’s Minister of Environment and Climate Change and Manitoba’s Minister of Sustainable Development announced Manitoba has signed on to the Pan-Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change.

“It’s time to get on with this and see where this is all going to shake out”

 

“The Manitoba Government has been saying all the way along it shouldn’t be about pricing but it should be about changing people’s behaviors,” Mazier told FarmScape Online. “The Made in Manitoba Plan does take into account what our carbon balance is and how we use carbon based products in certain ratios versus Alberta or B.C. or even Ontario.”

As a result Manitoba will qualify for approximately 67 million dollars in federal funding under the Low Carbon Economy Leadership Fund.

“They’ve gone to different systems and they’ve all signed on,” he stated. “It is different in Manitoba and in these jurisdictions you need a different approach. One size doesn’t necessarily fit all of Canada. But the provincial governments can see how they are going to adopt a federal program, so I think it’s a really good opportunity.”

Mazier says he is pleased that the federal government has agreed to allow Manitoba’s climate and green plan to move forward and that Manitoba’s planned 25 dollar per tonne carbon tax will be left intact.

“We can move forward. We’ve got a plan now, we’ve got the green plan for Manitoba sitting in place. But it’s time to get on with this and see where this is all going to shake out.”

Mazier says this is another step toward to getting this carbon pricing situation resolved.