B.C. Liberal leader wants U.S. coal hit with carbon tax after softwood levy
MERRITT, B.C. — British Columbia Liberal Leader Christy Clark appears to be betting that the simmering softwood dispute with the United States is fertile ground for votes as she increased the pressure in the trade spat Tuesday, promising a hefty carbon tax on U.S. thermal coal.
Clark said she would tax the coal that’s shipped through the province’s ports to make it uncompetitive and defend workers from the policies of American President Donald Trump.
“Now is the right time to do it, the right time to send a strong message to the Trump administration and U.S. lumber barons that we will not back down in the face of their aggressive attacks on workers here in British Columbia,” said Clark, who has pushed hard on the issue in the latter stages of the provincial election campaign.
If the federal government doesn’t act on her request to ban the coal, she said the Liberals would develop regulations that impose a carbon price of about $70 per tonne if they are re-elected in the May 9 election.