Opposition demands government detail carbon plan

The Official Opposition repeatedly tried to extract details from the Liberal governmentabout Prince Edward Island's plans to meet Ottawa's requirement to implement a price on carbon.

But government was stingy when it came to new information in question periodFriday, for the most part reiterating previous statements that the plan must fit in with a regional approach in Atlantic Canada and that vulnerable Islanders will be shielded from the economic impact of carbon pricing.

• Justin Trudeau gives provinces until 2018 to adopt carbon price plan
• Carbon tax or cap and trade? P.E.I. says it still hasn't decided

"Why have you been so silent on this issue for so long?" PC Leader James Aylward asked the premier.

Opposition charges government for details

In response, the premier referred to a statement he made in the house last December, which at the time both opposition parties said they understood as an announcement that the province would bring in a carbon tax.

The province later said that was not the case andno decision had been made as to whether P.E.I. would implement a carbon tax or a cap and trade system, the two options allowed by Ottawa under its carbon plan.

Opposition finance critic Darlene Compton pressed the premier for financial details of the plan: how much Islanders will pay, and how much they might see in return in the form of tax reductions.

"Will the HST be lowered with the new revenue the carbon tax will bring?" she asked.

• No carbon pricing announcement for P.E.I. this year

"This started out as being about carbon pricing," Premier WadeMacLauchlanresponded. "The opposition seems to be determined to call it a tax and further, to get pretty deep into tax policy,"

"But let me say, there are 28,000 Prince Edward Islanders who don't pay income tax," he continued.

"We're concerned about those 28,000 Prince Edward Islanders first, when we get to the point of deciding what will be the revenue aspect of anything that happens in conjunction with a carbon price."

Ottawa: plan to be in place in2018, not by2018

When Justin Trudeau announced Ottawa's new carbon plan in the House of Commons in October of 2016, he provided a warning to provinces that might not meet Ottawa's deadline.

"If neither price nor cap and trade is in place by 2018, the government of Canada will implement a price in that jurisdiction,"he said.

Just to clarify, it has always beenin2018, notby2018.Environment and Climate Change Canada

But today a communications person with Environment and Climate Change Canada insisted there has never been a requirement for provinces to implement a plan by 2018.

"We've been very clear that there needs to be a price oncarbonacross Canadain2018 and we will be introducing legislation to make that a legal requirement," the email said. "Many provinces and territories already have systems in place or are working hard to adopt them ahead of that deadline.

• Liberals provide details of plan for national carbon tax
• What a carbon price means for consumers

"Just to clarify, it has always beenin2018, notby2018."

However, briefing documents from that October 2016 announcement stated: "Under the new plan, all Canadian jurisdictions will have carbon pricing in place by 2018."

Another email from the same department explained that no date has been set for when Ottawa's carbon tax plan will come into effect in jurisdictions with haven't introduced their own carbon price.

P.E.I. has said that it will provide details on its carbon pricing plan in the new year.

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