Quebec carbon market not changing behaviours so far but experts are hopeful
OTTAWA — As politicians across the country worry about the consequences of a national carbon tax on family incomes, many experts say the much-touted carbon market in Quebec has so far had little effect on changing citizens’ habits.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau recently announced all provinces will need to set a baseline price for carbon by 2018, either with a tax or through a carbon-market system similar to the one Quebec has adopted.
Ontario is set to join Quebec’s carbon market — which is tied to California’s — but so far the program has not had the desired outcome, say prominent experts.
“The carbon market, to this day, has had zero effect on the habits of Quebecers — I am quite ready to say that,” said Pierre-Olivier Pineau, chair in energy sector management at HEC Montreal.