By Canadian Press

Carbon-pricing too hard on Indigenous groups, small biz, too weak on industry: audit

Apr 26, 2022 | 8:14 AM

OTTAWA — Canada’s environment commissioner says the national carbon-pricing system is disproportionately hard on Indigenous communities and small businesses and not tough enough on the biggest emitters.

Jerry DeMarco has put out five reports today on carbon pricing, transitioning workers away from fossil-fuel industries, hydrogen energy, climate-related infrastructure policies and the government’s efforts to cut its own emissions.

DeMarco says there is a “broad consensus” among experts that carbon pricing is an essential tool for curbing greenhouse-gas emissions.

But he says not enough has been done in Canada to ensure the carbon price is applied fairly to the biggest industrial emitters.

He also says there is not enough sunlight exposing how well provincial systems compare to the federal benchmark and that grant money to help small businesses become more energy efficient has been slow to roll out.

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His report also says the government is both “unprepared and slow off the mark” to help more than 170,000 fossil-fuel workers prepare for a transition to a cleaner energy economy.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 26, 2022.

The Canadian Press