A ‘middle ground’ on carbon reduction amid inflation? Brad Wall says yes

Is it time for a “middle ground” on carbon reduction as the looming increase to the federal carbon price continues to stir growing concerns among both progressive and conservative political leaders?

Former Saskatchewan conservative premier Brad Wall says yes, and that any potential changes to how Canada tries to reduce carbon will need to weigh both what’s affordable for families and what technology can be used.

“If there’s a change at the federal level, a new government is going to have to look at the financial state of things. Look at the books, so to speak, of the country and determine what is affordable,” said Wall, who is a longtime opponent of the federal carbon price.

“I do think there’s a middle ground somewhere between a carbon tax that’s really not good for the economy and not very good for families in an inflationary environment, and an approach to technology that might take a price signal, but also has some market elements of it and some provincial-federal investment.”

As an alternative, Wall pointed to American legislation aimed at addressing climate change, which carries large costs but no economy-wide carbon price. This includes the Inflation Reduction Act, which includes several green measures and is expected to cost the American treasury $780 billion over 10 years.

The political fight over the carbon price has taken centre stage in the House of Commons over the past week — the last sitting week before the annual increase takes effect on April 1, as Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre frames it as a major driver of cost-of-living challenges.

Since the plan for a federal pollution price was first announced in fall 2016, conservative-leaning politicians have opposed the measure, with the first major challenge