Rustad seeks ‘carbon tax’ on U.S. coal shipments

British Columbia Opposition Chief John Rustad is proposing a “carbon tax” on U.S. thermal coal that’s shipped out of B.C. ports to make use of as leverage towards threats of American tariffs on Canadian softwood lumber.

Rustad says such a tax can be a “software to struggle again” on softwood tariffs and duties proposed by U.S. President Donald Trump, which Forests Minister Ravi Parmar mentioned final week may improve to greater than 50 per cent.

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He says that till “unfair and unwarranted” U.S. duties on B.C. softwood are eliminated, the province wants “to be able to hit the Individuals the place it hurts.”

The BC Conservatives had beforehand mentioned that “somewhat than retaliate and exacerbate” the tariff menace, it must be thought-about an “alternative to quickly advance B.C.’s economic system.”

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Rustad in the present day distinguished between retaliating with tariffs and making use of a “graduated carbon tax” that will be elevated till B.C. acquired a softwood lumber deal.

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He says 18 million tonnes of U.S. thermal coal is shipped via Vancouver, however the province doesn’t use it.

Rustad additionally proposed a ban on American funding for B.C. environmental activists, who he referred to as “troublemaking layabouts” who wasted police and courts’ time and “dragged our useful resource industries via expensive litigation.”

The governing NDP is in the meantime calling for unanimous endorsement for a movement condemning Trump and backing a nationwide plan for “strategically focused retaliatory motion.”