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PM Justin Trudeau's Canada


Trudeau challenges premiers opposed to carbon tax hike to suggest alternatives to federal levy​

Several premiers have been calling on Ottawa to halt a planned increase to the federal carbon tax​


Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is calling on premiers opposed to increasing the carbon tax to propose credible alternatives to the federal measure.

On Tuesday, Trudeau wrote to seven premiers who have been calling on Ottawa to pause an imminent hike to the federal levy or scrap the program altogether.

In his letter, the prime minister suggested that the governments of New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Saskatchewan, Alberta, Ontario, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador haven't put forward suitable replacements to the federal backstop.

"When we last engaged with provinces and territories on this in 2022, all of your governments either did not propose alternative systems or … proposed systems that did not meet the minimum standard for emissions reductions," the letter reads

The Government is feeling the carbon tax pressure.
 
The problem with the carbon tax is that it was designed for a world that doesn't exist. I think the Liberals thought everyone would start buying electric cars...that hasn't happened.
I look outside and the majority of people drive gas vehicles, I may see the odd Tesla...you see where I am going.
Canadians only see the gas prices going up, that don't see the rebates. It is not going to change behavior because we don't have the demand or infrastructure the support the vast use of electric vehicles.

It I was the Federal government I was mandate all gas stations have electric vehicle charging stations.

The carbon tax is going to stink the Liberals. Only 11% of Canadians support the carbon tax.
 
It I was the Federal government I was mandate all gas stations have electric vehicle charging stations.

Which would be evidence that you don't understand how people use EVs. The best places to charge are home or work. Or places where somebody might spend about 20-30 mins doing something else. That's why grocery stores are becoming popular locations for chargers in Europe. Everybody has to buy groceries. And they usually spend 20-30 mins getting groceries for the week.


The problem with the carbon tax is that it was designed for a world that doesn't exist. I think the Liberals thought everyone would start buying electric cars...that hasn't happened.
I look outside and the majority of people drive gas vehicles, I may see the odd Tesla...you see where I am going.

Nobody ditches their car for 13¢ in gas taxes. I don't think think the Liberals are dumb enough to assume that.

Also no idea where you get your information but EV sales have been going every year. We were at 11-12% nationally for 2023. The cost of the vehicles and charging infrastructure are the biggest problems and the Liberals haven't done much to tackle those problems.

2023-Q1-ZEV-Canadian-Market-Penetration-1024x657.jpg
 
The problem with the carbon tax is that it was designed for a world that doesn't exist. I think the Liberals thought everyone would start buying electric cars...that hasn't happened.
I look outside and the majority of people drive gas vehicles, I may see the odd Tesla...you see where I am going.
Canadians only see the gas prices going up, that don't see the rebates. It is not going to change behavior because we don't have the demand or infrastructure the support the vast use of electric vehicles.

It I was the Federal government I was mandate all gas stations have electric vehicle charging stations.

The carbon tax is going to stink the Liberals. Only 11% of Canadians support the carbon tax.
EV marketshare is up to 10% of new car sales. It's happening. I don't think anyone thought it would be overnight transition.
 
I will also add that some are switching to electricity to heat homes with heat pumps - they are simply more efficient. Enbridge and the feds put up rebates for those to switch - those programs have already wound down, because the money was all used up.

The higher-than-expected uptake of heat pumps under the Greener Homes Grant program and the relatively high cost of heat pumps (compared to other retrofits) has meant that the average grant payment size to Canadians under the Greener Homes Grant program (over $4,200) has been significantly higher than initially expected.
Source
 
I will also add that some are switching to electricity to heat homes with heat pumps - they are simply more efficient. Enbridge and the feds put up rebates for those to switch - those programs have already wound down, because the money was all used up.


Source

They are more efficient.. in places like California, Louisiana and possibly BC.

Once the temperature gets to zero or slightly below they become less efficient and the electric backup heating kicks in. There have been horror stories about people being told they are more energy efficient only to find out they cost more in the winter.

They work well in warm or mild climates but they would work primarily from electric heating in places like Winnipeg over the winter.
 
Even if people aren't buying electric cars (which they are, but it will take many years), the whole point of the price on carbon is to get people with gas cars to drive fewer km. And even if they don't switch from carbon-intensive home heating, to get people with oil/gas heating to turn down the thermostat a degree or two.
 
They are more efficient.. in places like California, Louisiana and possibly BC.

Once the temperature gets to zero or slightly below they become less efficient and the electric backup heating kicks in. There have been horror stories about people being told they are more energy efficient only to find out they cost more in the winter.

They work well in warm or mild climates but they would work primarily from electric heating in places like Winnipeg over the winter.
This is woefully out of date.

Cold climate heat pumps have COP >1 down to as low as -25C.

 
Even if people aren't buying electric cars (which they are, but it will take many years), the whole point of the price on carbon is to get people with gas cars to drive fewer km. And even if they don't switch from carbon-intensive home heating, to get people with oil/gas heating to turn down the thermostat a degree or two.
It also encourages people to:
Choose a hybrid over conventional ICE
Choose a more efficient ICE over less efficient in the same class
Choose a smaller ICE vehicle (get a midsize SUV instead of full-size or a pickup, etc).
 
The Globe has a series of pieces on housing on its front page at the moment.

The first of these (linked below) is on the subject of temporary residents in Canada (TFWs, International Students and Asylum seekers) who collectively now represent 2.7M of us, roughly double what it was just 2 years ago!

A whopping 6.5% of the population.


Economists are cited expressing exasperation that the supply side of the economy can't possibly keep up:

1711564469335.png


The level of growth is utterly unprecedented in the last 80 years:

1711564516191.png


If you assumed Ontario's growth were only in line w/the national rate (It was almost certainly higher); that would require 175, 680 new homes (residential units) just to tread water from 2022 levels. Housing starts in Ontario were under 110,000 last year.
 
In this next piece, columnist Tony Keller eviscerates the Liberals for less than half hearted measures to reign in the problems outlined above.


From the above:

1711565033106.png


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He then goes on to discuss how we got here, in respect of the TFW side of things:

1711565141075.png

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He then laments that the Minister seems to think the biggest problem w/the program is its branding, rather than its substance.

Keller goes on to advocate an immigration system that seeks out the best and brightest, not a "Suppress wages at the bottom scheme"

Great piece, can't say I disagree with a word of it.
 
I mean does it matter if the Liberals have already allowed the caps to be violated in practice?

IMO see two important elements that have led us to this point of infinity immigration as 1.)Immigration advocates/lawyers (immigration industry), the total belief in 'immigration' (reduced to a sacred inherent good), and immigrants (who vote in blocs and want family reunion)—which deflects criticism of mass immigration to a debate in the margins while entrenching it in society/politics, and 2.) Businesses (big and small)—who want to bypass actual productivity investment by instead destroying the value of labour and thereby suppressing worker wages.

Though these might seem to be politically opposed (liberal- vs conservative-coded), they both work hand-in-hand. The Star might publish some sob-stories about 'the poor immigrants 🥺🥺🥺' and the National Post might whine about the birth rate and the lack of 'skilled labourers', but the net result is about the same.

Ironically, infinity immigration is also mortgaging out a country's reputation in exchange for warm bodies, many of whom are instead disappointed to find themselves stuck tending these minimum-wage jobs instead of the dream they were promised. This ultimately destroys a country's reputation as a destination for skilled immigration (especially as the Global South begins to offer more opportunities to these individuals to stay home), and instead increasingly relegates immigration to the realm of low-skill labourers and refugees.

Likewise, infinity immigration and the societal waves it brings has a strong chance of prying apart the monolith that is the total belief in immigration, and reintroduce discourse into the actual pros and cons of mass immigration. Perhaps a few more cycles from now, a prospective PM supporting dramatically reduced immigration might no longer be courting political suicide—but at what cost?

Housing Crisis, Packed Hospitals and Food Lines: Even in Canada?​

From Montreal to Vancouver, some residents are losing faith in a longstanding social safety net that is central to the country’s identity.
27 March 2024 at 10:00 GMT-4
Canada is growing faster than any other Group of Seven nation, China or India, thanks to welcoming immigration policies intended to be a solution to falling birth rates. As longtime residents and newcomers alike struggle to meet their basic needs, there are growing worries about nascent anti-immigration sentiment.
[...]
The net result runs counter to the country’s longstanding vision of itself as a rich nation with a robust system of social supports that celebrates diversity and has historically relied on immigration as a pillar of economic growth. Although prone to exaggeration, it’s an ideal that has, nonetheless, long been part of Canada’s international brand, especially in comparisons with the US.
Before she left India, Thakur considered studying in the UK, Australia and the US but says she chose Canada because it seemed to offer the best long-term prospects for success. Although grateful for the opportunities that do exist, she says she wishes she’d chosen differently, and housing is a big part of why.

“My friends are calling, and they’re crying: ‘Is this the way a human lives?’ Excuse me, they’re living like animals.”
 
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