Hon Doug Ford, re: Carbon tax and respecting democracy 30 October 2019

Hon Doug Ford

Premier of Ontario                                                                              30 October 2019

Dear Premier Ford

re: Carbon tax and respecting democracy

As committed climate activists, we naturally favour the use of a carbon tax as one of the many measures needed to combat the greatest threat our country/the world faces: the climate crisis.

We were, accordingly, greatly disappointed when your government chose to cancel the carbon pricing mechanism in place (cap-and-trade, not our first choice) of the previous government. We, as other environmentalists, many economists, business leaders and even oil corporations, support the federal government’s coming in to ensure a carbon price is in place.

It seems especially incongruous for you to cancel the tax, since you had announced “respecting democracy,” meaning respecting the results of the recent federal election. The vast majority of voters supported parties in favour of a carbon tax.

We urge you and your colleagues to look at the science. You should abandon the appeal of the carbon tax and, indeed, bring in other measures to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions.

Yours sincerely

copy to all MPPs