Carbon pricing plan approved by over half of Canadians, poll finds

A new Mainstreet/Postmedia poll finds 51 per cent of Canadians approve of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s plan to price carbon.

Ottawa announced it will set a minimum price on carbon of $50 a tonne by 2022. It will impose this on any province that does not join the new plan in two years.

In May, some provinces objected to a federal plan. Provinces can have their own plans, but their goals must meet the federal minimum price or Ottawa will tax them to make up the difference.

Mainstreet Research president, Quito Maggi said of the 51 per cent of people surveyed who agreed to putting a price on carbon pollution, 21 per cent “strongly approved” of the tax measure.

Maggi says on the prairies, where there is no carbon pricing in place, people want their own provincial governments to initiate a plan, rather than accept a federal government plan.

The Prime Minister says he will hold a first minister’s meeting Dec.8 to discuss a pan-Canadian climate plan which will include carbon pricing.