The United States gets most of its imported potash from Canada. Trump says Belarus can sell it cheaper. There’s just one awkward little problem: Belarus says the stuff is already spoken for.
What usually gets lost in this "industrial carbon tax" debate is that many (perhaps most?) of our current/likely trading partners around the world EXPECT such a tax/price to be added to products. Many are conscious of the "green cost" of making products—which is why Europe really likes Canadian aluminum: it uses relatively green hydroelectric energy to process it (vs. high-carbon coal electricity). This is why Carney left the federal carbon pricing alone (and refuses to remove it). We don't put it in, then the importer of our goods ADDS THEIR assumptions onto our product (which might make the cost worse).
This is another example of CPC grievance politics - create an issue that isn't an issue (either that, or they just don't understand the marketplace themselves. I'm not really sure which it is). And as Fred notes, doubly so in the potash case, since there really isn't any carbon price added to it in the first place.
The part that gets missed is that carbon pricing isn’t happening in a Canadian vacuum anymore.
If major export markets are going to put a carbon cost on high-emission products anyway, Canada has an interest in accounting for that carbon here
rather than simply handing the calculation... and potentially the revenue... to somebody else at the border.
And yes, that makes the Saskatchewan potash argument particularly strange.
Before we argue about whether the carbon price is hurting potash, we should probably mention that Saskatchewan set its industrial carbon price to zero.
Grant, your last paragraph sums it up perfectly. It's apparent that within the CPC, PP isn't the only one making false statements. Andrew Scheer is now doing it. When will they learn? Any right-minded Canadian can see through this BS.
I often reply too early! A further thought came to mind after I clicked "reply." Andrew Scheer is a Saskatchewan MP and once was the federal CPC leader. One would expect him to meet with Pemier Moe from time to time! It's truly appalling that he didn't know or doesn't know that SK set its industrial carbon price to zero.
What usually gets lost in this "industrial carbon tax" debate is that many (perhaps most?) of our current/likely trading partners around the world EXPECT such a tax/price to be added to products. Many are conscious of the "green cost" of making products—which is why Europe really likes Canadian aluminum: it uses relatively green hydroelectric energy to process it (vs. high-carbon coal electricity). This is why Carney left the federal carbon pricing alone (and refuses to remove it). We don't put it in, then the importer of our goods ADDS THEIR assumptions onto our product (which might make the cost worse).
This is another example of CPC grievance politics - create an issue that isn't an issue (either that, or they just don't understand the marketplace themselves. I'm not really sure which it is). And as Fred notes, doubly so in the potash case, since there really isn't any carbon price added to it in the first place.
Good point, Grant.
The part that gets missed is that carbon pricing isn’t happening in a Canadian vacuum anymore.
If major export markets are going to put a carbon cost on high-emission products anyway, Canada has an interest in accounting for that carbon here
rather than simply handing the calculation... and potentially the revenue... to somebody else at the border.
And yes, that makes the Saskatchewan potash argument particularly strange.
Before we argue about whether the carbon price is hurting potash, we should probably mention that Saskatchewan set its industrial carbon price to zero.
Facts first. Then we can have the argument.
Grant, your last paragraph sums it up perfectly. It's apparent that within the CPC, PP isn't the only one making false statements. Andrew Scheer is now doing it. When will they learn? Any right-minded Canadian can see through this BS.
I often reply too early! A further thought came to mind after I clicked "reply." Andrew Scheer is a Saskatchewan MP and once was the federal CPC leader. One would expect him to meet with Pemier Moe from time to time! It's truly appalling that he didn't know or doesn't know that SK set its industrial carbon price to zero.
Great article Fred, thanks for putting it together and proving again conservatives are either grossly ignorant or compulsive liars.
Captain Poopy Pants is obviously an UNRELIABLE. source of information 😵💫