The Alberta government, under the NDP, brought in a carbon tax in 2017 as part of their Climate Leadership Plan. Certainly folks can hardly forget the pictures of MLAs filling up their tanks while holiday travel prices were still in effect. For the remainder of the year, gas prices were lower than they were on that fatefully photogenic New Year’s Eve.

This story isn’t about that, however.

Jason Kenney, United Conservative Party leader, has been claiming for the better part of two years that “Bill 1 will be the Carbon Tax Repeal Act“.

Many people are very excited about the possibility of Bill 1 under a United Conservative government. So much so that they regularly boast about how the UCP’s Bill 1 is going to save them money; but there’s a catch and Kenney doesn’t like to remind people about it.

Back in 2016, the federal Liberals were talking about their own carbon tax. It’s a strange mix of provincial authority and federal jurisdiction which is currently being challenged by the Premiers of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, New Brunswick and Ontario. The man who has been chomping at the bit to add his name, and our tax dollars, to the case is simply waiting to be crowned Premier of Alberta.

The federal carbon tax allowed for a province to opt out of the federal program by having their own carbon pricing policy in place. Alberta, for all of its aversion, currently has one under the Climate Leadership Plan.

On April 1, 2019, provinces that do not have a carbon pricing plan will be subject to a federal carbon tax. Right now, those provinces are Manitoba, Saskatchewan, New Brunswick and Ontario.

Repealing Alberta’s carbon tax will automatically trigger the federal carbon tax. Jason Kenney, while throwing tax dollars at a lawsuit that is simply allowing him to grandstand on behalf of fiscal conservationists, will let his supporters know that he tried to stop the evil Prime Minister’s malevolent tax.

As much as he may decry, stomp and complain, it isn’t exactly a bad deal for Mr. Kenney, you see, because Mr. Kenney plays politics. Aside from the fiasco that is happening with the kamikaze campaign and the alleged voter fraud during the UCP leadership race, he’s had many, many, many years of practice playing. When Albertans begin paying a federal carbon tax, he will shrug his shoulders and tell you he tried.

If, as expected, the court challenge against the federal government implementing a tax is unsuccessful, Mr. Kenney would like to count on Alberta’s support by not electing four Liberal MPs. This is, after all, The Resistance; to a country, and a province, that no longer sees its future reflected in five aging, white, conservative, men.

This post contains fact and opinion.

Deirdre Mitchell-MacLean

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Twitter: @Mitchell_AB @thisweekinAB