From LifeSiteNews

By Anthony Murdoch

Canadian environment minister favors ‘global’ carbon tax on goods that could drive up prices for families

Canadian Minister of Environment Steven Guilbeault wants to create a new “global’ carbon tax applied to all goods shipped internationally that would further drive up prices for families already struggling with inflated costs for basic needs.

Guilbeault shared Wednesday on social media a post from Environment Canada that confirmed “carbon pollution pricing was discussed” at the United Nations’ COP29 Climate Change conference in Azerbaijan and “is seen by global leaders as a powerful tool for driving investments in clean technologies and accelerating economic growth.”

“Canada is more invested than ever in ensuring collective global action that responds to the growing costs of climate change and a shift toward a low-carbon clean economy,” Guilbeault said in a statement.

According to the Conservative Party of Canada, Guilbeault’s new plan would be “sent abroad to other countries” and make everything more expensive for Canadians.

“This new tax on maritime transportation would undoubtedly drive investment and business away from our already struggling port system, putting strong union jobs at risk,” the Conservatives said in a press release.

Conservatives said the new proposed tax “on shipping” is nothing more than an extra tax on “goods that are being shipped.”

“At a time when 2 million people are using food banks every month, Canadians can’t afford another failed Liberal tax grab,” Conservatives said.

“The carbon tax is nothing more than an expensive scam. It has done nothing to reduce emissions, while dramatically increasing the cost of living on the backs of working Canadians.”

Canada’s port creates $17 billion a year in economic output, according to the Association of Canadian Port Authorities.

The Conservative Party highlighted how Guilbeault’s carbon tax is costing Canadians thousands, noting that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government instead wants to forge ahead and make everything more expensive.

“But instead of giving Canadians the relief they deserve, Trudeau decided to hike his carbon tax by 23 percent last spring as part of his plan to quadruple the carbon tax by 2030,” Conservatives said.

LifeSiteNews previously reported that even those in the federal government, such as the Parliamentary Budget Officer, have said Trudeau’s carbon tax is costing Canadians hundreds of dollars annually, noting that rebates are not sufficient to compensate for the increased fuel prices.

On April 1, Trudeau increased the carbon tax by 23 percent despite seven of 10 provincial premiers and 70 percent of Canadians pleading with him to halt his plan.

As reported by LifeSiteNews, a July survey found that nearly half of Canadians are just $200 away from financial ruin as the costs of housing, food and other necessities has gone up massively since Trudeau took power in 2015.

The Trudeau government has continued to push a radical environmental agenda similar to the World Economic Forum’s “Great Reset” and the United Nations’ “Sustainable Development Goals.”

The reduction and eventual elimination of so-called “fossil fuels” and a transition to unreliable “green” energy has also been pushed by the World Economic Forum, the globalist group in which Trudeau and  some of his cabinet are involved.

Critics argue that instead of addressing these issues, the Trudeau government has instead used the “climate change” agenda to justify applying a punitive carbon tax on Canadians.

Some provinces such as Alberta are legally challenging the current federal carbon tax.

Not only is the carbon tax costing Canadian families hundreds of dollars annually, but Liberals have admitted that the carbon tax has only reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 1 percent.