Conservatives' rejection of a climate change bill, according to Erin O'Toole, was a "distraction."

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Kirti Pathak
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Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole told media that a recent vote by party delegates to oppose adding "climate change is true" to the policy book was a disappointment that diverted attention away from the party's broader proposal to impose a carbon price.

In a wide-ranging interview, O'Toole said he believes the party's March policy convention attendees were opposed to a resolution that was "difficult to grasp," rather than the true science of climate change.

Delegates were also asked to acknowledge that "highly polluting Canadian companies need to take more responsibility" and "reduce their GHG emissions," and that the Conservative Party should promote "green technology innovation." It was defeated by a vote of 54 to 46 percent.

Media reports about the resolution's failure, according to O'Toole, derailed what was otherwise a well-run convention with few cleavages in the party ranks.

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O'Toole said an onslaught of negative social media commentary about a climate resolution that was largely meaningless overshadowed his "well-received" speech from the night before, in which he outlined a five-point blueprint for a post-COVID-19 Canada.

O'Toole said an onslaught of negative social media commentary about a climate resolution that was largely meaningless overshadowed his "well-received" speech from the night before, in which he outlined a five-point blueprint for a post-COVID-19 Canada.

O'Toole delivered the Conservative response to Liberal concerns that the party lacked a realistic strategy to combat climate change a month after the resolution failed.

Saskatchewan MP Andrew Scheer, O'Toole's predecessor, was dogged by allegations that the Conservatives were climate laggards who had no intention to fix increasing greenhouse gas emissions.

In his climate platform, O'Toole proposes a reworked version of the current carbon pricing system. Instead of sending tax money to Ottawa, the Conservative proposal calls for levies on fuels like gas and home heating to be deposited in individual "low carbon savings accounts."

Individuals will be limited to using the funds in these accounts for "green" transactions such as more energy-efficient furnaces, bicycles, bus passes, and other products and services that reduce emissions. Only provinces without a carbon price will be eligible for the initiative.

The proposed Liberal initiative returns 90% of the money earned from carbon taxes to Canadians in the form of a tax refund. The government revealed in the most recent federal budget that such "climate change bonus" payments will be rebated four times a year in the form of a cheque or direct deposit.

 

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