Manitoba refusing to do its part to stem catastrophic climate change, NDP say

A dire UN report warning of a climate change catastrophe is a sign the provincial government was wrong to turn its back on a carbon tax, the Opposition NDP argued on Tuesday.

Leader Wab Kinew used the gloomy study, released last weekend, to launch a new line of questioning attacking the province's surprising reversal.

The report found that carbon dioxide emissions must be slashed by nearly half of 2010 levels by 2030 to stave off the worst effects of climate change.

That means Manitoba has just 11 years to stem the tide, Kinew said during question period.

"Instead of rising to this enormous challenge, the premier has decided to jump on the bandwagon with [Ontario Premier] Doug Ford and other Conservative leaders across the country who have no plan to fight climate change."

Kinew portrayed the province's about-face as Premier Brian Pallister's decision alone, alluding to a Canadian Press story that said some caucus members were left in the dark.

"This is what happens when you have a government of one man."

Pallister found the charge of a fractured caucus laughable.

Green plan about more than carbon tax

He said the government will see through its made-in-Manitoba green strategy, which he called a "beautiful plan" even without the enacting of the flat $25-a-tonne carbon tax he proposed.

The provincial strategy calls for more electric buses, retrofitting diesel trucks and improved watershed management, among other measures. 

"We will undertake these projects with a commitment to seeing this province do more than its part to address the fundamental issues of climate change that was unaddressed by the NDP for 17 years," he said.

Twice, Pallister pressed the NDP on Tuesday to articulate why it wants Ottawa to withhold $67 million in funding to reduce carbon emissions.

In fact, environment critic Rob Altemeyer only said the federal government may choose to withhold the cash since the province is no longer willing to meet Ottawa halfway on a carbon tax.

The federal carbon tax, which Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has threatened to impose, is set to rise to $50 per tonne by 2022.