Ontario’s Liberal government is promising all the details of its cap-and-trade plan to put a price on carbon and reduce greenhouse gas emissions will soon be public.
Environment and Climate Change Minister Glen Murray says the government is wrapping up consultations with manufacturers and large polluters on what he admits is a very complex design for the cap-and-trade initiative.
Murray says there will legislation and a regulation that will spell out details of the plan, which will impose pollution limits on companies but allow them to buy credits if they exceed their limit or sell their credits to other polluters if they’re under.
Ontario plans to join existing cap-and-trade markets in Quebec and California, which allow companies in each jurisdiction to buy and sell emission credits, or allowances, from each other.
Progressive Conservative Leader Patrick Brown says the Liberals have held several photo-ops to tout their cap-and-trade plan, but still haven’t released any details.
During question period, Brown said Ontarians deserve to know exactly how much the plan to cut greenhouse gas emissions will cost them every year.