Conservative Party of BC Leader John Rustad said a government under his leadership would scrap the provincial carbon tax, low-carbon fuel requirements and other climate-related programs in promising to return $2.8 billion to British Columbians.

A Conservative government would also reduce British ColumbiaB次元官网网址檚 reliance on imports of food and refined fuel by B次元官网网址渄ramaticallyB次元官网网址� increasing domestic food production and developing domestic refining capacities. Rustad also promised to have a conversation with British Columbians about using nuclear power.

Rustad announced these broad coordinates of his partyB次元官网网址檚 environmental policy Wednesday (Nov. 22) in the provincial legislature. Rustad said his partyB次元官网网址檚 environmental policies will about adaptation and prosperity.

B次元官网网址淭axing people in poverty will not change the weather,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淭he bottom line is half of British Columbians today are struggling to put food on the table,B次元官网网址� he added. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 unrealistic to be burdening them with this kind of tax policy and approaches.B次元官网网址�

While Rustad acknowledged that humans have caused the climate to change, they are only among hundreds of factors behind it.

B次元官网网址淭his is not a crisis,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淚n fact, our changing climate is not even the most pressing issue facing people around the world.B次元官网网址�

Rustad added British Columbians need three things.

B次元官网网址淲e need housing, we need food and we need energy,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淓verything else is about our quality of life and what I have found is (that) climate policies, particularly from this NDP government, are attacking all of those factors that we survive with these unrealistic policies.B次元官网网址�

Rustad combined these critiques with promises to better manage B.C.B次元官网网址檚 water and air.

Rustad opened his announcement with quoting from Bjorn LomborgB次元官网网址檚 False Alarm: How Climate Change Panic Costs Us Trillions, Hurts The Poor, And Fails To Fix The Planet. While Lomborg, a statistician by training, is a best-selling author, he is not a trained climate scientist. Climate change scientists considers him to lack credibility on the subject.

Lomborg broadly acknowledges the existence of climate change and the role of humans in causing it, but accuses the media and other self-interested parties from over-hyping its consequences.

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Rustad, however, considers the debate around climate change and its impacts not settled.

B次元官网网址淭here is significant debate,B次元官网网址� he said, adding that he would like to see more open and discussion when he asked from where his party draws its scientific research. When pressed to name an institution that has research showing that climate change is not as impactful, he encouraged reporters to look on the web.

B次元官网网址淭hereB次元官网网址檚 plenty of that out there on the web today,B次元官网网址� he said.

RustadB次元官网网址檚 announcement comes after BC United Tuesday had presented its plans to scrap CleanBC, the provincial governmentB次元官网网址檚 plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions based on 2007 level by 40 per cent by 2030.

Rustad said WednesdayB次元官网网址檚 announcement had nothing to do with the timing of BC UnitedB次元官网网址檚 announcement.

B次元官网网址淲e had actually planned for many months to bring this policy out in November,B次元官网网址� he said, adding he does not know the reason behind BC UnitedB次元官网网址檚 timing. B次元官网网址淭his is the timing, we had already arranged.B次元官网网址�

When asked whether his partyB次元官网网址檚 plan is a case of one-upmanship, Rustad said he hasnB次元官网网址檛 really looked at all the policies and approaches of BC United.

B次元官网网址淲hat weB次元官网网址檙e trying to do here, is weB次元官网网址檙e laying out clearly what the Conservative Party of BC wants to do for the people of British Columbia, how we are going to make sure that we can adapt and prosper as a province.B次元官网网址�

wolfgang.depner@blackpress.ca
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