Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I want to talk about the carbon tax because I fear that much of the discussion in the media is missing the point. Many of my constituents have come to me with their alarm and disappointment that the message they hear coming from this government's leaders is that carbon pricing hurts people because there are no economically viable alternatives to fossil fuels in the NWT so let's scrap the tax. The important message that's being lost, however, is that climate change hurts people, that climate change costs us dearly, and diesel and heating oil have many downsides including the expense and contamination of diesel spills.
Our status quo dependence on diesel isn't safe, and it's not cheap. And there are renewable energy alternatives. Some of them aren't even new technologies.
Since time immemorial, many northern peoples were heating their homes not with heating oil but with wood. Efficient, clean burning stoves are now more available and affordable than ever with subsidies by Arctic Energy Alliance. And district biomass heating systems for larger buildings are proven to work here, if we could just get all the different players organized.
In the NWT, we have some of the highest per person energy consumption and GHG emissions in the world, and our communities suffer the most from the effects of climate change so we cannot pretend that this is not our problem. My constituents and others across the NWT have told me that they are determined to be part of the solution.
Now, I want to be clear that I don't believe that high emissions or rampant climate change are the fault of individual Northerners just making bad choices. That's where our current carbon tax system falls short because it simply tries to incentivize individuals to behave differently, but people currently have limited options, so it just ends up feeling like punishment.
What residents need to see is the carbon tax revenues being used to create low carbon choices and options for them. That's where the municipal, federal, and territorial governments need to lead the way. People won't leave their cars at home until there is more convenient public transit. People will not invest in electric vehicles until there is clean, robust electricity system and charging infrastructure. Industry will not develop the supply or demand for renewable diesel until there is a clear regulatory framework for clean fuel standards. Mr. Speaker, I ask for unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
Unanimous consent granted
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This whole time we've had the illusion that fossil fuel technologies are the most economic because we've been subsidizing them with our tax dollars. So the whole point of a carbon tax is to help us plan for a cleaner future by noticing the real price that we are paying for fossil fuels. Carbon pricing should be acting as a kick in the pants to governments to find tools to bring down the price and increase the availability of cleaner alternatives. So carbon tax is not our enemy but if you want residents to do their part to address climate change, first our government has to do its part. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member from Yellowknife North. Members' statements.
