How Canada Figured Out a Carbon Tax and Gave the Money Back
As Canada’s minister of environment and climate change, Cath McKenna marshaled support for a carbon tax in part by calling it “a price on pollution.”
Catherine McKenna, former minister of environment and climate change for Canada.
Photographer: David Kawai/Bloomberg
Canada is a leading producer of oil and gas. It’s also one of the few G7 members with a carbon tax. As the country's minister of environment and climate change, Cath McKenna had to get Canadians on board with that policy back in 2015. One of the most important tactics? Calling it “a price on pollution.”
Now, in the wake of the Paris Climate Finance Summit last month, carbon taxes are having a moment. On this week’s Zero, Cath joins Akshat Rathi to talk about their political practicalities, who’s making progress, how she handled threats and why focusing on outcomes is the key to climate policy that works.
Listen to the full episode here, learn more about the podcast here, and subscribe on Apple, Spotify, and Google to stay on top of new episodes.