By Lara Fominoff @LaraFominoff on Twitter

UCP Leader Jason Kenney calls carbon tax “biggest lie in Alberta history”

Mar 20, 2019 | 2:40 PM

LETHBRIDGE – United Conservative Party Leader Jason Kenney made an appearance at Lethbridge Iron Works Wednesday morning, on his second campaign stop since the provincial election was called Tuesday.

While his two Lethbridge candidates, Nathan Neudorf and Kerri Flatla stayed at or near the back of the room, Kenney stood behind a podium, flanked by about a dozen iron workers. Media were also asked to stay well back of the UCP leader.

While delivering his speech, Kenney said companies like Lethbridge Iron Works were struggling under massive costs imposed by the NDP government including higher business taxes, higher payroll taxes, higher property taxes, and the carbon tax.

Calling it “the biggest lie in Alberta history,” Kenney referred to the 2015 NDP platform while telling the crowd there had been no mention of imposing a carbon tax during the last election.

“They knew full well that they intended to impose a carbon tax on us, but also knew that they couldn’t win an election if they were honest about it,” said Kenney.

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Instead, Kenney said that should the UCP become the next governing party, the carbon tax would be scrapped and the “Carbon Tax Repeal Act” would be introduced in the Legislature.

“By May 30 of this year, the Alberta Carbon Tax will be history,” he said. “By scrapping the carbon tax, we’ll save Albertans $1.4 billion in one fell swoop.”

Kenney estimated that without the tax, the average Albertan would save about $268, and would create 6,000 new jobs.

He also said he is putting Prime Minister Justin Trudeau “on notice,” should the federal government impose a carbon tax.

“The day that we are sworn in, I will instruct the attorney general to sue Trudeau’s government, to defend Alberta’s taxpayers from his threatened carbon tax.

“I would make it clear that there’s a new approach in Alberta. That we will no longer… that the Notley-Trudeau alliance is done and that we will no longer roll over and accept his Bill C-69… his bill C-48…his surrender to the B.C. government. We will demand that he impose conditionality on discretionary federal transfers like for infrastructure and job training to B.C. until they stop fighting Trans Mountain in court.”

Locally, Kenney said he would keep infrastructure funding in place, including the $100 million pledged by the Transportation Minister last week to build a new six-lane Hwy.3 bridge, however the plans for the supervised consumption site were murky.

“We would consult with people in Lethbridge and region on that site to get their input and I’ll be saying more about our plan to tackle the crisis in opioid addiction and the danger of drugs in our society. Our main focus though, offering better treatment – better detox and treatment to help people get out of the destructive downward cycle of opioid addictions – and that will be something I will speak to in some detail later in this campaign.”

Kenney is scheduled to appear at a UCP campaign rally this (Wednesday) evening at the Italian Cultural Centre.

NDP Leader Rachel Notley is also scheduled to be in Lethbridge this (Wednesday) evening for a Leader’s speech at the Coast Hotel and Conference Centre.