Steven Guilbeault has no plan for those left behind by green 'innovation'

“A real piece of work.” That’s how Ontario Premier Doug Ford described federal environment minister Steven Guilbault after the latter lambasted him for having “no plan to fight climate change.” The riff came about after Ford criticized the latest hike in the federal carbon tax, from 50$ to 65$ per ton effective April 1, which raised the price of gas by three cents a litre.In response, Guilbault sniffed that, “As we’ve heard the president of the United States saying in this great house just last week, a good economic plan in 2023 is a good climate change plan, is a good security plan. … Unfortunately, Mr. Ford doesn’t seem to have much to say about any of these things.”But Ford has other things to say, which make eminent sense: he recently announced that Volkswagen will be building an electric battery plant in St Thomas, south of London, and that the province is helping move two major steel plants off coal-burning production and onto the electricity grid.Other people have things to say as well, including the Parliamentary Budget Office. “When both fiscal and economic impacts of the federal fuel charge are considered, we estimate that most households … will pay more in fuel charges and GST — as well as receiving slightly lower incomes — than they will receive in Climate Action Incentive payments.”Read the full column on the National Post website