The overshadowed environment of the Conservative leadership race

He fills up with diesel, monitors his propane reserves and checks his natural gas supply. Agriculture is still highly dependent on fossil fuels.

The carbon tax hurts us more than any other tax. It shocks me because there is no other optionlaments the farmer.

Michel Dignard estimates that his energy bill will almost triple in 12 years due to the increase in the carbon tax, which should reach $170 per tonne by 2030. The main culprit: his grain dryer.

” I use my dryer three months a year, and it costs me $8,000. When the carbon tax peaks, I calculate my bill will be $15,000. How do I make a profit? »

According to him, people who live in rural areas suffer disproportionately from the carbon tax, in particular because they cannot fall back on public transport.

This is even more true for farmers, he says, who can hardly change their mode of production to switch to renewable energies.

The farmer votes Conservative. He has a fondness for Pierre Poilievre as a candidate for leadership. Michel Dignard cares about the environment, but it’s not at the top of his list. I’m going to say it’s in the middle, roughly.

Many members of the Conservative Party of Canada think like him. And ex-chief Erin O’Toole found out the hard way.

Non-recognition of climate change

Erin O’Toole presented her green plan to the media without consulting her caucus first. He attempted a green shift which was poorly received by the blue party.

The chief claimed last year that climate change is a threat to our society. At the same time, the majority of convention delegates voted against a motion that acknowledged the existence of climate change.

The Conservative Party does not think it will win an election on the environment. It’s defensive, not offensive.believes Yan Plante, ex-conservative strategist and former adviser to Stephen Harper.

It is a question of electoral pragmatism, according to him.

” When people wonder if they will have enough money at the end of the month or if they will be able to fill up on gas this week, I think the future of the planet takes second place, unfortunately. »

The Conservative philosophy, he says, is to have a blueprint to offer the people, like in a store windowhe said.

If we don’t talk about the environment, we will spend several campaign days defending ourselves against that. If we talk about it a little, at least we can focus on the rest of our message.

However, not all conservatives think the same way. Some party members are organizing for the environment to be taken more seriously.

Preservatives for clean growth

Sarah Biggs barely hides her frustration. How can the Conservatives win without a climate plan? she says, hands in the air and eyes to the sky.

The Alberta political adviser is a mother of two, a conservative and an environmentalist. She is an activist for the Conservatives for Clean Growth group.

She believes that after three consecutive electoral defeats, it is time for the party to change its strategy. We must better reach young people and urban voters who escape usshe says.

If the Conservative Party presents a viable and credible platform, it will be able to get the part of the votes it needs to win and form the government.

” I strongly believe that if nothing is done and if the environment continues to be completely ignored, the Conservatives will be in opposition for quite some time. »

Sometimes Sarah feels the subject falls on deaf ears within the party. We try to make people understand that the next financial boom could be a green boomshe says, and we don’t want to miss the boat.

In fact, the Conservatives for Clean Growth group offered its services to all leadership candidates to help them develop an environmental plan. According to our information, only Jean Charest’s team took advantage of this service.

The forgotten environment

The aspiring Conservative leaders said little about the environment during the race. In four hours of debate, barely seven minutes were devoted to climate change. And the main message of the candidates revolves around the abolition of the carbon tax.

Yet the Conservatives for Clean Growth group points out that the idea of ​​imposing a carbon tax and letting the free market take its course is not in principle contrary to conservative ideology. Even Stephen Harper toyed with the idea while in office.

However, the Conservative Party has painted itself into a corner, Yan Plante believes. It comes from a time when we demonized the carbon tax to attach a label to the liberal adversary. And now, we’re stuck with it, and it’s hard after so many years to say that, after all, it’s a good idea.

Today, the idea of ​​abolishing the carbon tax has become the bread and butter of a good part of the conservative base, which lives mainly in rural areas.

Climate and inflation

Farmer Michel Dignard lives to the rhythm of the seasons. He is one of the first to be directly affected by climate change.

The weather is less predictable, he notes, and it’s more difficult to plan seed or harvest.

” There are times when we eat the slap! It can be 15 degrees, the next day it drops to zero. Rain, snow. Freeze, thaw. It’s not good for the fields. »

That, to me, is climate change. But is there a political party that can really do something? he asks.

When he climbs into his tractor-seeder and travels his 100 acres of land to sow his corn and soybeans, he sees the effect of climate change on his daily life.

His primary concerns, however, remain inflation and the continued rise in energy prices, which are jeopardizing his livelihood.