LETHBRIDGE, AB: The Canadian Taxpayers Federation is calling on Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and Prime Minister Mark Carney to scrap carbon taxes and cancel anti-pipeline laws instead of wasting taxpayers’ money on a proposed pipeline.

“Governments are actively strangling pipelines with carbon taxes and stupid laws,” said Kris Sims, CTF Alberta Director. “These same governments are now planning to waste taxpayers’ money because government policies are standing in the way of pipelines.

“Governments need to get out of the way of pipelines so companies can build them.”

The Alberta government is going to be the “initial backer” of a proposed pipeline from Alberta to the West Coast of British Columbia, according to media reports.

Costs and further details of the proposed pipeline are expected to be announced Thursday.

The Alberta government signed an agreement with the federal government to hike the province’s carbon tax six and a half times higher than it is now by 2040.

A Leger poll shows 68 per cent of Canadians believe businesses pass most or some of the cost of the industrial carbon tax on to consumers. Meanwhile, just 12 per cent believe businesses pay most of the cost.

Economists and oil companies have stated carbon taxes, the MOU agreement with Ottawa and anti-pipeline laws are stopping companies from spending money to build pipelines in Canada.

“We have created a set of national policies and regulations that make resource development and investment in Canada uncompetitive with the rest of the world,” Cenovus Energy CEO Jon McKenzie said last month.

“It is unsustainable for the government to spend taxpayers’ money because the government is standing in the way,” said Sims. “This will be a billion-dollar band aid at best. Smith needs to spend her energy fighting Carney’s carbon taxes and standing up to Ottawa so pipelines get built with private company money instead of blowing taxpayers’ money on this government-caused problem.”

-30-