Yukon gov't claims success in fighting carbon tax, but opposition scoffs

The Yukon government is trumpeting its success at this week's meeting of Canada's environment ministers, saying it secured a unanimous recommendation to exempt the North from a carbon tax.

But Yukon's opposition parties say the government is just clouding the issue, and unjustlyclaiming a victorybefore calling an election.

• Justin Trudeau gives provinces until 2018 to adopt carbon price plan

• Carbon pricing scheme to reflect North's 'specific challenges'

Community Services Minister Currie Dixonattended the ministers' meeting in Montreal on Monday,on behalf of Environment Minister Wade Istchenko. Hesayshe convinced the other ministers that the North's higher cost of living means the territories can't afford a new tax.

"The North is different, and we ought to have something different in place," Dixon said.

The environment ministers' recommendation says"arange of different policy options for reducing emissions must be available for the territories."

Dixon says the recommendation is just a first step the next will come after the Yukon election,at a meeting of Canada's premiers where "this is all hashed out".

"That's why it's critically important that whoever we send to that meeting, stands up for Yukon and opposes carbon pricing in the territories," Dixon said.

The government is expected to call an election within the next few days.

Opposition scoffs at government's 'success'

Meanwhile, Yukon's opposition partieswant to know how the governing Yukon Party's lineis different from what they've been asking for, and how the government can claim "success" this week.

"The Yukon Party has been saying the whole time that they're saying 'no' to a carbon price," said Liberal leader Sandy Silver.

"Is the minister now saying, 'well, okay, we will have a carbon price and we'll make sure that the money goes back to Yukoners'? Because basically, that's what we've been saying from the get-go."

NDP leader Liz Hanson took a shot at both the Yukon Party and the Liberals. She accused the Liberals of "flip-flopping" on a carbon tax, and chastised the Yukon Party for lobbying against carbon pricing.

Hanson argues her party is the only one"willing to take meaningful action to fight climate change."

Yukon Green Party leader, Frank de Jong, might take exception to the NDP's claim of moral superiority: de JongthinksPrime Minister Justin Trudeau proposedstarting taxof $10 per tonne of carbon is too timid.

"The Yukon Green Party would set a fee of $30 per tonne of CO2 in 2017 (0.07 cents per litre of gas), raising it by $10 per tonne annually until it reached $100 per tonne," de Jong said in a statement.

But like the Liberals and the NDP, de Jong said any carbon levy needs to be "made in Yukon, so we can choose what happens to the revenue."