Doug Ford joins Jason Kenney for anti-carbon tax rally in Calgary

Ontario’s premier is in Calgary Friday to attend an anti-carbon tax rally being held by Alberta’s United Conservative Party.

Both Doug Ford, a Progressive Conservative, and UCP Leader Jason Kenney have been vocal opponents of the federal government’s plan to impose a price on carbon. Kenney, the leader of Alberta’s Official Opposition, has promised to repeal the province’s existing carbon tax if his party takes power next year.

Ford tweeted Friday he’s attending the “Scrap the Carbon Tax” rally “to stand with Albertans who oppose the federal carbon tax. A tax that is designed to make everything more expensive.”

• Watch the rally live at 7 p.m. on CBC Calgary and the CBC Calgary Facebook page

Kenney said earlier this week having Ford join him for the rally shows Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau that opposition to the federal tax is growing.

“That’s to Alberta’s advantage and I think we need to solidify the alliances that are developing with other provinces,” Kenney said.

Alberta Finance Minister Joe Ceci said Thursday those opposing the carbon tax don’t understand that to reduce emissions, you need to price them.

“They’re not free, and we have a clear plan in place, a carbon levy is raising money, we’re diversifying in this province,” Ceci said.

Education Minister David Eggen told reporters prior to the rally on Friday that Albertans should be “disturbed” by Ford’s visit to the province when it comes to educational issues. 

“I think Albertans should be disturbed about Doug Ford coming to Alberta and trying to tell us what we should do in our province,” he said.

“In the three months that Doug Ford has been the premier of Ontario, he has unleashed mayhem into the education system: attacking teachers, taking $100 million out of maintenance, attacking curriculum. And I just want to remind people and warn people that Jason Kenney looks enviously at Doug Ford and actively says he wants to emulate the Doug Ford model here in our province.” 

Alberta Liberal Leader David Khan also released a statement ahead of Friday’s event, saying “Albertans don’t need the Ontario premier coming here to tell us how to run our province.”

“We have our hands full with an NDP government that has stumbled from crisis to crisis and is on track to run up the Alberta debt to $100 billion since taking power in 2015,” it read.

“If UCP Leader Jason Kenney, also recently returned from many years in Ontario, needs help on how to operate here, then Alberta Liberals will be glad to give him a hand – no charge.”

A health-care advocacy group also condemned the visit, asking Albertans to take a hard look at Ford’s policies if they are considering voting for Kenney.

Sandra Azocar of Friends of Medicare says if these two leaders are friendly, it could be an indicator Kenney will adopt some of Ford’s health-care cuts.

“He cut $350 million from the promised mental health funding he did,” she said. “He also rolled back on the public drug insurance children were being covered under that had been introduced not too long ago. He also cut back on hospital beds that had been opened prior to the election.”

A statement from the UCP’s deputy chief of staff says the party is not surprised by what it calls “these desperate attacks from NDP-aligned front groups.”

It says Kenney has said front-line health services must be maintained. And that the party has raised concerns about the NDP’s mismanagement of the health-care system.

The rally with Kenney is Ford’s second meeting this week with anti-carbon tax allies in Prairie provinces. Ford was in Saskatoon Thursday for a meeting with Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe.

Saskatchewan launched a reference case with the province’s Court of Appeal in April, questioning the federal government’s jurisdiction to enforce a carbon tax on provinces that don’t comply with its climate change plan.

The rally is being held Friday evening at the BMO Centre on the Stampede grounds.

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