Carbon price increase officially comes into effect despite controversy – National [Video]

The controversial federal carbon price increase officially comes into effect Monday.

Despite calls from premiers for a pause, carbon pricing will rise to $80 a tonne on April 1, up from the current $65 a tonne. The price will continue to rise annually by $15 until it reaches $170 a tonne by 2030.

The carbon price is a “cornerstone policy” of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s minority Liberal government, said Hadrian Mertins-Kirkwood, a senior researcher with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.

But provincial leaders like Newfoundland and Labrador Liberal Premier Andrew Furey have been calling for a halt over affordability concerns.

Fury said in an open letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau earlier this month that while his government is “deeply invested” in environmental sustainability, the increase “is causing understandable worry as people consider how they will manage the mounting financial strain.”

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith called the carbon price increase “inhumane”during testimony at a House …