However, it isn’t clear whether a carbon levy on imports would comply with World Trade Organization rules without a similar domestic tax.
U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry and Canada’s Environment Minister Jonathan Wilkinson also spoke Wednesday about how the two countries can coordinate their efforts. Wilkinson told reporters in Ottawa after the meeting the pair spoke about carbon tariffs and there is interest in the concept, but that the priority remains on building global ambitions to fight climate change.
“After four years of moving in entirely different directions on this file with the United States, it is certainly great to be working together again,” Wilkinson said.
The Canadian minister cited Japan, India, China, Australia and Mexico as countries that should face pressure to lower their emissions.
For Trudeau, pushing aggressively on climate provides some defense against attacks on his country’s environmental record, which is complicated by Canada’s large oil and gas sector. Trudeau’s two-hour virtual meeting with Biden sought to soothe growing tensions over the U.S. administration’s decision to cancel a permit for a major oil pipeline over the Canada-U.S. border.
In the interview, Trudeau said Biden won’t change his mind on the Keystone XL pipeline but that Canada is focused on other energy issues with the U.S., including how the two countries can work together to build a cleaner electrical grid -- a key to meeting 2030 emissions goals, he said.
“Those issues were brought up. We spent most of our time talking however about the larger idea of energy strategy and climate change at the same time,” Trudeau said. On Keystone, “I think it’s very clear that the U.S. administration has made its decision on that, a decision that we disagree with and are disappointed by.”
This article was provided by Bloomberg News.