Canada’s Civil Liberties Assocation Takes Ontario’s Ford Government to Court Over Anti ‘Carbon Tax’ Stickers

Ford Is Trying to Bully Gas Stations Into Affixing  Propaganda Stickers to Their Pumps

A News Release from the Canadian Civil Liberties Association

Posted September 5^th, 2019 on Niagara At Large

This Ford government sticker is a shot at one of the federal Liberal government’s efforts to place a price on climate-changing carbon pollution by, in part, demonizing it as a “tax.” Many critics see the sticker as propaganda Ford is putting out there just in time to assist his federal Tory friend and ally Andrew Scheer in the upcoming October federal election.

As promised, this September 4^th the Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA) filed its legal challenge to the mandatory anti-carbon tax gas stickers required by Ontario law, failing which gas retailers will be fined up to $10,000 per day.

The government stickers direct consumers to a website to read about how the Ontario government has a “better way” of fighting climate change.

“The provincial government can engage in a war of words with the federal government over the carbon tax, but it cannot use the threat of fines to conscript private businesses to take up its cause,” says Cara Zwibel, Director of the Fundamental Freedoms Program at the Canadian Civil Liberties Association.

CCLA’s claim argues that the law violates the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms’ protection of freedom of expression. Forcing retailers to post a particular, government-mandated message about a political issue, particularly just prior to a federal election, is compelled speech that is not reasonable and cannot be justified by any compelling government objective.

The CCLA is represented by Sandra Barton and Steven Sofer of Gowlings LLP in Toronto.

The Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA) is a national, non-partisan, non-profit organization that works to protect the rights and freedoms of all people in Canada.

For more information on the CCLA and its Civil Liberties work, click on the association’s website at – https://ccla.org/ .

To read a recent Niagara At Large commentary on this issue, click on – https://niagaraatlarge.com/2019/09/03/fords-devious-and-dishonest-carbon-tax-sticker-now-on-display-on-gas-pumps-near-you/ .

The following image has recently been making the rounds on Twitter, and has been posted here by Niagara At Large because NAL believes, based on Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s record, that it makes a valid point. (It has nothing to do with the Canadian Civil Liberties Association.)

NIAGARA AT LARGE encourages you to join the conversation by sharing your views on this post in the space following the Bernie Sanders quote below.

A reminder that we only post comments by individuals who also share their first and last names.

For more news and commentary from Niagara At Large – an independent, alternative voice for our greater bi-national Niagara region – become a regular visitor and subscriber to NAL at www.niagaraatlarge.com .

“A politician thinks of the next election. a leader thinks of the next generation.” – Bernie Sanders