Is this you? As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.
Claim your profile
Articles by Brendan Frank
Brendan Frank: Interprovincial trade could become a secret weapon for low-carbon growth
Canada has a major economic opportunity in the global low-carbon economy, if it gets its climate and energy policies right. Those policies should be informed by principles like leveraging the ingenuity of markets and free enterprise, limited government, and respect for provincial jurisdiction. The following article is the latest installment of The Hub’s series sponsored by Clean Prosperity exploring the why, what, and how of conservative climate policy.
Carbon Pricing in Transition: How to align Canada’s many systems to strengthen competitiveness and climate action
Navigation The energy transition presents a chance for Canada’s small, open economy to reset and recharge its global competitiveness. The race is already on: As countries fuse their economic, environmental and geopolitical objectives, there is a growing imperative to link trade and climate policies. That pressure may grow as advanced economies turn to protectionism, including ways to reduce access for products made in countries with lower emissions standards.
Want to reduce industrial emissions? Get rid of interprovincial trade barriers
Since Confederation, unnecessary internal trade barriers have hindered Canada’s economy. Booze is a famous example, but these barriers bog us down in sectors as disparate as electricity, labour, and transportation, among others. Collectively, they create an enormous drag on Canadian productivity and GDP. There’s a tendency to believe that interprovincial trade restrictions are the result of historical decisions that are difficult to unwind.
On Canada’s precarious climate politics
In the last federal election, every major party embraced the language of net-zero by 2050. Given how effectively energy and climate have worked as political wedges, it was a promising shift in rhetoric. Canadian politicians have built entire campaigns around promises to fight energy infrastructure and climate policies. In recent years, incoming governments have largely delivered on those promises.
Courts can 'no longer ignore' First Nations laws, Supreme Court hears in carbon tax case
Several First Nations asked the Supreme Court of Canada on Wednesday to look beyond intergovernmental clashes over the carbon tax, and recognize that the climate crisis infringes on treaty rights. After two days of hearings, the court said it was reserving its judgment, meaning the justices will take some time to consider the issues further before releasing a ruling.
'Provinces are not independent states': B.C. defends carbon pricing at Supreme Court
If the federal government wants to tackle the climate crisis, it could have simply made it a crime to pollute, lawyers for Saskatchewan and Alberta argued at the Supreme Court of Canada on Tuesday. And if that didn’t work? Well, then, “that’s democracy,” Saskatchewan’s representative offered — and the only solution is for voters to pass judgement at the polls.
Canada’s Just Transition Task Force can offer lessons for a green recovery
After her swearing in, Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland stated “all Canadians understand that the restart of our economy needs to be green.” While Freeland is correct that Canadians are more supportive than not of this approach, support is far from unanimous. Recent polling reveals pockets of strong opposition to addressing climate change during this recession.
May 2020
Canadian Online Publishing Awards 2018 Silver Best Column Best Podcast 2017 Silver Best Column Best Podcast
Opinion
The death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg The capture of Ginsburg's Supreme Court seat is the GOP's best chance to block Democratic legislation over health care, abortion rights, marriage equality, immigration, gun and social media regulations, election finance reform, tax and climate change reforms.
Six places where carbon pricing is working
Abrell, J., Kosch, M., & Rausch, S. (2019). How Effective Was the UK Carbon Tax?-A Machine Learning Approach to Policy Evaluation. A Machine Learning Approach to Policy Evaluation. Center of Economic Research at ETH Zurich Working Paper, 19, 317. Bernard, J. T., & Kichian, M. (2018). Carbon Tax Saliency: The Case of BC Diesel Demand. University of Ottawa. Calel, R., & Dechezleprêtre, A. (2016). Environmental policy and directed technological change: evidence from the European carbon market.
Six places where carbon pricing is working
Climate change will be an important part of the national conversation this fall. One part of Canada’s strategy to deal with climate change has been to put a price on carbon. What’s a price on carbon? Glad you asked. It’s a charge on fossil fuels, the main drivers of climate change. The charge is based on how much carbon pollution (a.k.a. greenhouse gas emissions) the fuel produces when it is burned.
What “demand is inelastic” actually means
“A carbon tax does nothing for the environment.” “Road tolls won’t affect driving habits.” “Prices don’t matter when we’re using water for everyday life.” We hear these arguments frequently when discussing ecofiscal policies. Critics might even drop a little economics jargon. But that doesn’t mean these arguments are grounded in good economics. In this blog, we’ll explain why we shouldn’t fear the phrase “demand is inelastic.” What’s elasticity of demand?
about Carbon Pricing in Canada
Canadians are having a serious policy debate about climate change. Major economic and scientific reports continue to highlight the scale of the challenge. New threats to our health and extreme weather in our own backyards are creating a new sense of urgency. The costs of delaying meaningful action are increasingly evident, and the window for action to avoid the worst of those impacts is closing. Now is the time to act. Canadians want to do their part to tackle global climate change.
Ramping up: Ambitious climate policy returns to British Columbia
It’s been a pivotal few weeks for provincial climate policy. Ontario released its new climate strategy last week, scaling back provincial targets and replacing its cap-and-trade system with a mix of regulations, subsidies, and a pricing system for heavy emitters. Yesterday, the coalition government in British Columbia released its own newly-minted CleanBC strategy.
How carbon pricing helps Canada fight climate change
Canadians increasingly agree that climate change requires action. Evidence continues to mount that melting ice packs and extreme weather events pose serious risks to Canadians and their economy. Other climate impacts, such as sea level rise and warmer temperatures, are of particular concern to Canada’s coastal and Arctic communities. The risks are even worse for other, more vulnerable countries.
Show More
loading
Actions
Is this you?
As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.Get in touch with Brendan
Contact Brendan, search articles and posts on X, monitor coverage, and track replies from one place.
Learn more about Muck Rack