We work hard to provide for our families — to give our kids clean air to breathe, safe water to drink, and a shot at a strong future. But that future is at risk if we let industrial polluters off the hook. Letting the biggest polluters avoid paying for the mess they create passes the bill to our kids and grandkids. That’s a betrayal.

If we want to be good ancestors, we must ask polluting industries to take responsibility. Industrial pollution pricing is one way we can make that happen — by ensuring that those who profit from pollution also help pay for its cleanup and solutions.

Canada’s long-term prosperity depends on smart, fair climate policy. Industrial pollution pricing is a proven tool to reduce emissions, drive innovation, and level the playing field. That’s why it’s supported by a broad range of economists, business leaders, and even major industrial players themselves — because it creates certainty, drives cleaner production, and keeps Canada competitive in a global market shifting toward low-carbon technologies.

Weakening or eliminating these policies may seem politically convenient, but it would undermine the economic stability we’ve worked hard to build — especially for future generations who will bear the rising costs of climate damage.

Imagine telling your grandchild: “Sorry — we knew this pollution was causing wildfires, floods, and costly damage, but we let the big polluters off the hook because it seemed easier.” That’s not the legacy most of us want to leave behind.

Paying for industrial pollution now helps prevent more expensive damage later — and sends a clear message to our kids: we won't let you down.

No one wants to be the person who makes a mess and walks away from it. But when we let big polluters operate for free while families and small businesses pick up the tab, that’s exactly what happens.

Paying for industrial pollution isn’t punishment — it’s a responsibility. The same responsibility we teach our kids: if you make a mess, you help clean it up. Letting big companies off the hook for this responsibility betrays our kids and future generations, forcing them to pay dearly for pollution that industry dumps for free.

Boomers, Gen Xers, and older Millennials have seen firsthand how Canadian families, industries, and governments can rise to big challenges. Industrial pollution pricing is one more way to meet this moment — with resolve, fairness, and foresight.

By asking industries to pay their fair share, we protect the health of our planet, the strength of our economy, and the well-being of future generations. That’s a legacy we can all be proud of.

We all know that destructive fires, floods, droughts and storms are imposing new costs on families, and ratcheting up the climate bill for Canada as a whole. Effective policies that reduce carbon pollution — like the industrial carbon tax — are one way to get these costs under control now, before it’s too late. Our kids can’t afford to wait any longer for us to take real action to reduce the unpaid bills we’re running out on.

High-polluting countries like Canada that fail to take serious action are increasingly at risk of being held financially responsible for the damage they help create. International law has already affirmed that such inaction is “wrongful,” exposing us to enormous compensation and mitigation costs down the road. We can head off this risk — and protect the future prosperity of our children and grandchildren — by upholding and strengthening our industrial pollution pricing policies today.