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Prior to the BC Liberal government introducing a carbon tax last year, the NDP seemed to like the policy. At the 2007 Provincial NDP party convention [pdf], they adopted unanimously a sustainability report stating that:

“Effective Climate Change Initiatives: apply carbon taxes to motivate the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by ensuring that of fossil fuels reflect the environmental and social costs of their production and use, while building in “just transition” measures to minimize impacts on low-income households.”

Since then, the website where the NDP originally posted this statement has been revised to:

“apply carbon pricing to motivate the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by ensuring that prices of fossil fuels reflect the environmental and social costs of their production and use, while building in “just transition” measures to minimize impacts on low-income households”

The Sustainable BC report was originally drafted by the NDP Standing Committee on the Environment for an Ecologically and Economically Sustainable Future (SCOEE).

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The Pembina Institute, a top Canadian environmental think tank, & trade": "The National Round Table report says that Canada needs an economy-wide price on carbon as soon as possible. Experts agree that this could be accomplished through either a carbon tax or a cap and trade system. The Round Table is opting for cap and trade only to align with federal government policy. The B.C. NDP's proposal for a limited cap on industrial emitters would only cover up to 32 per cent of B.C.'s pollution, whereas B.C.'s carbon tax covers 76 per cent. So rather than being consistent with the Round Table's call for an economy-wide price, the NDP's proposal would take B.C. in the opposite direction." The NDP's assertion that a carbon tax would cost more than a cap and trade system is simply wrong, and is not supported by the Round Table report." ">released a statement late last week in reaction to the BC NDP’s claim that a recent report released by National Roundtable on Environment and Economy supports their intention to scrap the BC carbon tax.

Matt Horne, Director of BC Energy Solutions for the Pembina Institute said: 

“The National Round Table report says that Canada needs an economy-wide price on carbon as soon as possible. Experts agree that this could be accomplished through either a carbon tax or a cap and trade system. The Round Table is opting for cap and trade only to align with federal government policy.

The B.C. NDP’s proposal for a limited cap on industrial emitters would only cover up to 32 per cent of B.C.’s pollution, whereas B.C.’s carbon tax covers 76 per cent. So rather than being consistent with the Round Table’s call for an economy-wide price, the NDP’s proposal would take B.C. in the opposite direction.”

The NDP’s assertion that a carbon tax would cost more than a cap and trade system is simply wrong, and is not supported by the Round Table report.” (my emphasis)