The knock so far against Liberal Leadership Candidate Gerard Kennedy is that he "speaks passionately upon the topic of nothing", as I think one columnist put it. Today Kennedy has taken a step towards countering this type of criticism by releasing a few concrete details of his environmental policy:
OTTAWA (AP) - Canada should impose a tax on gas-guzzling SUVs and cut the GST on hybrid vehicles to help meet its Kyoto commitments, says Liberal leadership candidate Gerard Kennedy.
Kennedy said Thursday that those two measures would yield a "much more practical" reduction in greenhouse gas emissions than the carbon tax floated by leadership front-runner Michael Ignatieff.
A direct political jab at Iggy, but fairly solid, pragmatic stuff as well. Kennedy takes pains to point out that these kinds of environmental initiative ought to be more palatable to Albertans:
He said [Iggy's proposed] carbon tax would unfairly penalize oil-rich Alberta, incense the energy industry and be counterproductive.
"We need the oil sector on side. Eight per cent of our increase in greenhouse gases came from the oil sands," Kennedy told The Canadian Press.
"We need to be working with them and what we don't want to do is cause a huge flight of capital and damage our resource industry that has been part of Canada's economic power."
Iggy set himself up for that. A well placed shot by Mr. Kennedy.
taxing SUV's will garner a lot of support with the suburban Moms who use them the most.
ReplyDeleteLiberals have great policies shaping up . . . . new taxes that will attack a current major voting block and give them good reason to switch parties.
Keep up the good work, it is very much appreciated.
That is one of the dumbest things I've ever heard. You're not even trying.
ReplyDeleteNow suburban moms are the demographic to woo? Well, let me tell you, my wife (a suburban mom) thinks being lumped into a silly demographic is even more insulting than an SUV tax. She cringes everytime she hears "suburban mom;", as if she's June Cleaver vaccuming in high-heels and pearls.
ReplyDeleteGonna be endorsing Kennedy?
ReplyDeleteGiven my reputation, I will probably endorse someone I don't want to help. So it'll probably be Iggy (just after I confess to being a cannibal).
ReplyDeleteCannibalism...hehehe...well done!
ReplyDeleteKeving,
ReplyDeleteI might have mentioned in the post that Kennedy is suggesting a small step, but so, really, is Iggys carbon tax a small step(unless you really crank it up until motorists squeal and bleed). But it is a step, and I think its more doable than Iggy's proposal, at least on a national level.
I'd say its a more "practical" solution because the amount of emissions you might cut via a national carbon tax is zero because it will never happen.
having heard Gerard talk at length on this topic, i'm fairly certain that this is step one, and a good one. He doesn't think gov'ts can do all the heavy lifting, but is necessary to direct the public to making wiser, more environmentally sound choices. People who buy new SUVs are already paying a high price, but the current gas price and say a new levy on that shiny vehicle may direct them to a better option. it will also spur on more pressure from the public to the automakers, to deliver a better product which doesn't cough out a belch load of CO2 just idling.
ReplyDeleteThis is the right direction, and it's two steps better than the so-far magic bean 'Made in Canada' solution that the tories apparently waited three years to come up with -- oh right, they haven't come up with it yet. But i'm sure Big Oil, or BO as he's know, will love it.
Iggy has made the only intelligent proposal on GHG, drastically higher fossil fuel prices, such as in Europe, is the only way to significantly reduce CO2. Foodbankguy is simply perpetuating the Martin/Chretien lie to dupe gullible Canadians, worked before. Where's Rick Mercer? Any Liberals who still have an open mind on the global warming fraud might check out "The real 'Inconvenient Truth' at: http://www.junkscience.com/Greenhouse/
ReplyDelete