Thursday, May 08, 2008

Dion: I Will Not Repeal The Metric System

And other interesting bits from a speech/question & answer session given in Espanola, Ontario. Don't know if the writer cleaned-up his English, but Dion comes off as quite articulate. And if he can explain his carbon tax proposals this clearly, I don't think the Tories attempt to "pre-frame" the issue as being about hiking gas prices will play that well.

For one thing,

...sources say that the plan would not add more taxes to gasoline.

The trick (for me) will be that the Lib environmental plan does not wind up being entirely urban-centric; that there is stuff in it that allows Dion and Co. to pitch it to Tory leaning rural/suburban ridings. For instance, their LEM proposal (Location Efficient Mortgage) is great for people living near a half-decent public transit system. If you don't, you're not likely to be impressed.

Update: Conservative Gerry Nichols makes a good point: everyone is proposing a carbon tax these days, including (most likely) the federal conservatives.

Even Alberta has one, but they're don't call it that.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

He's proposing a carbon tax of $70/tonne of coal.

That should make for happy voters in Ontario - 30% of your electricity comes from the plants McSquinty still hasn't closed. You'll be paying through the nose.

Even happier will be the voters in Nova Scotia - they get about 90% of their electricity from coal fired plants.

That's the kind of policy PMSH can campaign against. The TV ads write themselves.

Meanwhile, the planet is entering a 30 year cooling phase.

Perfect timing.

Ti-Guy said...

Meanwhile, the planet is entering a 30 year cooling phase.

That's nice, sweetie. Now stop holding yourself there; you're in public.

wilson said...

'...everyone is proposing a carbon tax these days, including (most likely) the federal conservatives...'

My guess is that the Cons will propose that some of that fed tax already collected (on fuel?) will be earmarked as an eco tax.

No new tax.

Cons will pay for it by cutting lots of fat from the govt (in keeping with Conservative ideology).

They will shift Fat to Tax, painlessly for taxpayers.

AG reports that it costs taxpayers $56,000 per Native child, kept in foster care.
Can't tell me there isn't a HUGE waste in government that is about to be trimmed.
PMSH will give the Libs lots to howl about.
Libs will be fighting cuts while proposing a new tax....tax and spend Liberals

Dante said...

I am honestly trying to understand the strategy of a carbon tax.

If there is no predetermined strategic outcome of such a tax then the strategy is incomplete.

Home heating is a perfect example. What alternative decision does the strategy look to promote...a movement to electricity? What outcome will be deemed successful and what outcome would determine a need to change or modify the strategy?

My gut is that the strategy is merely to create an illusion of action.
Precious resources will be thrown into an unknown pit. Better to take the carbon tax and subsidize the building of nuclear power plants across the country. The subsidy to electricity can then be used to subsidize manufacturing and industry for the betterment of job creation. At the end of the day, an outcome that is solid would be far more preferable to a nebulous one.

Ti-Guy said...

AG reports that it costs taxpayers $56,000 per Native child, kept in foster care.
Can't tell me there isn't a HUGE waste in government that is about to be trimmed.
PMSH will give the Libs lots to howl about.
Libs will be fighting cuts while proposing a new tax....tax and spend Liberals


*Mwah* Superbe! Magnifique! Another coup de grâce from The Conservative Party of Canada's most highly-paid indefatigable blog shill.

How is the In and Out dossier coming, Wilsie? What's the lie of the week? Or is that not your area?