Appelé à clarifier sa position, John Baird a expliqué que son gouvernement, s'il est réélu, se concentrera sur la réglementation «plutôt que sur un système de plafonds et d'échange, qu'on préfère appeler un "système de plafond et de taxation"».
...translates into this:
Asked to clarify his position, John Baird said his government, if elected, will focus on regulation "rather than a cap and trade, we prefer to call a" ceiling system and taxation ".
Since a carbon tax has exactly the same effect as a cap & trade system, and its effects would be distributed across the country in about the same manner as a carbon tax, I can't see how the Tory's latest proposal on this file would be anymore or less divisive than Iggy's.
5 comments:
The Conservatives used to call it cap and trade. The name change -- first I've heard of it -- is just thereto confuse people into thinking it's something different than cap and trade. Semantic tricks designed to confuse the unknowing.
From my first reading of the French version, I understood that "we prefer to call a ceiling system and taxation" referred not to the Conservative government's approach but to cap and trade.
And based on the original Le Devoir article, it's pretty clear that that's the case.
So, no, Baird did not just propose a carbon tax.
He is just reiterating that regulation is the CPOC policy.
It's hard to believe that a self-avowed market-liberalist party like the Conservatives would advocate command and control (i.e. regulation) over all market based mechanisms. Basically, Baird (literally, I'm sure) spits at most reasoned economic thinking on this issue, from economists left, right and centre.
But, although the Conservatives contend that they are going to regulate carbon emissions, they have not done so yet, and probably won't in any meaningful way, ever. Anyone who believes Canadian conservatives are really economic liberals is ignoring their record in power.
Discussion at Macleans on this:
http://www2.macleans.ca/2011/04/06/policy-alert-14/
They not pay tax for carbon.
Maria[suits]
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