Thursday, June 15, 2006

Fueling the Debate

I, for one, think it's great to see a bit of policy debate in the Liberal leadership race on something other than Afghanistan. Every candidate out there has stated they're for the environment so, if nothing else, the carbon tax debate should show us some differences in their platforms.

Both Dion and Kennedy say they disagree with Ignatieff's carbon tax musings in today's Globe.


"I've always been against it. I will have other ways to get there."

[Dion] said he does not understand Mr. Ignatieff's comments. After speculating on imposing a carbon tax, Mr. Ignatieff added he would not want to hit any part of the country harder than another.

"The first sentence he said is we need to protect Alberta. And in the second sentence he said carbon tax," Mr. Dion said in an interview.



Another leadership contender, former Ontario education minister Gerard Kennedy, said there are better ways to get the resource sector to reduce pollution, including incentives, possibly some trading of emissions credits as part of a transition to a cleaner industry, and incentives to encourage
consumers to choose newer, greener technologies.

"I think a carbon tax is the clumsiest of the options that we've got so far, and therefore it's not part of my plan," Mr. Kennedy said. And he raised concerns that a carbon tax will divide Canada along regional lines.

"I lived in Alberta when the national energy plan came in, and fairly or not, people associated that with an undermining of the energy sector.


UPDATE: Kennedy is in the Toronto Star as well.

OTTAWA — 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 frontrunner Michael Ignatieff.

4 Comments:

  • I dont think that it follows that: willingness to say something unpopular = real leader. Often ideas are unpopular because they are bad ideas. Sticking to an unpopular policy only makes a real leader when, from some objective standard, that leader is right and the population is wrong.

    By Blogger KC, at 1:00 p.m.  

  • Dion and Kennedy, brave little soldiers that they are, only took four freaking days to decide the carbon tax was a bad idea, and only after the Conservatives started mocking it in the Commons.

    By Blogger Raymaker, at 1:09 p.m.  

  • I see some folks are starting to see that Dion's coronation has already been predetermined.
    Good job on the investigative work.
    But just so the foundation is re-enforced on the Dion crowning.
    Iggy was brought into the fold to peddle some rather un-liberal idea's so as to sanitize them for liberal consumption. Rae, also a lame duck with no chance of winning, was brought in to assure the kook-fringe that inhabits a good portion of the LPC that their party won't be taken over by conservatives posing as liberals.
    You can stop the charade now, the rule of alternation still applies, and Dion is the only francophone candidate running.

    Oh but if you want to call this bunk, rest assured my feelings won't be hurt. As a matter of fact I'll be dissapointed if you believe any of it.

    Just keep repeating, there will be no coronation this time.

    By Blogger gimbol, at 2:52 p.m.  

  • The carbon tax is an old idea which is considered to be inflationary. It's not leadership to suggest it; it's lack of imagination, or lack of knowledge of emissions trading.

    Both Dion
    and especially Brison have made their positions clear from Day One on their websites.

    Dion specifically mentioned NO carbon tax, while Brison discussed in some detail how emissions trading, combined with ways to encourage R&D in clean energy, would work.

    By Blogger Penelope Persons, at 5:02 p.m.  

Post a Comment

<< Home