Beyond The Commons

 Beyond The Commons

Aaron Wherry covers all the goings-on in and around Parliament Hill. Follow Aaron on Twitter: @aaronwherry

Categories: Beyond The Commons, Capital Read

Stephane Dion's secret agenda EXPOSED!

by Aaron Wherry on Saturday, January 10, 2009 4:18pm - 16 Comments

The carbon tax? It was a sop to big oil.

Tags: ,

Bookmark and Share
  • Sisyphus

    Rex Tillerson …. Not a Leader.

  • sbt

    Actually, it appears it was just a sop to ExxonMobil (the article says other oil multi-nationals prefer cap-and-trade). And Jack Layton wanted a coalition with this guy? All for six measly cabinet seats.

    • http://macleans.ca kc

      The article probably should bear the disclaimer: “Danger ironic statement ahead”, but why spoil the author’s fun!

      • sbt

        Perhaps my comments should bear the same disclaimer.

        • http://macleans.ca kc

          Aha! Hoist by my own petard!

  • http://macleans.ca kc

    So, is it more muddying of pools or a genuine ephiphany? If the latter many will take perverse delight in hearing our PM explain why this is not cracy or insane any more. Unless of course it was only such when spoken by Dion?

  • scissorpaws

    I suspect with oil at $40.xx a barrel and no bottom in sight, Exxon et al are looking for bailout cash as well. Next they’ll be talking about sail powered VLCCs. America turns her lonely eyes to you, Joe (Hazelwood).

    • Sisyphus

      I suspect it will start creeping up. Instability in the Middle East and all …..

      • Terry

        The fact that oil is going to go back up to $80 a barrel is about as sure a thing as the sun rising tomorrow morning.

        • wayne moores

          Sun up, oil just dropped about 10 dollars again after the fradsters tried valently to manufacture another crisis/shortage. Sadly, no one is buying that snake oil these days, as everyone in Noth America is out of work and have no money to buy gas. So are the people in China and India since there is no one left in North America to buy their plastic junk(ironically made from petroleum products) because their jobs were shipped off to China and India….

  • Loraine Lamontagne

    A growing nujber of US economists, oil execs and politicos are endoring a revenue neutral carbon tax. The endorsements are coming from left and right. Most of you, I am sure, have caught Charles Laffer’s OpEd in favour of the revenue neutral carbon tax in the NYT late in December. I quote:

    ‘If China and India join the United States in attaching a price to carbon, their goods should come into this country without a carbon adjustment. But if they do not, every item they place on our shelves should be subject to the same carbon tax that we would place on our domestically produced goods, again offset by a revenue-neutral tax cut.

    If World Trade Organization rules entitle members to an unwarranted exemption from such a carbon tax, then we should change them. Outliers should not be allowed to frustrate the decision-making of the countries that are trying to prevent the security and environmental train wrecks of this century.”

    If this becomes reality, as I believe it will in the next few weeks, you can bet that Canada will follow suit and adop a revenue neutral carbon tax. Infact, when Obama visits Canada, I would expect this will be Obama’s and Harper’s priority #1.

    I particularly take note of the linking of security and environment.

    As for Dion, he will forever be remembered not for his achievements and ideas but for the virulence of the attacks by the Conservative Party on Dion’s character, his family, his masculinity (I still read him referred to as Stephanie), and the fact that he is a French-speaking Canadian and therefore no longer a ‘real’ Canadian. In the end, this will reflect very badly on the Conservative movement in Canada, and for a few generations.

    • sbt

      Dion will be remembered exactly as Joe Clark is. The guy who made a bold proposal and lost. No one is going to care about any of the other stuff a few weeks from now, let alone a few generations. He got a rough ride, but so have other politicians.

  • catherine

    “Economists tend to prefer the carbon tax because it is simpler. Politicians tend to go for the cap-and-trade because its costs to the consumer are not as obvious.”

    That statement about sums it up. I keep wondering whether the US might actually go the carbon tax route. In this economic crisis, it must weigh on the politicians whether they really should adopt a plan they know will cost their economy at least twice as much overall just because it is complex enough that voters don’t understand it. In better economic times, I’m sure the US would go the cap and trade route, but now it is not so obvious.

  • Wascally Wabbit

    I can see it now…St. Stephen of Calgary…on the road to his own Damascus…lightning strikes…the scene darkens…then opens on a candlelit office – where – at a high desk – with quill pen – a young Jim Flaherty is scribbling in the Budget Ledger….Bah humbug….Green Shift…Green Shift….

    • http://macleans.ca kc

      WW
      Unfortunately i can see SH’s line now. ” Look, obviously our carbon adjustment is completely different. The Liberal carbon TAX was a giant ponzy scheme designed to enrich themselves and the undeserving poor and bleed Alberta dry. Obviously our completely neutral carbon adjustment initiative will avoid these mistakes and was part of our turning the corner initiative, which we were unable to implement due to unforseen circumstances.[ ie., election, mutiny, and the GG not allowing me another election where i fully intended to implement our carbon plan, fully funded by cuts to the electoral subsidy”
      Dion never knew what he started , poor man. Completely insane and crazy. It’s obvious.

  • Critical Reasoning

    I thought that Exxon and the big banks were too busy plotting to destroy kitchen tables across the country to bother with any carbon tax schemes. At least, that’s what Jack told me.

Previous

Next

From Macleans