My Platform: Carbon Tax

Ok I said that I wasn't going to directly discuss the environment - because it touches on so many things that it will be involved in several of the things I'm going to talk about anyway, but I will say that I strongly favor the carbon tax over cap and trade. Proponents of cap and trade say that it's polluters and not consumers who should be taxed but everyone who pays any attention to industry knows that the costs will be passed along anyway - if we tax the polluters the cost of that tax will be passed onto us anyway but it will be invisible. It will simply be included in the cost of finished products without the consumer having any idea how much of the cost is due to environmental taxes.

With a carbon tax (done properly) the tax will be printed on the sticker. When you look at a product you will know how green it is based on the carbon tax. So consumers can make up their own mind about what it important. If they see a product that is cheeper than a competitive product because of the carbon tax then it's win-win, they can save money and the environment. This is good for local business and agriculture.

On the other hand they may see a product that, even with the carbon tax, is less expensive than a greener product. The consumer can then make a decision about whether it is worth the extra money to reduce the environmental impact. People are beginning to see that the financial cost of a product isn't the only cost. The long term environmental impact is also part what something costs. Most people though do not have time to spend hours researching everything they might want to buy. With a carbon tax the information they need will be printed on the price tag and then they can make whatever they feel is the best decision.

If they buy greener products it is better for the environment, if they don't choose green products they pay more in taxes and the government has more money with which it can pursue other ways of taking care of the environment.

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My Platform: Introduction
My Platform: Arts and Culture
My Platform: Poverty
My Platform: Business and Industry
My Platform: Crime

Canadian Emissions Still Going Up

Everyone seems to be green these days, virtually every ad on television is about how green the company is. There are constant reminders of ways you can be a little greener, and everyone seems to be getting on board but despite our best efforts:

"They show that in 2006 emissions did actually fall by 0.1%, but the UN's climate change secretariat said that this tiny dip was statistically insignificant.
The overall underlying trend since 2000 is up, even though the countries in question had promised to cut their emissions.
The worst culprit has been Canada. Its emissions since 1990 have shot up 21.3% - they should have fallen 6%."

Full article at the BBC.

Now it can be hoped that the situation will improve a bit as US President Elect Obama forces Harper to be greener, and bans tar sands oil but even that will not be enough. Everyone doing their own little bit is no longer enough. It's simply not working - it is time for harsh government intervention and sacrifice. This should include a carbon tax and a cap and trade system. It should also include stronger emissions requirements for vehicles (with no grandfather clause - older inefficient vehicles should be banned from the roads), and other measures that would force individuals and industry to clean up their act. The voluntary Million Acts of Green type approach is simply not having an impact. (It should also be noted that the CBC 'Million Acts of Green' site was borrowed from the World Wildlife Fund.) For every little thing that you and I do to improve things there is someone out there (individuals or industries) who is going twice as fast in the opposite direction.

One Flew Over the Alberta Mess

Today on CBC Radio One, Anna Maria interviewed NDP party leader Jack Layton and certainly put him on the spot with issues of the recent Elizabeth May refusal at the debates, his plan on the war in Afganistan, why he wants cap and trade vs. carbon tax and his plans concerning the NAFTA agreement, along with other topics concerning in this coming election and for the future of Canadians.

Mr. Layton changed his tune and about Elizabeth May telling Anna Maria he only said he wouldn't participate in the debates if he couldn't go up against Stephen Harper but was not against The Green Party Leaders involvement, not true. He stomped his feet just as much as Stephen Harper for the week and now that the Canadian people have spoken, he's singing to a new tune.

The issue of the war in Afganistan he plans to pull out immediately if he is elected and this shows he is only trying to win voter confidence as an immediate pull out over a phasing out at the end of 2011 as our CAF has assumed a very important position in the war on terror and Canada's foreign policy. If a pull out is made to soon, a reemployment in the future will be certain as conflict will rise to extremes once again and insurgency will have had time to regroup and strengthen as did from the first Gulf War when troops were pulled to early and the people of Iraq suffered the extreme consequences.

As Jack Layton flew over the Alberta Tar sands he suggests a cap and trade on corporations should be implemented over a carbon tax as he said "shouldn't the polluters finally pay the price". In my view, we are all polluters whether it be corporations or as individuals and when we choose to fly over in our planes who would pay for those carbon emissions he used, Jack Layton, the NDP government, the corporations, or the tax payers?

When Anna Maria asked Mr. Layton if Barak Obama is elected to President he plans on revisiting and amending the NAFTA agreement whereas Jack Layton previously had spoken of abolishing it altogether, would he still abolish it or work with Mr. Obama or John McCain in revising it. He couldn't give a straight answer to that, it was yes it all three.

According to Mr. Layton and "the polls", NDP support is gaining over the Liberal party as it did in the election of 1990 when NDP leader Bob Rae took office as Premier of Ontario...until he was forced to resign not long after for many bad policy practices under the NDP cabinet.

Mr. Rae currently is the Liberal Foreign Affairs critic and although I didn't like what he did as the Ontario Premier as an NDP leader, we all deserve a second chance at redemption.