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October 9, 2008

Dion will implement carbon tax even if there’s a recession

After a joint address to the Empire Club and Canadian Club yesterday, Stephane Dion faced reporters. The exchange between Richard Madan from City and Dion was interesting.

MADAN (Voiceover): But Dion has shifted his own tune lately, suggesting that Canada may be headed into recession. And he only mentioned his controversial Green Shift plan just once at the end of his speech.

MADAN (to Dion): You mentioned “recession” in your speech. So if indeed Canada does hit a recession will you delay implementing your carbon tax?

DION: First, it’s not that. It’s the Green Shift.

MADAN: No, I know. But the question is: if things get worse, will you delay implementing a carbon tax, Green Shift, whatever you want to call it? Will you delay it?

DION: It’s not carbon tax, it’s a Green Shift. It’s to put a cost…

MADAN (interupts): Will you delay it?

DION: No, because it’ll be good for the economy.

Did you get that? If Canada falls into recession, Dion believes his “don’t call it a carbon tax” Green Shift will be just want Canada needs to get out of the storm.

Recently, Maclean’s editor Andrew Coyne has stated that he believes that there may be something to it when Harper complains that Canada’s opposition is “cheering for a recession”.

The Opposition parties have gone mad with attacks explaining that Mr. Harper doesn’t care about the economy because he’s not panicking. The opposition will be upset to learn that the World Economic Forum has declared Canada’s banking system the most stable in the world.

There have been cries of dissent from Dion’s own ranks on the Green Shift and it’s timetable for implementation. Liberal candidate Shawn Murphy told the Charlottetown Guardian on September 12th, “This winter, I don’t think you’re going to see the green shift even if the Liberals got elected.” Former Minister of Revenue John McCallum conceded about Dion’s carbon tax, “I cannot say to you that no Canadian will be unharmed by this… it’s not going to be totally painless for every human being”.

Even former NDP Ontario Premier Bob Rae is
sounding more lucid on the economy as he suggested yesterday that the implementation of the carbon tax should be delayed.

There’s an old saying that “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. While Mr. Dion’s plan aims to address environmental concerns with his plan, the ballot question will ask who is the best manager of the economy as crises become a daily occurrence in foreign markets. Canada has a sound economic position — indeed, the fundamentals are strong — and while members of his own team have second thoughts about his carbon tax, Mr. Dion is ready to add new untested variables to the economic equation in a time that calls for the kind of stability that comes from an economist Prime Minister rather than untested tax theory from a man who is not.

This entry was authored by Stephen Taylor at 10:26 AM | Tweet this | Comments (23)

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jad

I think a lot of people actually believe that the Green shift will never be implemented, so it's OK to vote for Dion. But in his interview with Mansbridge yesterday, Dion maintained, in spite of being asked several times, that it was important to implement the Green Shift as soon as possible “for the good of the economy”.

I can accept that people don't like Harper, and may not even like his policies, but I am having a REALLY hard time accepting that people can seriously think of electing this rigid idealogue who has never run anything in his life as Prime Minister.
Bubba Brown

I watched Dion on with Mansbridge He did not answer questions,it was either yada yada Harper, or holding up his copy of “the green shift”. Canada is the leading G8 country, and the most stable banking system in the world as you have said. Dion makes me think of the “insanity is doing the same thing over and over and somehow hoping for a different result” “It will be good for the economy” I don't think so, in my opinion it is at best a silly solution for a non-existant problem. Dion did exactly nothing about Kyoto for nearly 10 years and now he would like to cripple our economy with a “fantasy tax” that is going to make us all rich and cool the planet ,this is like a really bad movie, Dion is the “scary” one. I am voting for Harper.
Cheers Bubba
Mr Lahey

Further to your comments JAD,,i was watching townhall in BC…Ujal Dosangh (sp?) was there for liberals..first guy questioning, says BC libs carbon tax costing his business 400$ month, dumb policy, etc.
Ujal reaffirms, yes, another carbon tax (though invisible to consumers since at retail, so therefore not a tax), so he will pay more again….

After, the “born a liberal, die a liberal” as he said, says, ya I'll vote liberal…..
http://www.bluelikeyou.com/ Joanne TB

Stephen, I was just watching Dion answering some questions and he contradicted Rae. He said that Rae thinks the carbon tax should be implemented right away.

We need to get clips of this.
simon

Don't it just go to show…There's subversion in the air.
One can only hope that Canadians don't go to the polls and squander their relatively solid investments be voting in the doom and gloom twins…cause once they're in….
People need to turn off the disconnect button when it comes to taxation…the GST comes to mind.What it effectively did in '93 was cut your spending power by 7%…cut your savings by the same….cut your earning power by as much.That's 7%…$7 on the $100….$70 on the $1000…$7 to $14,000 on a modest portfolio.
Don't look now but its coming again!
Vote Responsibly…vote like it matters…it does
Liz J

What really needs to be asked is what's going on in the Conservative war room? Are they in some kind of stupor?

Lizzy may has done exactly what Harper and Layton said she'd do, Toss her support to the Liberals in ridings where It might make a difference for the LIBERALS. That folks, is Liberal hidden agenda number one exposed.

The Opposition we have getting together to form a coalition to govern is the most frightening in our history. Four Leftist parties fighting for their various Socialist causes will definitely finish us off as economically viable.

So, is the voting public has degenerated to the degree the polls are showing we will have a four headed monster stealing our money and the country could very well grind to a halt.
If the sound of Prime Minister Dion/Layton/Duceppes/ May doesn't sound alarm bells and panic, there truly is no hope.
The Champ

I know this isn't related to the topic but i have to write this. I think Harper should fire immediately his idiot incompetent advisers, the ones who have been encouraging him to handicap himself by being someone hes not.
His fall in the polls can be directly attributed to those comatose debates. It seems to me to be pretty apparent that they told him to pop some Valium, and while the crazy left rolls all over him just take it with a smile.. It was pointless, humiliating and he should have gotten passionate and actually debated with some fury. The one thing all those lefties said calling into talk shows was that Elizabeth may showed passion so they would be voting for her…I am convinced Harper has that in him, and hes been encouraged to just “steady as she goes” it to the finish line…sorry but that isn't working. This is it, hes must take off the wool shirt that nobody believes he owns(i actually do), and be in your face and dare i say it aggressive until the end to regain his lead…this is getting totally ridiculous. Canadians say they don't want an aggressive leader but judging by the randomness of they're voting preferences i don't think they have any idea of what they want and i think Harper should just BE HIMSELF and hope for the best. For Pete's sakes get out there and win this one, a minority government based upon what i learned about constitutional law is essentially a loss…:(
matt

Are the Conservatives running ad's to the effect of Bob Rae as finance minister, to that effect? If not, why aren't they. I think the Tories ad campaign is really poor and not very reactionary to events.
Calgary Junkie

Dion has morphed into a more mediocre slippery/emotive leader than Martin. Just about everything he says seems scripted, even recycling Paul Martin's cry of “I love Canada !”. His handlers have to hope and pray that some reporter doesn't nail Dion on something really big. Athough this admission that the Carbon Tax will be implemented no matter what, is pretty big, given that it contradicts Rae and Ignatieff. He should be asked something like: “You were elected Liberal leader on a platform of no carbon tax. You said for a carbon tax to be effective, it would have to price carbon too high, which would cripple the economy. Now you say a carbon tax is the right policy. What is different in Canada now compared to Dec, 2006 ?”
Brian S

The Liberal tax proposal is a fraud. If they were serious about using it as environmental policy the Liberals would not have exempted gasoline, the one area where a carbon tax could have a genuine and immefdiate impact.

Moreover, the Liberals have pledged biiions of doallars in new unrelated social spending using revenues from the new tax.

And they pretend this tax is revenue neutral? Yeah, sure….
http://www.bluelikeyou.com/ Joanne TB

Jane Taber (of all people) points out the contradictions in a Globe article, Liberals will go ahead with Green Shift:

“Stéphane Dion is refusing to delay his Green Shift plan if he forms a government although his deputy leader, Michael Ignatieff, says he'd consider changes to the scheme because of the difficult economic times.

“I know that the contrary has been said in the papers,” Mr. Dion said in French to reporters Thursday in Halifax.

But he said that Mr. Ignatieff had confirmed a shared view with Mr. Dion that the Green Shift plan would stimulate the economy.

On Wednesday, as Mr. Dion was defending his Green Shift plan to reporters and saying he would not delay it or change it if he became Prime Minister, Mr. Ignatieff was telling a different story to the editorial board of Montreal's La Presse newspaper…”
jad

I think a lot of people actually believe that the Green shift will never be implemented, so it's OK to vote for Dion. But in his interview with Mansbridge yesterday, Dion maintained, in spite of being asked several times, that it was important to implement the Green Shift as soon as possible “for the good of the economy”.

I can accept that people don't like Harper, and may not even like his policies, but I am having a REALLY hard time accepting that people can seriously think of electing this rigid idealogue who has never run anything in his life as Prime Minister.
Bubba Brown

I watched Dion on with Mansbridge He did not answer questions,it was either yada yada Harper, or holding up his copy of “the green shift”. Canada is the leading G8 country, and the most stable banking system in the world as you have said. Dion makes me think of the “insanity is doing the same thing over and over and somehow hoping for a different result” “It will be good for the economy” I don't think so, in my opinion it is at best a silly solution for a non-existant problem. Dion did exactly nothing about Kyoto for nearly 10 years and now he would like to cripple our economy with a “fantasy tax” that is going to make us all rich and cool the planet ,this is like a really bad movie, Dion is the “scary” one. I am voting for Harper.
Cheers Bubba
Mr Lahey

Further to your comments JAD,,i was watching townhall in BC…Ujal Dosangh (sp?) was there for liberals..first guy questioning, says BC libs carbon tax costing his business 400$ month, dumb policy, etc.
Ujal reaffirms, yes, another carbon tax (though invisible to consumers since at retail, so therefore not a tax), so he will pay more again….

After, the “born a liberal, die a liberal” as he said, says, ya I'll vote liberal…..
http://www.bluelikeyou.com/ Joanne TB

Stephen, I was just watching Dion answering some questions and he contradicted Rae. He said that Rae thinks the carbon tax should be implemented right away.

We need to get clips of this.
simon

Don't it just go to show…There's subversion in the air.
One can only hope that Canadians don't go to the polls and squander their relatively solid investments be voting in the doom and gloom twins…cause once they're in….
People need to turn off the disconnect button when it comes to taxation…the GST comes to mind.What it effectively did in '93 was cut your spending power by 7%…cut your savings by the same….cut your earning power by as much.That's 7%…$7 on the $100….$70 on the $1000…$7 to $14,000 on a modest portfolio.
Don't look now but its coming again!
Vote Responsibly…vote like it matters…it does
Liz J

What really needs to be asked is what's going on in the Conservative war room? Are they in some kind of stupor?

Lizzy may has done exactly what Harper and Layton said she'd do, Toss her support to the Liberals in ridings where It might make a difference for the LIBERALS. That folks, is Liberal hidden agenda number one exposed.

The Opposition we have getting together to form a coalition to govern is the most frightening in our history. Four Leftist parties fighting for their various Socialist causes will definitely finish us off as economically viable.

So, is the voting public has degenerated to the degree the polls are showing we will have a four headed monster stealing our money and the country could very well grind to a halt.
If the sound of Prime Minister Dion/Layton/Duceppes/ May doesn't sound alarm bells and panic, there truly is no hope.
The Champ

I know this isn't related to the topic but i have to write this. I think Harper should fire immediately his idiot incompetent advisers, the ones who have been encouraging him to handicap himself by being someone hes not.
His fall in the polls can be directly attributed to those comatose debates. It seems to me to be pretty apparent that they told him to pop some Valium, and while the crazy left rolls all over him just take it with a smile.. It was pointless, humiliating and he should have gotten passionate and actually debated with some fury. The one thing all those lefties said calling into talk shows was that Elizabeth may showed passion so they would be voting for her…I am convinced Harper has that in him, and hes been encouraged to just “steady as she goes” it to the finish line…sorry but that isn't working. This is it, hes must take off the wool shirt that nobody believes he owns(i actually do), and be in your face and dare i say it aggressive until the end to regain his lead…this is getting totally ridiculous. Canadians say they don't want an aggressive leader but judging by the randomness of they're voting preferences i don't think they have any idea of what they want and i think Harper should just BE HIMSELF and hope for the best. For Pete's sakes get out there and win this one, a minority government based upon what i learned about constitutional law is essentially a loss…:(
matt

Are the Conservatives running ad's to the effect of Bob Rae as finance minister, to that effect? If not, why aren't they. I think the Tories ad campaign is really poor and not very reactionary to events.
http://www.bluelikeyou.com/ Joanne TB

I agree. Bloggers are doing a better job.
Calgary Junkie

Dion has morphed into a more mediocre slippery/emotive leader than Martin. Just about everything he says seems scripted, even recycling Paul Martin's cry of “I love Canada !”. His handlers have to hope and pray that some reporter doesn't nail Dion on something really big. Athough this admission that the Carbon Tax will be implemented no matter what, is pretty big, given that it contradicts Rae and Ignatieff. He should be asked something like: “You were elected Liberal leader on a platform of no carbon tax. You said for a carbon tax to be effective, it would have to price carbon too high, which would cripple the economy. Now you say a carbon tax is the right policy. What is different in Canada now compared to Dec, 2006 ?”
Brian S

The Liberal tax proposal is a fraud. If they were serious about using it as environmental policy the Liberals would not have exempted gasoline, the one area where a carbon tax could have a genuine and immefdiate impact.

Moreover, the Liberals have pledged biiions of doallars in new unrelated social spending using revenues from the new tax.

And they pretend this tax is revenue neutral? Yeah, sure….
http://www.bluelikeyou.com/ Joanne TB

Jane Taber (of all people) points out the contradictions in a Globe article, Liberals will go ahead with Green Shift:

“Stéphane Dion is refusing to delay his Green Shift plan if he forms a government although his deputy leader, Michael Ignatieff, says he'd consider changes to the scheme because of the difficult economic times.

“I know that the contrary has been said in the papers,” Mr. Dion said in French to reporters Thursday in Halifax.

But he said that Mr. Ignatieff had confirmed a shared view with Mr. Dion that the Green Shift plan would stimulate the economy.

On Wednesday, as Mr. Dion was defending his Green Shift plan to reporters and saying he would not delay it or change it if he became Prime Minister, Mr. Ignatieff was telling a different story to the editorial board of Montreal's La Presse newspaper…”