Harper gov’t blowing smoke on environment issues
Tuesday August 26 2008 Dear editor,
After reading several mentions in the local papers of David Tilson's remarks about the Liberal Green Shift plan, I thought it was about time we had some clarity on the matter.  
Let's start with the bad news: putting a price on carbon. All parties are putting a price on carbon. The Liberals will be putting a price on carbon at $40/tonne, money that remains revenue neutral because the money brought in by the price on carbon will be returned to individuals in the way of tax cuts, along with investment in companies that will help us shift away from a dependency on fossil fuels.
The Liberal plan is the only plan that offers an offset in the form of a tax cut to individual Canadians, as well as realigning our reduction targets with 1990 levels and showing results in four years.  
The Conservatives, on the other hand, will be putting a price on carbon at $65/tonne, money that is not returned to the taxpayer but is instead invested in a vaguely mentioned "Technology Fund."
The Conservative plan is based on 2006 levels, and is also full of loopholes that allow major polluters, namely the oil industry in Alberta, to get out of measurable emission reduction until 2018, when Mr. Harper and Mr. Tilson can both be sure it will no longer be their problem.  
The Liberal plan is a proposal meant to open up honest, intelligent debate on this topic that is so important to both present and future Canadians; the Conservative plan is purposefully vague and doesn't even start for five more years.  
Mr. Harper has refused Mr. Dion's request to a debate on environmental issues.  Mr. Tilson, in criticism of the Liberal plan, has not been able to highlight any positive aspects of his own party's approach to the environment, and certainly does not invite any open discussion on the topic.  
Environmental experts have slammed the Conservative plan, whereas the Liberal plan has been praised.  I want to know what the citizens of Dufferin-Caledon think, and bring those voices to Ottawa so that we can have a real debate that results in policy that reflects both the urgency of the situation and the need to protect Canadians from economic upset.  
I hope you're as tired as I am of listening to politicians tell us that we can't do anything about the environment, because I believe we can.  I know we can.  
Rebecca Finch
Federal Liberal candidate
Dufferin-Caledon

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