Green Leader blasts NDP on carbon tax stance.

This is from CTV.
I am not all that knowledgable about the details of this issue. However it seems reasonable that Layton should be concerned about the effects on the less well off of a carbon tax. Although the Liberals say the policy will be revenue neutral that does not settle the issue of what effects the tax may have on different income strata. I don't see why Layton does not demand that any carbon tax should also be coupled with a policy that offsets any negative effects the tax may have on lower income groups. Layton talks as if the cap and trade policy is an alternative to a carbon tax rather than a complementary policy that is also justified.
It sounds as if Elizabeth May is very supportive of the Liberals. Maybe if she gets elected she can sit on her hands and support the Conservatives too while screaming about how bad their environmental policies are.
Suzuki is a good propagandist and showperson for environmental issues but he is also a prima donna who does not like criticism of his views on the environment to put it mildly.

Green leader blasts NDP on carbon tax stance
Updated Sun. May. 25 2008 9:49 PM ET
CTV.ca News Staff
NDP Leader Jack Layton's opposition to a carbon tax shows he's more interested in hurting the Liberals than helping the environment, says Green Party Leader Elizabeth May.
"We need to act on the climate crisis, and a carbon tax is a litmus test of whether a party is serious about it or not," May told CTV's Question Period on Sunday.
Layton's opposition to a carbon tax "is not part of the global social democratic approach," she said, adding his political rivalry with the Liberals may be driving policy.
The Green Party also advocates a carbon tax. The Liberals will soon unveil a proposal that would shift taxes off income and onto carbon, with the overall tax burden remaining unchanged. By putting a price on carbon, people will theoretically use less, thus helping reduce the greenhouse gas emissions that are driving climate change.
Layton has taken some blows from environmentalists for his party's stance, including David Suzuki, perhaps the most prominent environmentalist in Canada.
"I'm really shocked with the NDP with this. I thought that they had a very progressive environmental outlook," Suzuki told Question Period on May 18.
Layton told Question Period that his party supports the pricing of carbon and that his party's policies are in line with many of those promoted by the David Suzuki Foundation.
The solution promoted by Layton involves "cap and trade" -- putting a strict limit on greenhouse gas emissions by what he called the "big polluters." Those polluters would pay if they exceed, and the revenues would be directed by the government to climate-friendly initiatives, he said.
"Things like helping weatherize homes right across the country, creating thousands and thousands of jobs for Canadians and reducing their bills and greenhouse gas emissions," he said.
The NDP would see more green cars built in Canada and invest in public transit and renewable energy, Layton said.
A cap-and-trade system would move more quickly than a carbon tax. Big oil and gas supports a carbon tax, while U.S. Democrat Barack Obama supports cap-and-trade, he said.
But environmentalist Stephen Hazell of the Sierra Club has said cap-and-trade systems take a long time to develop.
Tories oppose carbon tax
Conservative Environment Minister John Baird told Question Period on May 18 that his government will "force the big polluters, big corporate polluters" to pay for their emissions.
"(Liberal Leader Stephane) Dion wants to give some sort of unlimited licence to pollute and just simply allow big business to buy their way out of this problem," he said.
Layton said his party's policies were nothing like those of the Harper government. Prime Minister Stephen Harper "has his head stuck in the tar sands," he said.
May called cap-and-trade a "right-wing, free-market approach" -- although she conceded her party supported it on a sectoral basis.
Some have said a carbon tax could drive up home heating costs and adversely affect those least able to bear the additional cost.
Properly implemented, a carbon tax would protect the vulnerable by shifting taxes and providing income supplements to low-income households, May said.
High taxes on income and payroll don't give Canadians the financial flexibility to do things like increase the energy efficiency of their homes, she said.
"It needs to be explained, but I think Canadians are smart enough to understand the idea that we need to ensure that we reduce our use of fossil fuels, that the climate crisis is upon us, and this is not the only thing we need to do, but it is the foundation for a successful climate policy," May said.
Oil prices are high and likely to stay there in the near term. Some analysts think introducing a carbon tax now would be a politically risky move.
"Canadians are sick of politicians who don't tell them the truth," May said.
Some politicians "want to pander to prices at the pump while ignoring disappearing glaciers, persistent droughts and increased storm events," she said.
"We need to act on the climate crisis, and I'm disappointed that Mr. Layton is on the wrong side of this one."

Dion exudes confidence on green plan.

This does indeed seem like a very risky program. Also, the details are not drawn out. Although the scheme is revenue neutral the question is how the carbon tax load distributes costs and the tax refunds benefits. The Swedish experience with carbon taxes is not all that encouraging in spite of what demagogues such as Suzuki may say. The NDP is not in favor of the tax. I can't find a detailed NDP critique. If someone has a reference please post it in comments. The general NDP view that polluters should pay seems reasonable although the polluters will always claim that they need to pollute to be competitive!
Anyway the Liberals are not in power so the whole proposal is just something to show the Liberals are not enitirely bereft of ideas even though they have no power.


Dion exudes confidence on green plan TheStar.com - Canada - Dion exudes confidence on green plan


ADRIAN WYLD/THE CANADIAN PRESS
Stéphane Dion says Canadians are often "ahead of their politicians in knowing what needs to be done to move this country forward."
Liberal leader thinks Canadians are ready for carbon tax, but some in his caucus are worried
May 18, 2008 Les WhittingtonOttawa Bureau
OTTAWA–Over the summer, Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion will be criss-crossing the country, telling Canadians already reeling from higher gas prices that they need to pay a lot more for the rest of their energy sources. His message, in essence, is that it's time for Canadians to put their money where their mouths are if they are serious about saving the planet.
No one thinks it will be an easy sell, but Dion seems determined, even eager, to take on the task. In fact, he's staking the Liberals' chances in the next election – not to mention his own political future – on this risky strategy.
"I am convinced that far too many political elites underestimate Canadians," he explains. "When you speak to the minds and big hearts of our great people, good policies translate into good politics.
"In fact, time and time again, Canadians have been ahead of their politicians in knowing what needs to be done to move this country forward."
So, despite warnings of political calamity from within his own Liberal caucus, Dion is proposing a carbon tax that will mean new federal levies on energy from all fossil fuels.
Generating perhaps $12 billion a year in extra revenue for Ottawa, it would mean much higher costs for homeowners who heat with natural gas, heating oil or electricity from coal-fired plants. (The price of gasoline, already subject to a federal excise tax, would not rise with the proposed levy, Liberals maintain.)
The attractive side of Dion's scheme calls for this tax windfall to be revenue neutral, meaning the extra taxes would all be returned to Canadians in the form of lower personal and corporate income taxes. As well, the tax code would be tweaked to help low-income earners, Liberals say.
Can Dion convince Canadians to buy into this crusade?
While concerns about global warming are high, asking voters to open their wallets is never easy. Dion is embarking on this quest at a time with near-recessionary conditions in Ontario and Quebec.
"Whenever Canadians see a big-dollar ticket beside a promise, they get very nervous," says pollster Nik Nanos.
The second problem is the economic environment, Nanos said, noting that what Dion wants is to change people's behaviour, but that's a tough sell when people are feeling nervous about the economy.
Call it brave or call it foolhardy, but Dion seems undeterred by these challenges.
In a speech in Toronto on Thursday, he compared this quest to his effort as a Liberal minister in 1999 to set rules for any Quebec referendum question under the Clarity Act. It was done in the face of widespread warnings that he was courting disaster. But in the end, it was seen as damping the fires of independence among Quebecers.
"When under Jean Chrétien, I brought clarity to the unity debate and fought for Canada's unity, remember how many people said: `Don't do it, it's too risky, people won't understand it.'
"I knew that Canadians, including my fellow Quebecers, wanted clarity instead of confusion. . . . I knew people would understand what we were going to achieve together."
It was the same story two years ago, when the uncharismatic former professor and relative newcomer to the Liberal party launched his leadership bid. Few gave him much chance. Eight months later, he walked out of a divided convention as the winner.
While asking Canadians almost overnight to make sacrifices to tackle global warming will be difficult, Dion insists the country is ready to take on this burden.
Experts across the political spectrum, he notes, are speaking out in favour of an environmental tax shift of the kind he is proposing.
Dion sees it as a way to tackle global warming by upping the price of fossil fuels; invigorate the economy by giving individuals and business more tax breaks; and address poverty by expanding government support for low-income families.
But even before all the details of Dion's plan are out, the Conservatives are teeing off on it.
"The leader of the Liberal party wants to propose a carbon tax on the price of gasoline and drive the price of gasoline north of $2.25 and higher," Natural Resources Minister Gary Lunn said. "That is going to hurt hardworking people who are trying to get to work."
Liberals are understandably nervous.
"We have to make it clear to the public right off the bat that it's not going to drive up the cost of living, particularly for lower-income people," says Liberal MP Keith Martin (Esquimalt-Juan de Fuca). "Obviously, the big issue is going to be selling it so people don't think it's just a big new tax."
"You're damn right it's a huge political risk," says a Liberal MP who asked for anonymity. "But as you know, Stéphane Dion is not one to be shy about taking political risks."
And it may still be Dion's best election card. "If you run a peek-a-boo campaign," the Liberal continued, "Stéphane will get killed. His greatest strength is leading with bold, visionary ideas."
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