Sunday, June 22, 2008

How much will Dion's green policy shift Canadians politics?

With no mention of their own policy, the Tories have been attacking Dion's plan. Is this just a mask for their own lack of direction when it comes to policy, and the environment in particular? The answer is a resounding yes! The Tories have been surviving thus far on crafty politics, but due to a scandal plagued parliamentary session, their political machinations haven't been serving them to their comfort. Increasingly bad for the Tories is that they have no substantial policy to change the tune, so Canadians might be ready for an alternative.

Then comes Mr. Dion. Weak; not a leader; incompetent. All ways that the Harper cabal have tried to paint Dion, but Canadians will likely discard these political depictions if Dion gives them something substantial on the policy front. So far in selling his policy on the environment, Dion has been confident and convincing. He's showed a different comfort level with this issue, compared to the corny one liners he's delivered in the past such as "Harper gave you Flaherty, I gave you clarity." That wasn't funny or witty -- not even to a room full of political science students. But I digress. He's gone further than being confident: he's challenged Harper to an adult debate. Good move. His lucidity in English seems to be improved as well.

Harper might have been on to something when he tried to lure Dion into an election when he seemed weak and incapable. Well Dion smartly didn't bite, and now with his revamped political persona he's taken a large chunk of the political agenda with this week's announcement: the Green Shift.

Overall, the plan is very economically focused: it proposes tax breaks for individuals and businesses, along with tax credits for rural and northern Canadians plus an increase in things like the child tax benefit and gauranteed income supplement. Dion tries to sell this as way more than a green plan: it sets a definite focus on steering Canadians to life altering strategies respecting the use of carbon fuels and in terms ofeconomic innovation. It also sets out to directly address (though not completely) the rising number of Canadians who are considered low income, and likely living in poverty.

While we've seen Dion's plan receive positive reviews from the Suzuki foundation and TD bank economist Don Drummond, the plan's proposal also includes statements from the World Bank, CD Howe Institute, and the Canadian Council of Chief Executives. Given that green plans have been typically dismissed as leftist, socialist, and environmentalist fanfare, citing these stalworths of the current neolib/neocon paradigm shows taht Dion's ideas are not simply pie in the sky.

Continuing with the plan, the good of the plan is also the bad. It is broad ranging, addressing the economy as well as the environment and poverty. Anyone has to be weary of political promises, so promising these tax cuts might be initially seen as, well, shifty. However, the taxes aren't so radical that they aren't implementable. We already see Canadians changing their way of life in a more environmentally conscious way, so Dion's challenge is to convince them to go a little further.

As for the PM's response calling the plan insane and anti western, well he's the one who's actually coming off looking crazy -- not to mention un priministerial due to his off colour language. Furthermore, he has no plan. It would be one thing if he could give Canadians an alternative to Dion's plan, but he can't. And saying the plan is anti-western, well that's just juvenile fear mongering. What part of Canada isn't heavily dependent on the use of carbon based energy and fuels? None. This means big polluters accross all of Canada will pay, and the payers most certainly won't all be coming from west of Ontario. In fact, this is a policy borne in BC -- at least in the Canadian context, so how is implementing a western concept in a national sense anti-western? The reality is that it isn't.

Dion's off to a good start with this plan, but he will need to consistently perform at this level because you can be sure that Harper and his empty barrels will be bringing the discourse level even lower, trying to swindle Canadians into accepting a sub par government. On vera.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

This plan is doomed. It may be revenue neutral but so what? It's still a wealth re-distribution scheme in the best Marxist style and once Canadians realize this, they're going to reject it.

Anonymous said...

"Is this just a mask for their own lack of direction when it comes to policy, and the environment in particular? The answer is a resounding yes!"

you're a total idiot. the conservatives have a comprehensive plan to attack climate change but since the MSM can't move past kyoto targets and green shifts, people like you (who are too dumb to dig any deeper to seek out information) simply believe that it doesn't exist.

Anonymous said...

I found this blog and I am a conservative.

I am going to call you "a total idiot" because I'm super smart and have the inside information because I've touched the PM's penis myself.

Oh how cool I am. Yes.

Anonymous said...

leave it to the con. trolls to dump all over the plan. nobody will believe them anyways.

i'm more worried about this green shift company. they are real environmentalists. we shouldn't be giving them a huge microphone to trash our plan by trying to take their website address. just drop the matter so this lady doesn't get even more media to dump all over us.

dumb. dumb. dumb.

Anonymous said...

It's not just "conservative trolls" who should be offended by this plan -- it's anybody who respects individual freedom. Taxation, apart from it's evilness and unconstitutionalness that I've mentioned many times before (it's a blatant violation of human rights, no matter how you sugar coat it), is unecessary here. The problem is primarily a technological one (secondarily an educational one), that does not warrant whipping people into slave labour. (Nothing does!).

Moreover, it will inevitably lead to bigger and stronger dictatorship, which I am convinced is what the Liberal party (among others) want. (I've seen many speeches in The House where people like Ignatief and Rae spoke at length (10min) about how they WANT bigger and stronger government. It's no secret. And it's evil.)

By the way, there currently exist (provincial?) laws that ban ALL 0-emission cars from our roads (with a few minute exceptions in BC). We have Canadian companies manufacturing these cars, and exporting them to the US and abroad -- they cannot be driven here! This is Big Brother at work, meddling in the marketplace, oppressing the people. Is lifting these evil and unjust plans a part of Dion's Green Strategy? How many "subsidies" (stolen money) are being given away to support polluting industries? If the government really wanted to help the situation, it would STOP INTERFERING in the marketplace ... NOT interfere MORE.

In conclusion, government has no right to steal money from anyone -- It doesn't matter how beautiful and green the pretense is. I think most people have been brainwashed by the state to turn a blind eye to this blatant oppression. To love Big Brother. If I forcefully take just 5% of my neighbour's income, in order to purchase a solar panel (or electric car, or a textbook, or a vaccine shot), you will call me a criminal and imprison me. If "The State" does it, you will all simply ignore it. (except for the first two commenters ;P)