At the All-Candidates debate at the University of Guelph on September 4, 2008, Frank Valeriote answered a question about tackling poverty in Canada by saying that the Liberal Party’s proposed Green Shift plan is “as much a social program as it is an environmental plan.”
This confirms what Stephen Harper has been saying since Stéphane Dion launched his plan for “A Green Shift in Canada” in Ottawa on June 19, 2008!
In that speech, Dion did not provide any greenhouse gas emission or other environmental targets, nor did he provide proof that a carbon tax has worked elsewhere in the world. All he said about the environment was that was that he would use government revenues generated by the carbon tax to support actions that are already being done by the Harper Government:
- investing in industrial technologies to reduce greenhouse gas pollution and improve energy efficiency.
- encouraging more private sector investments in research and development.
- developing programs to help Canadians reduce their own carbon footprint.
He spent most of that speech explaining that government revenues generated by the carbon tax will be used to fund social programs to aid low-income Canadians, seniors and Northern residents, not every day Canadians like most Guelph residents.
The Green Shift consists of no environmental targets, three environmental strategies already being undertaken by the Federal Government, and seven social programs. Frank’s wrong – the Green Shift isn’t “as much a social program as it is an environmental plan”, it is more a social program than it is an environmental plan!
In November 2006, Dion said a carbon tax is “simply bad policy”. Valeriote publicly agreed with that statement until he changed his tune this summer. Frank’s admission that Dion’s Green Shift is “as much a social program as it is an environmental plan” explains why Dion changed his mind.
Now the Liberals need to reveal the whole truth about the Green Shift:
- It has no environmental targets because there is no effective way to measure if taxing Canadians’ behaviour will actually help reverse climate change.
- The government revenues it generates will fund social programs that most everyday Canadians will not be able to take advantage of.
- It will take at least four years to get a first assessment of whether it is revenue-neutral because the Auditor General works with historical, not current, data.
The truth is that the Green Shift is about funding Liberal promises not at all about helping the environment.
For more information, contact Marilyn Shapka at communications@gloriakovach.com
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