Voice of the Association

Video: Tax on Everything
Update: The Dion Carbon Tax Shaft: The Deeper You Drill, The Scarier It Gets
Update: Dion Tax Shaft Numbers Don’t Add Up!

Introduction: This article is not an argument about climate change or global warming, but rather Stéphane Dion’s plan to deal with what is widely believed to be the greatest crisis threatening our planet’s survival.

Doom for Canada:

As we predicted, the Green Shift Plan has confirmed that when Liberals say they won’t “increase gas prices at the pump,” they are only referring to an increase of “federal excise tax.” They will however be adding carbon taxes to oil production, oil refining, oil distribution and even oil importation. When you tax carbon fuels three or four times before they even reach the pump - the price will certainly go up (even if the federal tax at the pump remains the same).

The Green Shift plan is also very clear that THERE WILL BE ADDITIONAL DIRECT TAXATION on diesel and home heating fuel. EVERYTHING that we purchase with our hard-earned money is brought to us by trucks. Trucks burn diesel. Therefore, THE PRICE OF EVERYTHING WE BUY WILL GO UP as the cost of distribution and delivery goes up.
Canadians generally heat their home with oil, natural gas or electricity. ALL OF THOSE HEATING FUELS ARE SUBJECT TO DION’S NEW CARBON TAX. The Liberal carbon plan proposes to add carbon taxes “according to how much carbon they put in the atmosphere.” Most Maritimers buy electricity from a utility that burns dirty coal or dirty oil (Orimulsion), so we will be paying a PREMIUM CARBON TAX on our electricity (while our utilities are pushing for rate increases at the same time.

Air Canada just laid off 2000 workers, largely because of skyrocketing fuel prices. Stéphane Dion is now proposing to add a carbon tax of 6.2 cents/litre to jet fuel.

Not only will the transportation industry suffer, but manufacturing and natural resources (which are the backbone of the Canadian economy) will face devastating penalties for staying in business. The vast majority of Canada’s current emissions come from utilities generation. Manufacturing cannot run without utilities so watch for more plants and assembly lines to cut jobs as the cost of staying in business rises. Deforestation is also factored as a net carbon increase because we are removing nature’s carbon filters. The already suffering forest industry is about to be dealt another blow.

All of these factors will add up to a tax on everything, job losses and further stress on one of the world’s last remaining stable economies. But Canada has to sacrifice now to save the future of our planet — DON’T WE?

Doom for the Planet:

Stéphane Dion has said that “Canadians must act now to save our planet…” - but is that really possible? Can these massive tax increases in Canada really stop global warming? The answer is a resounding NO!

There is no argument against conservation. There is no good argument against energy efficiency. There is no doubt that we as Canadians still have a lot of room to reduce waste. But there is one serious problem with Stéphane Dion’s reasoning - CANADA’S CARBON FOOTPRINT IS NOT BIG ENOUGH TO SAVE THE PLANET!

Take a close look at the scale graphic above and offer a theory of how eliminating Canada’s emissions will stomp out global warming. We’re not talking about Kyoto reductions, but TOTALLY ELIMINATING ALL OF CANADA’S CARBON EMISSIONS. If we shut down every industry, banned all indoor heating, parked every car, truck, train and plane (if we even practiced carbon capture on the breath we exhale) - our carbon footprint would still be dwarfed by other large emitters around the world. Almost 75% of global emissions are produced by the five other nations above; Canada produces only 2%.

The atmosphere on our planet is a closed system. In the “man-made global warming” model of climate change, the only thing which can stop catastrophic global warming is reducing the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. IT DOES NOT MATTER WHERE THOSE GASES WERE GENERATED, we all share the same “bubble.” Emissions per capita is not even a factor - only how much is in the atmosphere overall. The to-scale graphic below illustrates exactly what Canada can do to “stomp out” global warming.”

The reason we say that Stéphane Dion’s approach is “Doom for the Planet” is because he has failed, and is failing, to engage the parties that really matter. Does he really think that China is going to bring their burgeoning economy to a grinding halt because he wants to trash our economy? China is building two new coal-fired power stations every week!

Stéphane Dion’s Kyoto “triumph” in Montreal failed to require CO2 cuts from China, the US, India and Russia. Together those nations emit 60% of all the carbon in the atmosphere! The new Liberal Carbon Tax plan still does nothing to engage these nations in cutting emissions. Alone we are just a tiny pebble in a great big pond, yet M. Dion want Canada to make huge economic sacrifices with no tangible benefit! Take a look at the scale of Canada’s total emissions, compared to what goes into the atmosphere every year. It’s like trying to choke a grizzly bear with dental floss!

There is only one leader who has plied the world stage to engage the big emitters like China, the US and India - that was Stephen Harper (an M. Dion ridiculed him for it). There is only one political party which has introduced mandatory emissions reductions for the first time in Canada - that is the Conservative party (and the opposition has ridiculed them for it).

Stéphane Dion’s plan spelled doom for the planet when he failed to bring the big emitters into Kyoto. His new Liberal Carbon Tax Grab spells doom for the planet by penalizing Canadian producers who have to compete on an already tilted global playing field. The Liberal leader would like to wear the “S” on his chest as savior of the planet, instead it stands for silly politics and surrender your money!

Canadian emissions skyrocketed 36% under Dion’s watch as Environment Minister; if he has his way, global emissions will continue to grow because he fails to recognize the urgency of getting the “big players” involved. It’s time to recognize the real environmental leadership of PM Harper as he brings the big boys to the table.