"An NDP spokesman said that, if elected to form a government, it would delay some green spending initiatives until it was able to set up the [cap and trade] system.
But he was unable to immediately identify which initiatives would be delayed, saying that the party expected to launch the system right away by making it a priority and relying on existing knowledge from within the government and outside stakeholders."
("Ignatieff says promoting family-friendly policies and stability are the keys to a Liberal victory," Postmedia, April 22, 2011)
Jack Layton's platform is built on fantasy money.
In just the first year alone, Jack Layton claims he can get $3.6 billion in revenue from an immediate cap-and-trade system, $2 billion in revenue from cutting unidentified fossil fuel subsidies, and $1 billion in revenue by cracking down on unidentified tax havens.
Not so fast, Jack.
Here's the reality:
Other examples of cap-and-trade systems show it takes years to get one up and running. Europe's Emissions Trading Scheme proposed its first draft framework in 2001 and didn't launch until 2005.
Similarly, the Western Climate Initiative – of which Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba and British Columbia are a part of – negotiated its first design framework for a cap-and-trade plan in 2010, and they estimate it won't be fully implemented until 2015.
And yet Jack Layton would have Canadians believe that he can magically establish a cap-and-trade system in Canada within the next 10 months and generate $3.6 billion in that time.Jack Layton has not said which specific fossil fuel subsidies he will cut to raise $2 billion this year, nor has he identified which tax havens will raise $1 billion for his platform this year.
Jack Layton can't pay for his platform with billions of dollars of fantasy money. That means he either can't live up to his election commitments, or he'll increase our already crippling deficit, or he'll be forced to raise taxes on Canadian families.
Which is it Jack?
The Conservative platform puts big corporations first and families second – and only if they can manage to balance the budget on $11 billion in cutbacks after spending billions on jets, jails and corporate tax cuts.
Only the Liberal Party's platform offers a fully-costed, credible, realistic approach to help families make ends meet, keep taxes low and take a responsible approach to the deficit."
5 comments:
We have seen this pony show before.
Where? Ontario. Who? Bob Rae.
There is irony here in that he was acively campaigning with you very recently.
Poor performance on your part Morton. Poor performance indeed. The Liberals are just demonstrating that when push come to shove they have adopted Karl Rove politics as much as the Conservative have. Ignatieff will lose and he deserves to lose.
Sorry Morton, with all due respect, you have lost because you are not a real alternative to the Cons. The real "Economic Chaos" is not the NDP it is years of Oligopoly on the part of the LPC and CPC designed to promote the Neo-Liberal agenda to the benefit of multi-national capital.
Reep the whirlwind my friend.
everything in politics is based on fantasy
so why not vote for the other guy?
If you parse Ignatieff carefully, you realize that he will still purchase the F35 jets as arranged, but he will ask for a tender first (as thought here are multiple providers of F35 jets).
The NDP proposals, meanwhile, are straightforward, honest, and costed out. And I think we all know there are major subsidies going to fossil fuel companies, especially in and around the oil sands.
If you look at the history of NDP governments - and not just the one Bob Rae government that got shafted by Mulroney - you see a history of balanced budgets and fiscal prudence.
I know it's the new Liberal vogue to attack the NDP. But these attacks should be well-founded and based on fact, not appealing to ham-handed stereotypes.
I thought about the Liberals. Unfortunately, they do not currently support proportional representation. Therefore, I chose the NDP instead. I do wish the NDP and other opposition parties well. All the best to the Canadian voters on Election Day.
Post a Comment