Ottawa

This year’s fear

With Jack Layton having recently surpassed Michael Ignatieff as the greatest threat to everything you hold dear, Stephen Harper has adjusted his concern. Chief among his worries: the NDP’s stated intention of pursuing a cap-and-trade system.

Demanding that we bring in cap-and-trade schemes that generate tens of billions of dollars in revenue. That’s the carbon tax. I do not do these things, even though I am a minority, because I know they will wreak enormous havoc on the Canadian economy. So, look, I will work with people and will make compromises. But we’re not going to make compromises on things we actually think will hurt the country.

During the 2008 election, a carbon tax was, of course, what Mr. Harper said would “screw everybody.” Cap-and-trade was, of course, what Mr. Harper proposed shortly thereafter and what the government’s own website still describes as an option.

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