Prime Minister Justin Trudeau‘s rollout of his proposed carbon tax plan this week, less than a year from a pivotal federal election, is considered to be a risky political gambit by some or a political masterstroke by others.
Conservative opponents to the plan, including Ontario Premier Doug Ford, love to characterize the plan as just a Liberal tax grab and that narrative certainly plays well with their supporters.
But recent polling suggests that a majority of Canadians support some kind of plan to combat climate change and, in the absence of any alternative plan from the Conservatives, the Liberal plan may win by default.
That’s not to say that the Liberal plan is perfect; there is sketchy evidence that the carbon tax plan actually reduces greenhouse gas emissions and threats to the environment, but handing out government rebate cheques to consumers may assuage the concerns of skeptical taxpayers.
Critics claim that the rebate cheques are nothing more than a sweet election confection for voters and that may be true, but it wouldn’t be the first time a governing party tried that.
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Money talks, and if the government hands out compensation cheques of up to $500 next summer as they promised to do, the carbon tax plan may not be the wedge issue the Conservatives hoped for.
Bill Kelly is the host of the Bill Kelly Show on Global News Radio 900 CHML
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