Are you able to keep track of all the political promises, or do you need a program?
Some of us may need a telescope to see all the way into the future to the promised date.
The Liberals are promising a plan to get to net-zero emissions by 2050 if they get re-elected. That’s about 30 years from now, so it would mean they’d have to get elected seven more times. And how will we get to net-zero? Catherine McKenna, who was environment minister coming into the election, says she can’t say but a re-elected Liberal government would have a panel of experts work on it.
Does that mean there is no plan at the moment?
Also by 2050, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh wants all houses in Canada retro-fitted to improve energy efficiency.
By 2030, Green Party Leader Elizabeth May wants a 60 per cent reduction in emissions.
And Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer wants an energy corridor by then.
How much do these ambitious goals cost? How how do they get paid for?
Remember the words attributed to our 10th prime minister, William Lyon McKenzie King: “The politician’s promises of yesterday are the taxes of today.”
Or, you could go with the words of People’s Party of Canada Leader Maxime Bernier, who says, “There is no climate emergency … no justification to regulate and tax ourselves to death.”
About two dozen days to go.
Bob Layton is the news manager of the Corus Edmonton group of radio stations.