Stephane Dion's Private Member's Motion

I had a chance to drop in on Stéphane Dion last week in Ottawa after giving an oral presentation to the legislative committee that's working on the Ontario Green Energy Act.
Stéphane is forging ahead and introducing a private member's motion on May 6 as follows:

That in the opinion of the House, the government should increase its support of Canada's renewable energy sector, allow our country to participate in the worldwide effort to develop renewable energy sources and enlist Canada as a full member of the International Renewable Energy Association (IRENA).

The last Conservative budget was very disappointing in this respect because it did not increase the total funding pot for the federal EcoEnergy for Renewable Power Program. The current funding pot is all spoken for, so that no new renewable energy developments will be stimulated by this program. It's a lost opportunity that, by contrast, the new U.S. administration is taking up enthusiastically.

Bravo to Stéphane Dion for continuing to push for action on energy security, sustainable economic development, and global heating.

Fighting the Conservatives Together

There is talk today about opposition parties perhaps being willing to form a coalition government. This is in response to the Conservatives' lack of definite policies to address the global economic crisis and use of the crisis as a screen to seek political advantage. They want to save $30 million by cutting public funding for political parties - a move that would, in the short term, greatly favour the Conservative party, but do nothing to address the economy. The government may fall on a confidence vote in the next few days and the possibility of a coalition amongst the current opposition parties would be a very strong bargaining chip.

Today I received an email from Steven MacKinnon, Michael Ignatieff's national campaign director. The email draws attention to the Conservatives' move to cut public funding and then asks for donations to Mr. Ignatieff's leadership campaign because, "Michael Ignatieff can only succeed with your support."

That rubs me the wrong way. It rubs me the wrong way because it's taking a direct and imminent threat to the Liberal Party and the Canadian political system, and using it to appeal for funds to a particular leadership candidate's campaign. Even though we have a Liberal Party leadership race under way, in the House of Commons we, the Liberal Party, should still be fighting the Conservatives together. If we do not fight them as one team, we won't win. If the NDP, Bloc Quebcois and the Liberal Party can get together to form a coalition, surely the Liberal caucus could work tous ensemble.

Fight the Conservatives as a united party. Support Stéphane Dion in the House. Fight the leadership race elsewhere.

The Economy: keeping on track may mean being run over

I think the point has to be made that the Conservatives' "keeping Canada on track", steady-as-she-goes, economic management philosophy may be just the wrong thing for an economy threatened by a global recession.

Sometimes staying the course is the most risky thing to do.

The financial crisis that began with the collapse of the (mostly US) housing bubble, spread to subprime mortgages and the credit markets, and became a systemic threat to the financial system is not over. I'm looking at the Interbank Offered Rates in the financial markets this morning and the high rates there show that despite the US government's rescue package, international banks are still reluctant to lend. The effect of this financial crisis on the overall (global!) economy has yet to be revealed and we must be prepared to take action to deal with a possibly severe recession.

Look at the dramatic moves to lower interest rates, open up lending, and take over illiquid mortgage assets that US authorities have had to take.

In the face of an imminent economic crisis, I'm worried that a Conservative government could only imagine sitting tight, like a deer caught in the lights of an on-coming freight train, 'keeping Canada on track' only to let us be run over by a global recession.

The Conservatives' inability to imagine taking bold action: that's risky. Don't let them win votes by taking advantage of the current financial crisis to scare Canadians away from making a change to a government with the ability to admit to the truth and to take decisive, informed, and well-considered action.

You want to avoid having Climate Cops?

There was an article in this past weekend's National Post entitled, "Children enlisted as 'Climate Cops', U. K. utility ad campaign raises Orwellian fears". I won't comment here on whether or not the reaction to a U.K. utility's climate change and energy conservation campaign has been blown out of proportion. But I will say this to readers of the National Post (especially to those who are principled conservatives): if you don't want the government telling you how to live, if you don't want your friends and neighbours looking over your shoulder and checking your energy consumption habits, if you don't want the problems of climate change and fossil fuel dependence being turned over to the 'Climate Police', then support the implementation of a carbon tax. For conservatives who like less government, the best way to deal with climate change is to tilt the playing field, and eliminate the current, unfair advantage that burning fossil fuels enjoys, that of being able to pollute for free. People will then be 'free to choose' (C'mon C's! Put a smile on Milton Friedman's face. Join your economists who support a carbon tax!) how to respond to this tilt - change driving habits, use less hot water, conserve electricity, heat with wood, insulate, or whatever.

Liberals and Conservatives agree on a carbon tax...

From the Conservative Party website, George Osborne, Monday November 27, 2006 in a speech to the CBI conference in London: "We want to shift the tax burden away from income and investment and onto pollution. Pay as you burn, not pay as you earn."

From Liberal MP Garth Turner's blog, May 19, 2008: "The idea is to shift taxes, not raise them...Tax what you burn, not what you earn."

The only problem is that Mr. Osborne is Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer and a member of the British Conservative Party.