Michael Byers takes issue with NDP's attack on green shift

In the midst of an article where he spends the bulk of his time advocating a name change as the panacea for the NDP and far too little time on what really matters (policy reform), political science professor and former (and future?) NDP candidate Michael Byers has an interesting observation on NDP environmental policy in the last election:

In the last federal election, the NDP took the simple route of favouring cap-and-trade over carbon taxes. It ignored the fact that climate change will only ever be controlled by an across-the-board system of carbon pricing that includes both cap-and-trade and a carbon tax of some kind. A better approach would have been to support the intent of Stéphane Dion's proposal while identifying specific flaws, such as the failure to direct the resulting revenue into alternative sources of energy and an improved national rail network.

An interesting observation that both vindicates the Stephane Dion Green Shift (with the caveat of minor reforms around the disbursment of the funds raised) and without saying it outright, rejects the NDP strategy last election of demonizing the Green Shift, a strategy that didn't win it friends with the environmental movement and didn't help Carole James and the BC NDP much either when they tried it against Gordon Campbell's BC Liberals.

Of course, that didn't stop the professor from singing from the hymm book during the campaign.

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On the Green Shift

From CanWest:

(Bob) Rae said the Green Shift was pursued without applying common sense, good judgment or the daily experience of ordinary people. "Politics is not about philosophy or theory," he said in an interview with Canwest News Service.

Was the Green Shift sold badly, and was the timing bad? Yes. But it was the right policy. The people have rejected it, and we need to listen to them. But the intention was pure and noble. To address the issue of the 21st Century: Reconciling the economy with the environment. Stephane Dion's heart was absolutely in the right place, and I'm proud of him for that.

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Green, yes, but shift is now a profanity

I don't expect green issues to be a big part of this Liberal leadership race, for a variety of reasons.

First, in a time of economic crisis, people tend to care more about pocketbook issues than green issues. Now, you can argue that green issues are pocketbook issues, and this is true.

Second though, we kind of got our asses handed to us on the whole green shift thing last month (was it only last month? It feels like a lifetime ago). So I suspect no one will be very keen in this race to put green issues front and centre. There won’t be any green scarves in Vancouver this spring.

Now, that’s not to say the Liberal Party will be abandoning green issues. Far from it. The green focus wasn’t just some fad that Stephane Dion brought in all by his lonesome. Liberals of all stripes rallied to the green cause, and many people joined our party for the first time, because we recognized that reconciling the environment and the economy is the issue of the 21st Century. It’s a health issue, it’s a quality of life issue, it’s an economic issue. We must be at the forefront of the new green economy, to capture the green jobs of tomorrow.

Green issues, I’m sure, will be significant parts of the agenda of all the candidates. But in a way that is integrated and balanced with other issues that Canadians are concerned about, from the economy and health care to social issues and foreign policy.

As for those that are postulating a supposed abandonment of green issues by the Liberal Party will mean an opportunity for the NDP to pick-up environmental support…well, maybe, but I’m doubtful. The Greens, maybe. But those I talk to in the environmental community are very displeased (read: pissed) at the way the NDP put political expediency ahead of good environmental policy in its unfair slandering of the Green Shift in tandem with the Conservatives

The NDP has little credibility with serious environmentalists these days. If they're hoping to pick-up pro-environmental voters any time soon they're dreaming in technicolor.

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Carbon tax? Sounds good, some political party should really propose one

Because if you can’t laugh at all these media stories talking about how a carbon shift is needed and is a pretty good idea that have been coming in droves since AFTER election day, then all you can do is cry salty, bitter tears of salty bitterness.

*Don't believe in climate change? You still need a carbon tax
*Debate over energy plans 'exaggerated'; Little difference between carbon tax, cap-and-trade programs: report
*Canadians may appear cold to the carbon tax - until you rephrase the question
*Some kind of carbon levy needed: economist
*Range of policies needed on climate change, study says
*Dion took a good green idea down with him
*Campaign misinformation has set back climate change debate
*Climate change fight 'an economic generator'
*Reluctant environmentalists; Why a carbon tax is coming, whether Canadians like it or not
*Green Shift had merits
*Dion took a great idea down with him

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Media beginning to speak the carbon truth

Some of the media seem to be starting to actually cast a critical eye on the NDP and Conservative attacks on the Liberal Green Shift, and looking at their so-called plans for the environment too. And it's about time.

The Globe's Jeffrey Simpson:

The Conservatives have distorted the carbon tax idea and scared people.
The economy would be "wrecked," Prime Minister Stephen Harper says.
Funny then that Demark, with a carbon tax for a while now, had higher
per capita growth than Canada from 1990 to 2006: 36 to 32 per cent.

The political demolition job from the Conservative-NDP alliance against
the carbon tax shift, coupled with its arrival on the political scene at
a time of higher world oil prices and slower growth, killed a national
carbon tax.

What, therefore, remains? Policy incoherence across Canada, and
Conservative and NDP plans that won't get the job done. Mr. Harper has
not spoken in the election about his "plan," except to say he has one.
What is it?

And in the Toronto Sun of all places, and Lorrie Goldstein of all people:

Hey, have you heard about Stephen Harper's plan to fight global warming
by raising the cost of everything?

Because he does have one and he's been getting a free ride on it in this
election, simply by incessantly charging Liberal Leader Stephane Dion's
Green Shift will increase the price of everything. Back in the real
world, Harper promises to put a price on emitting carbon just like Dion.

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First Liberal TV ad debuts

The Liberal Party has debuted its first TV ads, one in english and one en francais. Have a look:



It's on the Green Shift. Clean, simple, clear ad, good message. I like the fact they're leading with the economic argument: jobs, investment, lower taxes, economist approval. This is the tack we need to lead with when selling the Green Shift. Good ad.

If all you're seeing is a black screen, you either don't have the latest version of Adobe Flash, or you're using a 64-bit browser. I've been having the same problem with Firefox. I was able to get it to work in the 32-bit version of Internet Explorer, which you should have even if you're running the 64-bit edition of Windows Vista. I'm told the LPC is aware of, and working on the issue. If you're unable to view the embed, you can still view it on the site.

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Green shifting forward

In other green shift news, the Liberal Party added yet another high-profile candidate Wednesday:

Stephane Dion fine tuned his carbon-tax plan to make it more palatable to farmers, loggers, truckers and fishers Wednesday as he snagged Canada's highest-profile farmer as a Liberal election candidate.

Canadian Federation of Agriculture President Bob Friesen is the Liberal candidate for Charleswood-St. James, the Grits third attempt to wrest the riding from Tory control.

The announcement came this afternoon as Liberal Leader Stephane Dion rallied his caucus in Winnipeg with two huge tweaks to his Green Shift plan to help farmers and truckers cope with extra taxes on fuel.

...

Friesen, who has sold his farm near Wawanesa and is planning to buy a home in Winnipeg’s western suburb, said farmers will embrace the changes to the Green Shift plan.

Friesen will take on Steven Fletcher, who has bested former Winnipeg Mayor Glen Murray and former MLA John Loewen in the riding.

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Has consultation become a foreign word in Stephen Harper's Ottawa?

Here’s how the online edition of the Merriam-Webster dictionary defines consultation:

Main Entry: con•sul•ta•tion
Pronunciation:\ˌkän(t)-səl-ˈtā-shən\
Function: noun
Date: 15th century
1: council, conference; specifically : a deliberation between physicians on a case or its treatment
2: the act of consulting or conferring

Most of us learned the word back in grade school but vocabulary must be one of those use it or lose it type things, because the Ottawa press corps seems to have forgotten what it means:

Caucus pressure drives Dion to make green-plan concessions

JANE TABER
SENIOR POLITICAL WRITER
September 3, 2008

WINNIPEG -- Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion is changing his controversial carbon tax plan on the eve of an expected election campaign amid pressure from his caucus members.

The policy will now incorporate breaks for farmers, truckers and fishermen in the form of subsidies to help buy equipment to reduce use of diesel fuel.

Mr. Dion will announce the changes in his plan regarding the farming sector today in Winnipeg, where he is attending his national caucus summer retreat. The subsidies to the other sectors will be announced later, sources said.

The Conservatives are trying to frame this as some kind of embarrassing climb-down for Stephane Dion, like he’s being forced into making concessions by Green Shift opponents. And a gullible media is playing along.

It's nonsense.

Maybe it really does seem like that to journalists have political observers who have had their minds warped by Stephen Harper’s control-freak Ottawa, a town where Harper and Doug Finley decide what selected demographic population segments want to hear, talking-points are dispatched to those MPs allowed to appear in public and anyone that meanders off-script gets whacked. That may be the new Ottawa normal, but it wasn’t always so.

It may seem weird and strange when contrasted with The Harper Way, but what’s happening with The Green Shift is exactly how policy is supposed to be developed. Policy is put out there, MPs talk to their constituents and gather feedback, bring those concerns back to the party, and the policy is tweaked as appropriate.

Not only is that how policy is supposed to be developed, not only is it an important facet of the functioning of a truly democratic party, but it also just plain makes for better policy. As a Canadian from a ruralish area, even if I do now reside in Hogtown, I was concerned that the Green Shift might not have done enough to address the realities of life of non-urban Canadians, so I’m pleased there will be some tweaks.

And this process serves to underline the diversity of the Liberal caucus. We’ve got people that can speak to the concerns of farmers, to the concerns of rural and Northern residents, to the concerns of urbanites. Getting all their input, and adjusting the Green Shift plan to recognize their constituencies’ legitimate concerns, make this a better policy. And no matter how Stephen Harper may define it, in my view listening, consultation and dialogue is how I would to define leadership.

When contrasted with the authoritarian command and control of Harper, I’ll choose Dion’s open and consultative style any day of the week. When presented with the contrast and the choice, I think Canadians will too.

UPDATE: Jason has some thoughts and so does BCL. And Danielle too.

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Green Shift can benefit Alberta

Former Alberta Liberal leader and current Senator Grant Mitchell has an op/ed piece in the Edmonton Journal today, where (in my view) he argues rather persuasively that, despite the uninformed fear mongering of the anti-environment conservative right, the Green Shift is actually a very good thing for Alberta

And don't listen to those that call this plan complicated. It's really quite simple: big tax cuts on income, tax increase on carbon and pollution. Less tax on good stuff, more tax on bad stuff. Seems simple to me. The only difference between the Liberal plan and the others is that we give you tax cuts; with the others you'll just be out of pocket.

The Conservatives are all stick. We're including a big carrot.

Stéphane Dion is offering us the kind of politics that we say that we want. He has taken a stand on the Green Shift to deal with the climate-change crisis in a way that no self-serving politician would ever do. He has accorded Canadians and Albertans the level of respect they deserve for their intelligence and thoughtfulness.

The Green Shift premise is this: Let's stop taxing those things we want to encourage like income and profit, and start taxing those things we must discourage, like greenhouse gases (GHGs).

The money raised from GHGs will be used to reduce income and corporate taxes, create further tax benefits for families, provide additional support for low-income Canadians, and help rural and Northern Canadians meet their particular fuel demands.

Canada's auditor general will confirm that the shift will be revenue neutral, in an annual audit required by law.

It seems so anachronistic, so 19th-century, to continue to tax income and profit, when there is a far less acceptable output in our economy to tax.

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In PEI is it a red shift?

The Charlottetown Guardian reports that Keith Milligan, the candidate that lost to the infamously departed for business reasons Robert Morrissey for the Liberal nomination in Egmont, will again seek the Liberal nod:

Milligan, who lost to Morrissey in last fall's closely fought nomination battle, said he has carefully considered the consequences of the new political developments in Egmont.

“I am not making any rash decision here, I have carefully thought through the situation and have consulted very extensively within the party...It is after this process that I am now announcing.”

Milligan has considerable political experience. He was elected to the provincial legislature six times and has held a number of high-profile portfolios, including being premier.

When reached for comment, Conservative spokesperson Ryan Sparrow said Milligan has decided to run for the Liberals again because he really, really hates Stephane Dion's Green shift. He just hates it so much!

Don't forget to tip your waitresses folks.

(Red shift because of the red soil.)

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Is this "so-called" Liberal media bias?

You may have read today that PEI Premier Robert Ghiz is endorsing the Liberal Party's Green Shift initiative to reduce carbon emissions, including sweeping tax cuts for Canadians and specific help for those living in poverty.

“I think green shift is the way to go,’’ Ghiz said in an interview with The Guardian.

“I think it’s a good idea but what we have to do is make sure it doesn’t hurt jurisdictions like Prince Edward Island.

“What we have to do as a provincial government is make sure that we work with whatever party is in power federally to make sure that when that tax shift does take place that seniors have more money, that low-income Islanders do have more money.’’

Here's how the major paper in the province, The Guardian, which “covers Prince Edward Island like the dew” by the way, headlined the story:


A fairly neutral headline I think. Now, the Guardian put the story on the Canadian Press wire, and it was pulled down by a one of their maritime cousins, the Turo Daily News in Nova Scotia. They decided to put a different spin on the story by re-writing the headline thusly:


“So-called green shift”? Well, at least they didn't totally adopt Conservative talking points (like, say, the National Post editorial board) and call it a tax trick. But it's not a so-called Green Shift. It is called the Green Shift (pending the outcome of assorted wacky and contrived legal tom foolery). The headline writer may have their doubts on how green it is, or how shifty. But it's not their place to editorialize in the headlines of newspaper articles.

On another note, after the comments from Ghiz the article features commentary from the PEI Conservatives' energy critic, Mike Currie. His party has crunched the numbers and, surprise surprise, it's the end of the world as we know it. But here's what I found quite amusing:

“I think that this guy (Ghiz) is running this government off the seat of his pants,” said Currie, who has spent 20 years in the oil business.

Trust the oil man folks, this environment plan is all bad. Global warmin', schmobal swarmin'. Consume!

P.S. I tried mightily to work a Anne of Green Gables or Road to Avonlea reference into this post, but I could not. I apologize. I have failed you.

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Maybe it's that other Chantal Hebert

A scathing column on the NDP's opposition to the Liberal Green Shift by Chantal Hebert in the Toronto Star today. Unfortunately, due to my deep dislike of Hebert I can't get too excited, but it's still a nice read. And she actually resists taking unfair potshots at Stephane Dion for a change too.

As twisted as it may seem, the logic of advancing the cause of climate change by waging war on the Liberals at a time that party is winning kudos from much of Canada's environment movement for its Green Shift plan is what passes for strategy for the federal NDP these days.

And speaking of the possibly upcoming by-elections, the Liberals have two pretty good Quebec candidates there in Marc Garneau (Westmount--Ville-Marie) and Roxane Stanners (Saint Lambert). Fall by-elections would also likely include Guelph, where the Liberals are running Frank Valeriote, and Don Valley West, where the Liberal candidate is Rob Oliphant.

I'm not convinced we'll see by-elections this fall though. Even if they're called I expect (or hope) they'll be preempted by a general election this fall, unless a)Liberal cold feet resurface, b)The Cons play prorogual games to delay the HoC return, or c)After the Liberals agree to go, the NDP and BQ decide they don't want to just yet.

UPDATE: More from the Star on the carbon shift, this time from Lynn McDonald. In addition to being a professor, Lynn was an NDP MP from 1982 to 1988, including a stint as environment critic.

But does the NDP not realize that the poor are the worst hit by climate change? And will increasingly be harmed as global heating gets worse? Would Tommy Douglas have missed this?

Already there are environmental refugees and victims of drought and food shortages in Third World countries. In Canada traditional hunters (with very low incomes) have seen their livelihood harmed. What protection will the urban poor have as temperatures rise?

The NDP has historically been a leader in advocating social justice, but not now.

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Slim Liberal lead on the environment

On Sunday I wrote that the Conservatives were trying to shift the Green Shift debate from the environment to the economy because the former is a weakness for them and the latter a strength, so I’d be remiss if I didn’t present these numbers from Nanos on the environment question released Monday:

Question: Which federal party do you trust most to manage the following issues?
The environment
Liberals - 21%
Conservatives - 18%
NDP - 14%
Bloc - 3%
Greens - 13%
None - 16%
Unsure - 16%

And commentary from Nanos:

The poll shows a statistical tie between the Liberals and the Conservatives for trust on the enviroment. Of note, even with the launch of the Liberal “Green Shift Plan” the Liberals did not enjoy a significant advantage over the Conservatives on the environment.

Interesting numbers, and a little disappointing for the Liberals. Clearly we have some work to do, and with none and unsure totaling 32 per cent there are a lot of people on the fence waiting to be wooed. And frankly, if we can frame and sell this Green Shift right, with an actual plan we have a better chance of wooing those people than the Cons do with their “tax on everything” rhetoric but then, as discussed previously, the Cons aren’t trying on this category.

Rather, they and the NDP with their similar anti-shift rhetoric, are trying to blow-up the Liberal numbers on this issue. I’d argue those attacks contribute to the high none/unsure numbers, although dissatisfaction with the Liberal environment record in office (which I could defend somewhat but that’s another post) also makes it a little tougher for us to convince Canadians we’re serious this time, leaving people to sit on the fence here.

Despite the “statistical tie” as Nanos calls it, I think we’re best positioned here, IF we can convince Canadians that a) we’re serious this time and b) this is the right plan. The Cons aren’t going to move much here, particularly since they’re not trying. The NDP has been trying, and this is an area they’d expect to be strong. But they’re four back of the Cons and just one up on the Greens here. I think their opposition to a carbon shift while backing cap and trade, which is also part of a Liberal plan, has the potential to move some NDP support to the Liberals here. Some of their traditional green allies are confused.

Lastly though, I’d really like to see the regional breakdowns of these numbers. The PDF with the breakdowns hasn’t been posted on the Nanos site yet. As I noted Sunday with the economic numbers, high Conservative numbers in Alberta (and a little less in Quebec) made their lead on the economic question management seem higher than it was. It will be interesting to see how the environment question breaks-down across Canada.

Other numbers

Today’s release included two other issues that weren’t released previously, FYI:

National Unity
Liberals - 29%
Conservatives - 25%
NDP - 8%
Bloc - 4%
Greens - 2%
None - 17%
Unsure - 17%

Healthcare
Liberals - 25%
Conservatives - 23%
NDP - 14%
Bloc - 4%
Greens - 1%
None - 17%
Unsure - 16%

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Where's the Harper personality that leads?

As you may know, after the Prime Minister of Canada, Stephen Harper, called the Liberal Green Shift environmental plan presented by the Leader of the Opposition, Stephane Dion, "crazy" and declared it would "screw everyone" Dion invited Harper to participate in a public debate on the topic. Harper declined.

Then, Dion offered to hold the debate in Calgary. In the Lion’s Den. Oil Country. Where they eat Liberals for dinner. Particularly mild-mannered Quebecois professors that wear glasses and have dogs named Kyoto and mothers from France. Still, Harper wimped-out:

Accusing the prime minister of indulging in "low blow politics and character assassination," Liberal leader Stéphane Dion challenged Stephen Harper yesterday to a one-on-one carbon tax policy debate in Calgary, the Conservative PM's riding and the energy capital of Canada.

Harper dismissed Dion's challenge for a leaders' duel on his home turf over "which plan - his plan or my plan - on climate change is the best, both for climate change and for the energy sector."

"Mr. Dion hasn't even realized that the debate started weeks ago," Harper's spokesman Dimitri Soudas said.

How could we have missed the start of a high-minded debate? The talking oil spot really should have given it away. Maybe if Dion agrees to let Harper’s mom be the moderator, and hold it at a Calgary Tim Horton’s, they’ll go for it.

Seriously, it’s all rather silly. No one expects Harper to agree to a debate on this. But if there’s one thing the Conservatives have proven, it’s that good politics is often silly. And by being seen to dodge Dion, while offering up unintelligent retorts like “it’s crazy” it portrays Dion as a leader and Harper as having something to hide.

Throughout this drama I’ve been reminded of an incident during the last election campaign. During one of the televised debates Paul Martin challenged Gilles Duceppe to debate him anywhere, anytime on unity and sovereignty. Duceppe said ok and Martin sheepishly backed away.

Since the Vancouver leaders' debates last week, when Martin challenged Duceppe to "meet him on every street corner, in every city and in every town and village in Quebec," Duceppe has been calling for a direct exchange with the prime minister.

Then Harper stepped-in and said I’ll debate you Gilles, I’ll speak for Canada. Gilles then sheepishly backed away, with the Liberals imploding in Quebec there was no benefit for him to elevate Harper’s stature in the province.

Harper also took a jab at Martin for turning down Bloc Leader Gilles Duceppe's offer of a one-on-one debate in French between the two.

"I'm prepared to take that challenge, instead," said Harper to loud cheers as he made a farm-support announcement. "I look forward to debating Mr. Duceppe in the near future."

Duceppe appeared less than eager to take on Harper's challenge -- possibly because of the positive reception that the Conservative policies have been receiving in Quebec.

"There were no challenges made by Mr. Harper, telling me to meet him anywhere in Quebec," Duceppe said.

That dramedy though was a turning point (one of many) during that campaign. By taking-up that debating challenge, Harper was seen as Prime Minsiterial. As a leader. People began to take him more seriously.

I wonder what happened to that Stephen Harper, the one that picked-up challenges, that led? Maybe the Liberals stole that part of his personality too. Either way, by Harper ducking Dion’s challenge, this time it’s the Liberal leader gaining credibility, while the Conservative sheepishly backs away.

P.S. Speaking of Harper's personalities, remember this golden oldie?

Harper, however, is refusing to back down from his statement.

Campaigning in Chatham, Ont. on Wednesday, Harper said he doesn't go around demanding apologies, and even boasted that he can "take a punch."

Whatever happened to TakesPunches Harper? Instead we've got Lawsuity McDemandAlottaApologies Harper.

Could he have multiple personalities? Did someone else give the above quote (I'm looking at you Rahim Jaffer)? Will the real Stephen Harper please stand up?

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Dion forecasts a Green Shift

During his travels to sell the Liberal Green Shift plan, Stephane Dion was in Toronto last week and made a stop at City-TV. While there, he took a shot at forecasting the weather in a fun video available here.

On the Green Shift, I don’t think it’s a perfect plan but I think it’s a pretty good one, and it’s gone reasonably well so far for the Liberals. One of my concerns at first was why carbon tax revenues would be used for anti-poverty measures. Not that I’m against anti-poverty measures, I just thought that a carbon shift wasn’t the place to deal with it. However, given that low income people don’t have much income to shift, special initiatives to focus on that demographic help to blunt the impact of the green shift on them and counter the criticism it will hurt the poor.

There has been predictable criticism from the Conservatives that the Liberals are out to get the West, or specifically Alberta and Saskatchewan. While those provinces will indeed likely be more hit, that doesn’t mean the Liberals are out to get them; it just means they produce a lot of oil, with corresponding environmental impact. The fact is, any serious environmental plan is going to have an impact on Alberta, it can’t be helped. Which is perhaps why the Conservatives are only pretending to care about the environment, without taking any serious action. The oil boom isn't going to last forever but the environment needs too, I expect/hope many Westerners will know that.

Much has been made this week of a poll showing energy has surpassed the environment as the top concern of Canadians, although only by two per cent. I don’t think this is bad for the green shift though. Indeed, the two issues, along with the other top concern, the economy, are intrinsically linked. Energy prices are only going to keep going up, as people compete for an increasingly scarce resource. We need to put more effort into developing alternative energy sources, and if the carbon shift makes oil less attractive and makes it more attractive to look at alternatives, that’s a good thing.

Anyway, overall the jury is still out on the carbon shift and its political success. Many of the columnists and political elites are against it, polls show the people are much more receptive. Much will depend on the sales job the Liberals do over the next few months.

At the least, though, Dion and the Liberals have succeeded in taking the initiative, and setting the debate for a change rather than just reacting to the Conservatives. And by staking his political future on a risky policy proposal you can say what you will about him, but you can’t say he’s a wimp or not a leader anymore.

And for once it’s the Conservatives on the defensive, and that ain’t bad. With criticism like "it's crazy" and "it'll screw everyone" along with the complete lack of a viable alternative plan to present, the Conservatives are being increasingly exposed as unsuited to govern.

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