Archive for July, 2008

One of the most egregious things about the carbon tax is the way that it is targeted disproportionately at certain provinces like Saskatchewan. Consider the following:

The carbon tax has a stated goal of raising 40 Billion dollars. Since Saskatchewan is the source of 9% of the carbon to be taxed, we will pay 9% of the tax or $3.6 billion. This works out to roughly $3,600/person or $14,400 for a family of four in Saskatchewan. However, Saskatchewan will only get back about 3% of the new spending and possible tax cuts—or about $1,200/person or $4,800 for a family of four (assuming that Dion’s promises to balance the carbon tax with tax cuts elsewhere actually happens).

Now if you pay a tax of $14,400 and receive back $4,800 you are still out $9,600 if you live in Saskatchewan. (If you live in Alberta, you will have a similar problem.) The carbon tax is set up this way for one and one reason only: it takes money from western Canada and gives it to central Canada.

The carbon tax is nothing more than a big grab for western cash. Any politician in Saskatchewan who supports a carbon tax is a quisling; a traitor to Saskatchewan. A carbon tax is nothing but a grab for Saskatchewan money. The math is clear. The Liberal’s green shift is nothing but green theft.

Stephane Dion wants you to pay $266 more a year to heat your home with natural gas. He also thinks that truckers should pay at least $1,700 per year more to fuel up their trucks. These two examples are not my own. The Liberals themselves give out these examples when explaining the cost of their carbon tax. Considering that the Liberals will inevitably downplay the size of their tax grab, these numbers should be taken as minimums.

But it is not only truckers and homeowners who will be hit directly by the imposition of a carbon tax. The cost of groceries and practically everything else will go up even more as the added cost of the Liberals’ new tax is passed along to consumers.

Since natural gas is a key ingredient in making nitrogen-based fertilizers, the high price of fertilizer will continue to climb because of the carbon tax. Electricity rates in Saskatchewan will also rise, since we use coal to run our power plants. As a result, small business, manufacturers and other employers in our province will be faced with rising costs. If you run a bakery or a machine shop, you will have the option of raising your prices or digging into your own pocket to pay for the new carbon tax.

A carbon tax is a tax on transportation, heating, and practically everything that uses electricity. These items may be viewed as luxuries by Stephane Dion and his friends in Montreal and Toronto. But in Saskatchewan, most people view getting to work, heating their homes and buying groceries as necessities. A carbon tax is a really bad idea.

Well, I had planned to continue my series on the carbon tax, but events this week have caused me to change the topic of my column.

The abortionist Henry Morgentaler was awarded the Order of Canada on July 1st, Canada Day. This appointment was made on the recommendation of the Advisory Council on the Order of Canada. A majority vote by the Advisory Council gave Morgentaler the award, so it was not a unanimous decision. Now, I know that Canadians have different feelings on the issue of abortion. I am strongly pro-life for cultural, scientific, and theological reasons. I have been clear about my pro-life position before my first election.

Not everyone will agree with me on the issue of abortion, but I think we, as Canadians, can all agree that national awards and honours should only be given to Canadians who serve our country in an exemplary way. The Order of Canada should bring us together in a celebration of excellence that all Canadians can endorse.

Considering that Henry Morgentaler’s career has been centered around a medical procedure that many Canadians find repugnant, it is hard to see how awarding him the Order of Canada is proper. His award only stirs up divisions; it only serves to demonstrate that the people who award the Order of Canada do not represent their fellow Canadians. They only represent a narrow, elitist section of our society.