New Leader?

[parsley]

Anyone think the Liberals will pick a new leader, soon?

[bduke]

Parsley....I doubt if they will have a leadership review and/or contest until Dion is tested in an election...and only if he does not achieve power....

Ignatief and Rae are talking the party line...albeit patiently...

Their carbon tax..a disguised energy policy to transfer wealth from the West to Ontario and Quebec..may increase their support in Quebec, and probably will in Ontario. Their support in the large cities is alwats strong and they are counting on Ontario's continually deteriorating economy to be their territory. Shades of Marc Lalonde's national energy Program, which set Alberta and, to a lessor extent Saskatchewan, back at least 20 years.

I think I would rather see Dion as their leader. However if the NDP and Liberals ever merge the Conservatives will really suffer, as would the Country.... for a while. Bob Rae's governing of Ontario comes to mind...Bill

[mustardman]

You"d think the oil companies would be happy that their was a National Energy program back in the early 80's... it closed in some wells that they would have sold for $20/barrel

It would have been better to keep all that 20 dollar a barrel oil in the ground till now when its close to $150 a barrell.

[TOM4CWB]

Mustardman,

Do you realise how many (mostly smaller)oil co's went broke over the NEP... and how it set back rational development of the oil business?

The temptation is just the same as the CWB buyback policies... pick the winners and losers... being the dumbo at the wrong place at the wrong time... was the reason for loosing everything!

We could have paid all our farm/family debts off this year... IF the CWB had decided to do the export licenses differently!

THe market was/is there... we can't get to it... so NO ONE gets the money!

And instead we are spending millions over the next how many years... paying back the contingency fund... and criminal charges on PPO contracts!

But... better your neighbour be in debt and broke... than ahead of you!

The great equaliser... gov. greed to confiscate and lose the wealth... rather than prosperity for those who were prepared for the opportunity!

[bduke]

Mustardman....i'm not in agreement with your rational. Many of the junior oil companies disappeared, as did many jobs and service industries. It has been estimated that over 100 billion dollars were unfairly transferred from Alberta to Ottawa....from the oil that was still extracted! This policy disregarded the constitutional rights of the Provinces to have jurisdiction of their resources.

"The major factor behind the NEP wan't Canadianization or getting more from the industry or even self sufficiency. The determinent factor was the fiscal imbalance between the Provinces and the federal Goverment." A quote from The Hon. Marc Lalonde, who explained during a CBC interview that the problem was the power in Canada was shifting to the West, and Cofederation was not designed this way.

BTW your reasoning begs the question....Do you work for the CWB as an employee as well as a farmer?...Bill

[Hopperbin]

Anyone ever thought about Dions Carbon tax in that if they could pay this money to min till farmers then this 40 dollar per ton could work out to some big money for farmers instead we are selling carbon at the moment for 3. The carbon tax if implemented should go back to industry that sequesters. Not to every individual Canadian.

[mbratrud]

For a while I thought the longer the Conservatives remained in power the worse shape Dion would be in. I don't think that is the case anymore. I think there is a chance Dion could win a Minority in the next election(God help us all). I think this Carbon tax is a devide and conquour strategy that just might work for him. And the Harper Government has been fumbling the ball as of late.... I am truly concerned... The Mustardman may be right in the fact that Western Canada did not sell cheap Oil. But there were several casualties that paid the price back then.

[agstar77]

The cons are showing signs of fear with their advertising campaign. Whether the carbon tax is good or bad, the cons have no policy . As oil prices rise consumers will ask where is the government's policy? The cons could fall on this issue and the liberanos smell blood.

[FarmRanger]

Agstar, I wonder what policy you think the conservatives should have on energy that they don’t already have?

Would you like an export tax to hold prices down in Canada? Brazil does this with soybeans and it’s helped to increase prices outside the country, and caused unrest inside.

A carbon tax raises energy prices inside the country and everything that has to be manufactured or hauled in a truck (everything we buy), harming ALL consumers and making Canadian industries less competitive. That oil that we don’t use still gets burned, in China and India instead of here. Net effect on the environment = zilch (or worse). Net effect on Canadians, we are all poorer.

A bad policy is worse than no policy at all. Personally, I think a reduction in energy taxes would be a good thing right now, but I’m sure everyone here can imagine the negative spin that would be put on that. PM Harper may as well sponsor a public polar bear slaughter. The next best thing is to do nothing, but raising energy taxes on already high oil is either just plain stupid, or shows a profound lack of concern for the well being of us Canadians in the quest for political power.

[TOM4CWB]

Agstar77,

Have you figured out how much it will cost to fuel up a combine this fall?

900L times $1.40/l is $1260 for one tank full!

AND you think that is not enough incentive to try and burn less fuel.. if it were possible?

SO DIon or you say Harper ... should add another $200/tank of fuel... except for Quebec and Ontario gas consumers with SUV's...?

ARE you serious?

[agstar77]

So what should be the government policy ? If you don't tax then you provide more incentives for conservation or alternative energy. Doesn't Canada have abundant Uranium. How do you help clean up oilsand oil production. Better rail transportation, less trucking. More research on Fertilizer efficiency , there many areas energy policy could be improved. Oil prices can't be high enough, as I still see people leaving cars running to keep ther cars cool as they do errands.

[mustardman]

bduke your comment
"the policy disregarded consitutional rights of provinces to have jurisdiction of their own resources "

So what do you think of our "free trade" agreement with U.S ? We are not Allowed to Stop Exporting oil even if we don"t have enough for ourselves.

We gave up far more "Constitutional rights" to the U.S under free trade than we did under nep

[mbratrud]

I think Dions Carbon tax would do very little to curb demand, and just make people who are struggling to make ends meet that much poorer. It won't slow down anyone who has money to spend. Manditory regulations over an extended period of time is te best solution in my eyes... Give companies and consumers time to adjust. We did not create this situation overnight, and it will not be cured overnight. If you believe Al Gore its to late and were all domed anyway.. He's not saying that exactly he thinks its worth a try, but when you look at his charts and graphs this is a runaway train with no chance to stop it... Is it worth sending our economy into the dumps trying to do the impossible?? Maybe we should be spending time and money figuiring out how we can live on a hot planet.

[Hopperbin]

By the way I think we are jumping the gun a little when we think the East will support Dion's carbon tax. As it will do nothing to support job creation and that is what they need, not another stupid tax.

[parsley]

If you took Dion, dressed him up, put a tape over his mouth, and shoved him in front of "The Bench", and then got hopperbin and mbratrud to prop him up by the shoulders, and then asked the court question, "Your honor, does he look, and walk and talk like a Prime Minister?" , the court would burst out laughing, and even the Liberal judge would be too embarrased to reply anything but a subdued, "No."

Parsley