geoffrey

If the carbon tax were imposed as is, Alberta should certainly consider leaving. Carbon is consumed equally across the country as end users, each person has a relatively equal carbon footprint. The carbon tax, however, falls mostly on Alberta because we produce the energy that others use. A wholesale carbon tax does not work and is unfair to energy producing provinces. The Green's increase of GST is far more reasonable. Or BC's gasoline carbon tax at the pumps. Taxing producers does make sense. Alberta bears the cost and Mr. Banker in Ontario gets to drive his SUV essientially with very little cost. It's a backdoor NEP. "Let's see how much we can take from Alberta, we don't get elected there anyway," says Mr. Dion. A carbon tax is not in Alberta's interest and we'd be best served by leaving Canada if one were to be implemented. Having a non-national party leading is unhealthy for the nation. The Liberals should not be permitted to lead if they cannot gain a seat in Alberta (the heart of our economy today).

That's disgusting. Giving homes to those that can't afford them started this crisis. Not everyone can be rich. Not everyone wants to be. Giving the best to those that are willing to work for it does good for the country. Giving big houses and fast cars to everyone gives you a mortgage crisis. \\You should go to Arizona and ask the poor people about how great it is to own a million dollar home, now worth $150k and in foreclosure. Who said that? And we don't need to subsidize people until they are on the verge of hunger and frostbite. Do you not understand that these companies provide the jobs and wealth that fund everything in this country? Your clueless. I didn't get a thing from my parents, not one thing, and I've earned every penny I've received. It's not just those born into money that hold the attitude that you should WORK FOR WHAT YOU GET. Not everyone can have a car, not everyone can have a house. This mentality caused the problem we see in the US. Some people have to be poor! Deal with it! Society selects winners based on their value to society as a whole. They get stuff. The rest, don't, until they prove their value. Those that invest by the way stimulate the economy far more than a poor person buying food for themselves. That's those stupid rich kids with their heads up their ass with the trust funds. I don't like them either, but I see their place in the economy. Because everyone deserves exactly what you have but doesn't need to work for it or earn it in any way. They should just get it. Everything. The most prosperous area in Canada is the only one without progressive income tax, Alberta. Europe also uses mostly regressive consumption taxes that allow the rich to earn investment income without facing much taxation, but where poor people are hammered with 20% tax on bread and jam. Your brilliant man. Can you get past the NDP talking points and into reality? Money should never be taken from one and giving to another arbitrarily. You should EARN IT. Not steal it. It's immoral to force someone to donate to another on the grounds that one is rich and one is poor. Why should someone live off my work? They can get off their ass and do their own, thanks. Too much of my money goes to "lifting up" those that just constantly fall down. Just ignore them. They are not a good use of our countries limited efforts and finances.

The manufacturing sector suffers from hardline unions, repressive business taxation in Ontario especially and company's addicted to the breast milk of Ottawa politicans. Ontario manufacturers have not innovated because they have never had to, and they never learned to. Ontario manufacturing is dead. We can continue to throw money at it, but it costs more than it's worth. Let Ontario die. It will be back, and hopefully have some innovation and business spirit, instead of an addiction to government. -- I wanted to step in on this topic because I've been shocked by how easily Jack Layton and Stephane Dion have descended to the bottom of the pit in terms of fear mongering. Being educated in finance and economics and pursuing graduate level education in investments, I can tell you right now, Jack and Stephane are unjustified. Canada's economy is strong. Canada's banks are strong. There is no financial crisis in Canada. The stock market is subject to regular business cycle corrections. That's all we are seeing now. This correction is larger than most, but it's simply a correction. If you have been prudent and lived within your means, you should have no fears. Your investments will recover. This is, like Harper said, a great time to get into the market and buy up some bargin stocks. The fear mongering of the opposition right now disgusts me and is contributing to the fear and aniexity amongst Canadian investors. Many people are clueluss and are ordering their financial representatives to sell their positions because Stephane and Jack are calling for a recession. It's disgusting. When people pull out now, they are going to lose money! Dion should be on the hook for their losses! Anyone that votes for the Liberals or the NDP in the coming election just simply ignores the realities of the economy today, prudence and retaining the current tax structure is key to our economic well being over the next few years. Markets hate uncertainty. Dion's carbon tax is huge uncertainity, and unfairly taxes the economic engine of our country. Layton wants to reverse all the pro-business measures Harper has enacted. Responsible in a time of business uncertainty? Absolutely not. I'm going to vote Conservative on October 14th, not because I'm happy with their record (income trusts, for example), but because they are the only party with the sense to guide the economy in the correct direction. Don't look to Dion for your economic advice, he is DEAD WRONG. Their outlooks will cost you your savings. Don't give in to the panic and ride this one out with a sensible strategy. My disgust for the opportunism of the Liberals is growing by the hour. The harm Dion has caused this week is unmeasurable to many Canadian families, especially retirees who are very concerned about their future and are more likely to sell in a panic. Stop it Dion. Stop lying. Your either stupid or reckless. Neither gives you the right to be a leader. Get out.

TD has been off track with this announcement and the annoucement today that Ontario deserve $11b in additional transfers. They seem to think that because the banks are located there, all bank taxes should be paid to Ontario. Putting a carbon tax on a struggling manufacturing industry surely would be the final nail in the coffin on GM/Ford. Therefore, I encourage it. Get those piece of crap domestic cars off the roads once and for all.

If you look at all of the world today and your biggest issue is the legalisation of something you'll never realistically be prosecuted for having... you obviously lack a level of intelligence needed to find your polling station anyways. Sad pathetic people. Any one issue voter on this topic should really just stay home.

Most people are more concerned with real issues, like their job, or health care, rather than some "prohibition" that is not really even enforced. It's not a major issue to anyone but a few in their late twenties living in their parent's basements.

Harper's plan deals with intensity of emissions. The oil sands and resource production in Alberta has already cut the intensity per barrel below 1990 levels for some time. Each barrel is 50% cleaner than it was only 5 years ago. Intensity targets are the only way to manage this (in my belief). You can't have economic expansion and less carbon emissions. Or perhaps we should realise the issue is consumption of oil and not production? The fundamental cost of carbon should rest with the end user, and that is the consumer at the gas pump. If Alberta produces the cleanest barrel of oil ever, it will do nothing if we need to produce 10x as much to keep up with demand. I think asking companies to produce more oil and less emissions is absurd. Lowering intensity dramatically is the only reasonable step. Dobbin, you need to realise some realities. Oil consumption is out of the hands of Alberta legislators (we are but 3 million in a world of several billion). Therefore you have a choice. Buy Suncor's oil that is considerably dirtier but improving. Or buy Aramco or National Iran oil that funds terrorism here and overseas. It's not a tough choice for me. At the end of the day, we'll need both, but moving Alberta oil into emissions comparibility per barrel to Saudi oil is the best alternative. We should produce more oil, at a lower intensity. That's the best possible outcome considering all the factors. It makes as much sense to levy a tax on applicance and vehicle makers that produce carbon producing appliances than it does to tax the oil companies.

I'm sure having businesses account for every little bit of their emissions, determine their offset, have these offsets challenged in tax court, then refile again with a different set of offsets and emissions... and then have that challenged again... will be much cheaper than the current system. A carbon tax is so simple in the mind of Dion, but he's never sat in a real Boardroom or dealt with a real business. The realities of complex consumption taxes is that they are extremely administrative heavy, especially when it demands companies keep a seperate set of 'carbon books' in order to comply with the CRA. No way. If you want cheaper, a flat income tax is really simple. Or even a pure VAT. But not a carbon tax. You haven't seen anything yet in terms of cost.

I got Harper, but agreed with each Dion and May at least once.

Back to lock in my prediction... CPC -> 171 Liberal -> 61 NDP -> 35 Bloc -> 40 Independant -> 1 Turnout 45%

Would I (if I didn't speak French) be let off of a similar ticket in Quebec if the officer didn't speak English or my ticket was not in English?

Hopefully the wireless auction will open the market to a few new providers. We desperately need competition. I pay less for data use in the US on my Blackberry than I do in Canada, even though I'm on a Canadian plan. Just think about that for a second. Does it make sense? Evidence of a real lack of competition up here.

Michael is right. This is a new exchange that allows Western investors to connect with the third world. Exchanges like this promote economic freedom, allowing access to pools of fund (for the poor people) and excellent growth potential (for the rich people). This is the perfect case of where access to new markets benefits two groups of people. Win win.

Bottom line, if people are dumb enough to follow hate literature, then they have much bigger issues. Dealing with hate is more about education than it is about censorship. Censorship will do nothing but limit freedom. The CHRC is amongst the biggest violators of human rights in Canada. Kangaroo courts that oppress opinion aren't exactly a symbol of free and democratic society.

Good that GM finally sees that trucks aren't going to be that hot anymore. Too bad people are out of jobs, happens everyday. Just because they are union employees that aren't worth 1/2 their pay in the real world doesn't mean we need to sob for them. Maybe they can work for a reasonable rate for low, nearly unskilled labour and not put their next employer on the verge of downfall.

I'm all in favour of be more heavy handed with those that get caught. Take the burden off the ridiculous sexist policies of insurance today. I pay $3,500 a year, no convictions and driving for 7 years. University degree, homeowner. But I'm under 25 and male, so I need to pay twice as much as my 16 year old sister. I have no problem with insurance companies going after real risk, instead of raking in cash just because they have been permitted to violate consumer rights legislation for years. It's the only time a government will ever legislate that different genders and ages must pay different amounts to be allowed to conduct the same task.

Probably. Just like feeding GM and Ford. Time for that Eastern half of the country to learn to do business without Industry Canada.

It's been awhile ladies and gents but I'm back to pass on an interesting website and concept to you all. I had the privledge this evening of listening to a talk by President Bill Clinton. I've never seen such a down to earth leading figure, he really understand the issues of today and of the future. The bottom line, the world needs more Bill Clintons. Very inspiring, just listening to the man is like a call to action. At the end of his talk, Bill mentioned Kiva.org. This organization finds third world business men and women that need access to capital to grow their businesses. However, these people aren't asking for millions, they are asking for just a few hundred. With this, they grow their businesses, add jobs, and develop prosperity for their community. They repay the loans once they are profitable. What a great way to help out the third world. Instead of renewing that GIC, go let a guy in Africa employ some hungry farmers. Again, the url is kiva.org Please check it out and contribute if you have the means to do so. It's an investment in someone else, they aren't even asking for money, it will all likely be returned. Websites like this and microcredit in general have the ability to truly change the lives of hundreds with very little money. As a whole, I'm sure these loans have benefited millions of communities world wide.

It's funny, markets that don't have huge government intervention generally build coal plants. One's the have the government covering all costs build fancy technology. The reason you can't afford to use an electric car is because your nuclear plant costs too much. Coal is cheap and it is now fairly clean and very abundant. Nuclear is not a better source. Costs more, leaves you with waste you can't get rid of for 50,000 years and risks absolute disaster all the time.

Did you pay full cash for your house?

I'm sure no one in Canada would complain if they went back to starving to death and dying of disease every few years. I mean, all the technology we brought was worthless. Yet I see them driving trucks and living in houses, not tipis. Hmmm....

I'm with Dobbin on this one. Come on now, don't appoint a Minister. If you want more Tories to balance it out, ok. But appointing a Minister? Does the CPC not realise how bad this looks?

Topaz, there has been talk about it, but let's not be ridiculous. Where is the US going to get the few million barrels they import every day? Iran? Sudan? Venezula? Don't think so. They'll remain a customer of Alberta so long as there is oil in the ground. Either way, we'd just sell it to China if they packed up and left. Do you think they're ok with that? Enbridge is already constructing the pipeline to do it.

Population levels are largely cyclical in any ecosystem. I'm not too concerned unless there was a major die off or a major population explosion. Clearly, niether is happening. They are cute and make good poster boys for the green movement. They aren't actually at any risk.

I just returned from a trip to China, where they only have 1/10 of a dollar, having eliminated their 'penny'. Making change was actually so much easier, in fact, almost everything was in rounded dollars. The only thing I can think of off the top of my head not rounded was a 3.50 yuan bottle of Coke on the Shanghai subway. Who uses cash anymore anyways? If you do, you shouldn't. Might as well encourage the transition by making fewer coins.