Finally: the Conservative Party Platform

So the Conservatives tried to be Machiavellian. Rather smart on their part in fact. Although it didn't really work out as Canadians want a lion right now rather than a fox. (Old Mac advocated that the successful homme politique should be both a fox and a lion, undertaking either role as the situation demanded)

They waited...they waited...they waited to release their platform in order to:
-find out what issues are important to Canadians;
-find out what the reactions of Canadians were when other parties revealed their party platforms;
-tailor their own platform at the last minute to conform to the desires of Canadians based on the first two weeks of the election campaign.

A good idea. But they waited too long. The economy began tanking, nay, crashing. The Green party and New Democrats began wooing voters, and even Dion, whom many had written off as a blubbering professor, learned how to take a blow and come back swinging.

A Conservative ad is on right now. Denouncing the evil, evvvvvilllll carbon tax. mu ha ha ha. A forlorn looking mother looks over her daughter doing homework at the kitchen table. "I can't afford more taxes. Dion is just not worth the risk."

If anyone actually bothers to read the GreenShift proposal it is not quite so complicated nor is it expensive. In fact many other countries, as well as the province of British Columbia, have successfully implemented similar carbon taxation systems with little change to what people pay in taxes. http://www.thegreenshift.ca/ check it out. Anyways. Back to the Cons platform. Here is their luscious preamble to it from their website:


A plan for the economy vs proposals for financial disaster
October 07, 2008

Prime Minister Stephen Harper understands the global financial crisis. His plan for the way forward has been clear and consistent: balanced budgets, lower taxes, investments to create jobs and keeping inflation low.

This is in stark contrast to Stéphane Dion and Jack Layton, who have only just realized that the economy is an issue.

Excuse me? This is laughable. All party leaders were calling on Harper two weeks ago to address the issues of the economy.

Dion wants to impose a massive carbon tax that will drive up the cost of everything and hurt families.

This is quite the exaggeration. Massive carbon tax? Please see my next posting, "GreenShift 101".

Layton will increase taxes on businesses and drive jobs out of Canada.

The jobs are already being driven out of Canada! Look at the auto and manufacturing sectors in Ontario. The pulp and paper mills in Saskatchewan, BC, and New Brunswick. For the critics who say our unemployment is nearly the lowest its been in 20 years fail to realize that Canadians are losing upper-level jobs while gaining service sector and entry-level jobs.

The Liberals and the NDP are both a vote for financial disaster. They have no plan. Both parties would gamble with Canadians’ hard-earned money for short term electoral gain.
For the past year and a half, the Harper Government has been implementing a real plan to protect our economy.

The Harper Government is working for all Canadians who have a job to keep, a mortgage to pay and a retirement to save for.

What party isn't working for that?

A Conservative government will not be raising taxes. We will not impose a carbon tax. We will not cancel planned tax reductions for business. We will keep our spending within our means. It is that simple.

The alternative is not a plan. It is just the consequence of complete panic, and this government will not panic at a time of uncertainty.

Reacting is not panicking.