Dreams of Wardrobe

Ignatieff denounces diesel tax cut despite Liberal Green Shift offering similar deal

Today, Prime Minister Stephen Harper promised to cut the excise tax on diesel fuel.

Michael Ignatieff took the opportunity to claim the plan "drives a truck through their environmental credibility."

"This is just a gimmick that will make no real difference for Canadians, while actually undermining the country's ability to switch to cleaner renewable sources of energy," Ignatieff insisted. "When it comes to facing the challenge of the climate change crisis, Mr. Harper is going in the opposite direction from the international community and every responsible leader."

Excluding, ironically, Ignatieff's own.

When Dion's Green Shift plan was criticized as being perilous for farmers and truckers -- people who depend upon low diesel fuel prices in order to help ensure their livelihood -- Dion abruptly introduced additional tax cuts for farmers and truckers to offset the additional cost of diesel that would be imposed by a carbon tax, thus eliminating his own proposed incentive for farmers and truckers to reduce their diesel fuel usage.

It's rather ironic for the Liberals to be raging about the environmental impact of Harper's diesel tax cut considering that the election hadn't even begun before the Liberals started running away from their own policies.

"His approach will do nothing to help Canadians who want to end their reliance on fossil fuels and it will do nothing to help the Canadian economy which is the worst performing economy in the G7," Ignatieff insisted.

Of course, what Ignatieff is leaving out is that the Liberal Green Shift Lite -- complete with exemptions for farmers and truckers -- won't do anything to help Canadians end reliance on fossil fuels, and won't do anything to help the Canadian economy. In fact, the Liberal Green Shift Lite plan will most likely do the exact opposite.

Meanwhile, Stephane Dion insisted that Harper's diesel tax cut as evidence that he doesn't govern for the future -- merely for the next election.

Of course, considering that Dion won't answer questions about his post-Green Shift plans, Dion may want to serve the "shortsighted" accusations.

For someone who has challenged Prime Minister Harper to an "honest debate" concerning his Green Shift plan, Dion and company are having a lot of difficulty keeping their story straight.