Wednesday, August 1, 2018

Speaking Of Neoliberal Tools



It is never nice to shatter someone's illusions, but sometimes it is necessary. That is exactly what iPolitics is doing as it reports a not unexpected but nonetheless egregious betrayal of the environment and climate change mitigation as it dawns on our perfidious prime minister that an election is coming up next year:
Bowing to concerns about international competitiveness, the Trudeau government is scaling back carbon pricing guidelines for some of the country’s heaviest energy users, and signalling that more easing could come before the plan takes effect in 2019.

Environment and Climate Change Canada has issued new guidelines that increase the emissions threshold at which polluters will have to pay a carbon tax.

... after meeting with industry stakeholders, it determined that four industries in particular – cement, iron and steel, lime and nitrogen fertilizer producers – face a high competitive risk and will have their carbon price thresholds adjusted.

Draft regulations issued in January indicated a benchmark for when industries would start to pay the carbon tax at 70 per cent of average emissions.

However, the new rules set to take effect in the new year will increase the carbon tax threshold to 80 per cent of emissions intensity.

The four sectors assessed in the high competitive risk category will not have to pay the tax until they reach 90 per cent of emissions.

The government says other sectors may see adjustments to their greenhouse gas output measures, depending on further review of the impact of carbon pricing on their domestic and international competitiveness, with revised draft standards expected by fall.
Those who follow politics closely will not be surprised by this. Those who place their faith in sunny ways, pearly smiles and nice hair, however, will likely be shocked and seek solace in government propaganda justifying this sabotage of what already was a wholly inadequate plan.

8 comments:

  1. He didn't have much of a choice on this one. Look south to place the blame.

    UU

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    1. Oh, he had a choice, UU. He could have acted with integrity, if he had any.

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    2. What is that, the "I was only following orders" defence? Remember when Mulroney eviscerated John Turner with that rapier-sharp line, "Sir, you had a choice."? The problem is the depth to which we allowed ourselves to become so integrated with the United States. We've outsourced our foreign policy. We've outsourced our defence policy. We have outsourced so much of our sovereignty that we've become a branch plant operation, meekly taking orders from Head Office.

      I did a post today about an initiative being launched by Germany to rally the remaining liberal democracies into an alliance, circling the wagons against the creeping authoritarianism of illiberal democracies. The Germans are recruiting Japan first. Eventually they'll reach out to Canada. Does anyone think this weak-knee'd excuse of a prime minister would dare risk being seen to defy Donald Trump by joining the alliance to which America is definitely not invited?

      Christ, this loser can't stand up to the concrete industry. He won't stand up to the provincial opposition either.

      The Liberal rank-and-file who tolerate Trudeau and conjure up excuses for his every failure are especially odious.

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    3. I have nothing to add to your withering assessment here, Mound.

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  2. What must it take for the Liberal rank-and-file to keep supporting this guy? That's Trump-grade tribalism. During the 2015 election campaign Trudeau made me question whether I'd done the right thing in leaving the Grits. Those doubts didn't linger very long. It seems to be a growing affliction these days that parties no longer serve the nation or the public but subordinate those obligations to the betterment of their own fortunes and political expedience. They've adopted a parasitic model of politics marked by empty promises and freely compromised principles.

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    1. Cognitive dissonance must be in overdrive amongst those who still support Trudeau and his fellow impostors, Mound. That's all I can think.

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  3. Replies
    1. I think those who continue to support Trudeau have learned to live with massive disappointment, Owen.

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