OTTAWA -- NDP leader Thomas Mulcair says the Harper Conservatives are flat-out lying when they tell Canadians that a vote for the NDP is a vote for a carbon tax.
"This is an ethical decision (Prime Minister) Stephen Harper is going to have to deal with, because he knows his MPs are lying when they say that," Mulcair said during an appearance on the Global News program The West Block.
The claim that Mulcair will bring in the "tax on everyone," as the Conservatives have described a carbon tax, isn't based on any announcement the leader has made.
Mulcair has, however, supported a cap and trade plan, which allots a specific number of "pollution credits" to emitters. Those that exceed the limits can buy extra credits from those who have leftovers.
The idea is one that Harper campaigned on in 2008 and included in that year's throne speech.
"What I talked about during the leadership, and what he talks about are the very same cap and trade system the Conservatives talked about," Mulcair told host Tom Clark.
But as recently as last week, the Conservatives were out in front of the mics highlighting perceived dangers of implementing a carbon tax.
And earlier this month, the Conservatives released a memo highlighting "the threat posed by Thomas Mulcair's risky and dangerous economic plan... Canadian families know that a tax on carbon is a tax on everything and therefore a tax on everyone."
"Lies" like those, the NDP leader said, are degrading.
"It's not something that's dignified, and Stephen Harper, if he has an ounce of ethics on these things, will call his MPs to account and tell them to stop lying."
Looking ahead to the next Parliament's return this week, Mulcair said his party's main focus will be on jobs and the economy.
"The government isn't taking care of the future, and it certainly is not taking care of those good paying manufacturing jobs that are being lost right now," he said. "Those are jobs with enough of a salary to take care of a family. The jobs came with a pension. But they're largely being replaced by part-time, precarious work in the service sector."
Canada's economy added 34,000 jobs last month, according to recent Statistics Canada numbers.
But the increase came mostly from part-time positions; full-time jobs decreased by more than 12,000 positions.
Jobs and the economy are also a stated interest of the Conservatives, whose plans should be revealed when they introduce their next budget implementation bill.
The government has said it intends to bring in another omnibus bill -- an action that was met with much objection from the opposition when they did so last spring.
As a form of protest, the NDP staged a nearly 24-hour voting marathon in the House of Commons and organized meetings across the country.
If the new bill proposes similar actions to the previous one -- overhauling environmental legislation, for example -- Canadians may see a similar response from the NDP, Mulcair said.
"It depends what's in it," he said. "If there are things in there that can help bring solutions, of course we'll support them."
With a hefty Quebec caucus, the NDP will also be figuring out how to deal with an electorate that just voted the separatist Parti Quebecois to a minority government in the province.
The new premier, Pauline Marois, has said she will be asking Harper to allow Quebec to administer certain programs traditionally controlled in Ottawa, including immigration and employment insurance.
Whether the premier has the support of the federal party that holds the most representation in her province remains to be seen.
"On EI, you have to look at your priorities as a nation," Mulcair said. "Any province that wants to improve EI should be able to put their case on the table. You don't decide that in advance. You look at it carefully, as a good public administrator, and you come to the right decision."
Original Article
Source: global news
Author: Amy Minsky
"This is an ethical decision (Prime Minister) Stephen Harper is going to have to deal with, because he knows his MPs are lying when they say that," Mulcair said during an appearance on the Global News program The West Block.
The claim that Mulcair will bring in the "tax on everyone," as the Conservatives have described a carbon tax, isn't based on any announcement the leader has made.
Mulcair has, however, supported a cap and trade plan, which allots a specific number of "pollution credits" to emitters. Those that exceed the limits can buy extra credits from those who have leftovers.
The idea is one that Harper campaigned on in 2008 and included in that year's throne speech.
"What I talked about during the leadership, and what he talks about are the very same cap and trade system the Conservatives talked about," Mulcair told host Tom Clark.
But as recently as last week, the Conservatives were out in front of the mics highlighting perceived dangers of implementing a carbon tax.
And earlier this month, the Conservatives released a memo highlighting "the threat posed by Thomas Mulcair's risky and dangerous economic plan... Canadian families know that a tax on carbon is a tax on everything and therefore a tax on everyone."
"Lies" like those, the NDP leader said, are degrading.
"It's not something that's dignified, and Stephen Harper, if he has an ounce of ethics on these things, will call his MPs to account and tell them to stop lying."
Looking ahead to the next Parliament's return this week, Mulcair said his party's main focus will be on jobs and the economy.
"The government isn't taking care of the future, and it certainly is not taking care of those good paying manufacturing jobs that are being lost right now," he said. "Those are jobs with enough of a salary to take care of a family. The jobs came with a pension. But they're largely being replaced by part-time, precarious work in the service sector."
Canada's economy added 34,000 jobs last month, according to recent Statistics Canada numbers.
But the increase came mostly from part-time positions; full-time jobs decreased by more than 12,000 positions.
Jobs and the economy are also a stated interest of the Conservatives, whose plans should be revealed when they introduce their next budget implementation bill.
The government has said it intends to bring in another omnibus bill -- an action that was met with much objection from the opposition when they did so last spring.
As a form of protest, the NDP staged a nearly 24-hour voting marathon in the House of Commons and organized meetings across the country.
If the new bill proposes similar actions to the previous one -- overhauling environmental legislation, for example -- Canadians may see a similar response from the NDP, Mulcair said.
"It depends what's in it," he said. "If there are things in there that can help bring solutions, of course we'll support them."
With a hefty Quebec caucus, the NDP will also be figuring out how to deal with an electorate that just voted the separatist Parti Quebecois to a minority government in the province.
The new premier, Pauline Marois, has said she will be asking Harper to allow Quebec to administer certain programs traditionally controlled in Ottawa, including immigration and employment insurance.
Whether the premier has the support of the federal party that holds the most representation in her province remains to be seen.
"On EI, you have to look at your priorities as a nation," Mulcair said. "Any province that wants to improve EI should be able to put their case on the table. You don't decide that in advance. You look at it carefully, as a good public administrator, and you come to the right decision."
Original Article
Source: global news
Author: Amy Minsky
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