06-08-2008, 12:02 PM
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#1 (permalink)
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warrior bodhisattva
Super Moderator
Location: East-central Canada
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Flippity floppity on the carbon tax: Canadian general election on the horizon?
Quote:
Glossy Tory ad campaign takes aim at Liberal carbon tax
Becky Rynor, Canwest News Service Published: Sunday, June 08, 2008
OTTAWA -- The federal Tories launched a glossy, aggressive, multimedia campaign Sunday attacking Liberal Leader Stephane Dion's proposed carbon tax.
The bilingual campaign, entitled "The Dion Tax Trick," was rolled out across the country in the form of radio commercials, two English "fuelcast" ads that can be played on TV screens at gas stations, and a website -- willyoubetricked.ca -- that includes features such as a talking gas pump.
"Dion is trying to trick Canadians into paying a permanent new tax by wrapping it up in green packaging," Conservative MP Jason Kenney said Sunday.
"The reality is that the Dion Tax Trick isn't about the environment. It's about taxing Canadians to pay for his reckless spending promises. Dion himself called carbon taxes bad environmental policy when he ran for the Liberal leadership. They give polluters an unlimited licence to pollute."
Liberal Environment critic David McGuinty dismissed the campaign as a "gimmick" by a government under attack.
"The Canadian people aren't stupid. They know there is a major, major debate on right now about how best to price carbon as we move to a carbon-constrained future. And the price of fuel is only one element going forward in how we do or don't price carbon. But this kind of gimmick, it's just so transparent."
The campaign includes two 15 second "fuelcast" ads that will run at gas stations on TV screens mounted on gas pumps as oil prices continue to ring in at record-high prices.
"I can't imagine Esso or Petro-Canada or any other major gas retailer allowing their commercial gas operations to be hijacked," Mr. McGuinty said. "If they do, they run the risk of the wrath of 65 per cent of Canadians who didn't vote for the Conservative party who don't want to see cheap Conservative advertising when they fill up their cars."
However, a spokesman for the Conservative party, Ryan Sparrow, said a number of gas stations have committed to running the ads purchased by the Tories through an advertising company called fuelcast.com, although he couldn't give a specific number.
"Because the technology is relatively new to Canada, the majority of the technology is in the Greater Toronto Area and the Golden Horseshoe area of Ontario. So basically Guelph, Kitchener and Toronto. So that's where the majority of the advertising on the fuel stations is, simply because that's the area of the country that has the technology to do it."
Mr. Sparrow said the "predominant push" of the campaign will be through radio ads purchased by the Tories.
"The campaign will be predominantly focused in Ontario, however there is airtime in Quebec as well. There are English and French ads."
Mr. Dion is expected to spend part of the summer break from Parliament arguing that a carbon tax is necessary to help Canada meet its international obligations regarding greenhouse gas emissions. Mr. McGuinty said the Liberal leader plans to unveil the party's new "carbon tax shift" in the near future.
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The Tories have put some money into ads on a hot topic. They are attack ads on Liberal leader Stephen Dion. The article reveals that the campaign is focused on Ontario and somewhat in Quebec, which is interesting given the recent issues of the struggling auto sector in Ontario, coupled with the fact that the Tories really need to make a push in both of these provinces if they're ever going to get a majority.
These come at a time when the Liberal caucus is pushing their leader to trigger an election.
Are these ads just a gimmick, or are the Tories gearing up for an election?
I don't think there will be an election anytime soon, even though this is the longest-lasting Tory minority government in Canadian history. (It has thusfar beat the Diefenbaker's 304-day second longest by more than a year and half.) I think this is Tory offensive politicking. They are hammering the Liberals as they've been doing for a while. The Tories are positioning themselves for a majority government in the next election, and the Liberals are doing little to stop them. Dion recently said he will not force an election this summer. If not in the summer, then when? When the election is due a year from October? Seriously, the Liberals are going to get creamed if they keep letting the Tories win these political battles.
The Liberals are in a Catch-22, and it really sucks for them.
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Last edited by Baraka_Guru; 06-08-2008 at 12:09 PM..
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