I agree with Pierre Poilievre: The next election should be about the carbon tax.

  • Oderus@lemmy.world
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    11 months ago

    I agree as well but likely not for the same reasons as Squinty McProudboy.

    The carbon tax is a Conservative policy. Trudeau didn’t invent it like the NEP his father created and just acted on it.

    If the price of polluting our environment doesn’t change your habits, then what will?

    Drive less, transit more. My commute to work is nearly double when taking public transit but I still do it. Instead of flying to a warm island in the Canadian winter, I stay local.

    Often I hear people bitch about inflation and not the carbon tax but that’s not our PM’s fault, despite Bitcoin Millhouse’s assurances.

    Instead of saying, “everything is broken” like a petulant child, work with the government and find solutions that work for everyone. I have zero doubt that if the CPC really cared about Canadians, the current carbon tax rollout would have been 100x better but they don’t. It’s a game to them because they’re all rich and no tax increase or policy change could really harm them.

    That said, I hope the Liberals and NDP continue to work together to help Canadians with the national dental plan which would NOT have happened under ANY CPC government, regardless of which soulless goon they can prop up.

    • Basilisk
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      11 months ago

      The problem is that “drive less transit more” is only an option if you live where transit is viable. If they were simultaneously investing money (or even reinvesting the carbon tax into) into subsidies for transit systems, cycling improvements, walkable cities, and the like so that these alternatives are accessible to everyone then there would be at least a carrot to go along with that stick. But there’s virtually no amount of tax that will ever make trading a 30 minute car ride for 2 hours on and off with multiple transfers with the bus a reasonable alternative. And there’s no way to get more people into buses or trains that are crammed full to the point of skipping stops even if you could somehow convince people to make that trade.

      • Oderus@lemmy.world
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        11 months ago

        Viability is subjective. You can take public transit but you chose not to because of the extra time it takes, not because it’s not possible.

        Driving less doesn’t mean not driving at all. If you have to drive some portion and transit the rest, that’s still less driving.

        If you chose to live far from work, then you’ve placed yourself in a difficult position so don’t expect the city to conjure up a bus route just for you. Living closer to work or working closer to home are options but you’d likely find a reason to not do either.

        At what point would the city add more buses? Before you decide to take more transit? That’s nonsensical. Demand comes first, not supply.