For a Monday

On this, the first day of April ...




Today marks the day when the government, in all its imagined wisdom, forces a tax on something that isn't a pollutant and will not conserve the environment in any way just so it can refill its coffers:

People in Manitoba, Ontario, Saskatchewan and New Brunswick will be paying more for gasoline and heating fuel Monday when the federal government's carbon tax begins in provinces that refused to impose their own emissions pricing.

The federal tax is $20 a tonne for this year and is set to increase by $10 annually until it reaches $50 a tonne in April 2022.

The starting rate adds 4.4 cents to the price of a litre of gas, about four cents to a cubic metre of natural gas, and also drives up the cost of propane, butane and aviation fuel.

There is uncertainty about how widespread the impact will be, how businesses will receive rebates, and whether the tax will survive court challenges underway in two of the rebel provinces.

Todd Lewis, president of the Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan, said while farm fuel is exempt from the carbon tax, the levy does apply to that used in commercial trucks and trains moving grain off farms and bringing in seed and equipment.

"As we move our commodities, we're going to have increased costs. Simple as that," Lewis said in an interview.

"There's no way for us to pass these costs along. If you're a grocery store or a dry cleaner, if you're costs go up, you can pass them along to the consumers, but we participate in a world market."

The business community also has unanswered questions. The federal government has yet to reveal details about a program to rebate some of the increased costs faced by small- and medium-sized businesses.

Residents of the four provinces will be getting rebates as well on their income tax returns. The rebates start at $128 annually, vary between provinces and increase for people with spouses or dependents at home.

(Sidebar: consider that average household in Toronto consuming 1,000 kWh per month will pay roughly $186 before tax or that the average gasoline price per liter in Ontario is 117.9 or that the average weekly grocery bill for a family of four is $220, $128 in rebates per year really is highway robbery.)

The federal government says the carbon tax is a sensible way to protect the environment — put a price on activities that pollute to discourage emissions, and give back most or all of the money through income taxes.

Who is going to give up heating or cooling their homes, cooking food or using their computers?

Everything will get more expensive, not just gas for cars and heating fuel. Look for higher prices for food and services.

By the end of the month, Canadians will find themselves paying more than twice for what they normally acquire.

Canadians will have it no other way.


Also:

Canada’s most populous province and the federal government engaged in a pitched battle for public opinion over the carbon tax as it launched Monday, just six months ahead of the federal election.

Ontario is one of four provinces, including Manitoba, Saskatchewan and New Brunswick, in which Ottawa imposed the levy because they opted not to impose their own pricing schemes on carbon emissions.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau framed the move as a win for the environment, tweeting that “it’s no longer free to pollute anywhere in Canada.” But Ontario Premier Doug Ford took the opportunity Monday, as drivers started paying about 4.4 cents a litre more for gas, to hammer his populist, anti-carbon tax message.

“By the time the federal government is done, the average household will have to pay $648 a year more in carbon tax expenses,” Ford said at a news conference celebrating the end of a vehicle emissions testing program.

“That may not seem a lot of money for lobbyists or activists and economists who designed the carbon tax for the federal Liberals, but it sure is a lot of money to the seniors, the truckers, the waitresses, the hardworking people I meet everywhere I go across this province.”

 
The scandal that just won't die:

“In interviews with The Hill Times, several Liberal MPs, Hill staffers, and political insiders said the relationship between the two former cabinet ministers, and the leadership along with a majority of the caucus has reached the “tipping point” where it’s “untenable” that both could still stay in the caucus. They predicted that either Ms. Wilson-Raybould (Vancouver Granville, B.C.), and Ms. Philpott (Markham-Stouffville, Ont.) would be expelled from the caucus, or they will resign from caucus, like Ontario Liberal MP Celina Caesar-Chavannes (Whitby, Ont.) did two weeks ago.”

**

Before entering the House earlier that day, Poilievre — a veteran for his years, having served in the House since his election in 2004 at the age of 24 — had promised reporters he would speak for “hours and hours on end,” filling the Commons with his dulcet tones “until the Prime Minister agrees to end the cover-up and begin the investigation so Canadians can get the full truth.”

**

Labour Minister Patty Hajdu told the CBC she believed it was “unethical” for Wilson-Raybould to secretly record her Dec. 19 conversation with Privy Council Clerk Michael Wernick. A 17-minute audio clip of the call was released on Friday by the House of Commons justice committee, along with a 43-page brief from Wilson-Raybould that includes emails and text messages.

Who withheld money from special-needs kids, b!#ch?


Also - Gerald Butts had some secret papers, too. He just forgot to present them when he gave his little speech:

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s former principal secretary Gerald Butts says he has provided notes and text messages to the House of Commons justice committee in response to evidence filed last week by former attorney general Jody Wilson-Raybould on the ongoing SNC-Lavalin controversy.

And these weren't presented before because ...?




Justin has some freaky friends:

Coleman said the decision to leave Boyle came on the night of Dec. 30, 2017, after Boyle had returned from dropping off Coleman's mother at a hotel in the ByWard Market.

Boyle summoned her to his study when she was putting their children to bed and ranted at her, she said, but not about any specific wrongdoing.

She said Boyle told her she had to stay in their bedroom and couldn't leave without his permission — though he wouldn't put locks on the door— and that he'd limit her access to their children.

She said that reminded her of her experience in captivity in Afghanistan when Boyle would order her to stay in a bathroom area, which she described as "the darkest period of my whole life."

Why would police be needed if one criticises one's leader?:

The National Police Agency said it is gathering facts on a number of 112 calls made since Saturday with regard to the anti-government posters found hanging on bulletin boards at least 30 colleges in Seoul, Busan, Gangwon, as well as the southern Gyeongsang and Jeolla regions. 

"We will see if the content of the posters carry expressions that can be deemed defamation or contempt," a NPA official said. 

The 55-by-80 centimeter, two-page poster, entitled "A Letter to South Korean Students," blasts President Moon Jae-in's key policies, such as income-led growth, his push to phase out nuclear power and the policy of engagement with North Korea. 

The poster is printed in the unique typeface North Korea often uses in its propaganda and appears intended as ridicule of the government.

 
I thought the south wasn't communist.

Or is it?


(Kamsahamnida)