Liberal candidate resigned over Carbon Tax?

When PEI Liberal candidate Robert Morrissey announced the sudden withdrawal of his candidacy yesterday, some reporters repeated our suggestion that Dion's Carbon Tax, with its proposed and significant tax increase on home heating oil, may have had something to do with it. Of course, Liberals asked for proof of that allegation... but mysteriously, his website was immediately taken down upon his announcement. That was pretty quick, don't you think?

Of course, there's always the good old Google Cache... it's a wonderful little thing.

People Need Assistance Now (The Guardian: February 7th, 2008)
Editor:

The fact that many Islanders are having difficulty paying the increased cost of home-heating fuel this winter has been rightfully highlighted in the news.

But the cost of fuel oil is just one of the basic living expenses that some people are having trouble paying. The fact that the price of oil has risen so dramatically is a cause for concern. But the real issue is our existing policies are inadequate. The financial support programs for seniors and low-income families are no longer meeting their needs.

In the face of the multibillion-dollar surpluses that the federal government has been producing over the past few years, it makes no sense that there are Canadians struggling to meet their basic needs.

While this is one of the things a new government will have as its priorities, the need is now. People can’t wait until after an election; there are far too many families who need more assistance from the federal government. There should be an immediate increase in the guaranteed income supplement for seniors and in the income support payments for low income families.

Robert Morrissey,
Liberal candidate for Egmont

For the record, I think his first two paragraphs are spot on. With the cost of oil through the roof, he's quite right in saying, "many Islanders are having difficulty paying the increased cost of home-heating fuel this winter". Of course, he was talking about last winter, when oil was still around the $100 a barrel mark, not the $120+ mark we've been at for the last few months. He then went on and said, "But the cost of fuel oil is just one of the basic living expenses that some people are having trouble paying". Also right on the money.

But of course, it's those very same statements that are in conflict with Dion's new Carbon Tax. If people were having trouble paying for it then, with the added cost they're going to have now with higher oil prices, an additional Carbon Tax on top of that, plus the additional cost increases for production and transportation of home heating oil, he knew that Dion's Carbon Tax just wasn't going to sell, even in a Liberal bastion like Edmont.

Of course, the Liberals will chime in right about now and say, "But there are other tax reductions and incentives that will make up the difference!" I'm sorry, but I can't afford to have to pay for this new Carbon Tax up front... and then waiting until tax time to see if I qualify for these rebates and reductions. That scheme just doesn't cut it for me, nor for most pay-cheque to pay-cheque Canadians.

Oil is a major means of heating homes in the Atlantic provinces. With Mr. Dion proposing a massive direct tax increase and indirect additional costs, maybe, just maybe, Liberal candidate Robert Morrissey realized that the "Green Shift" wasn't going to get a green light amongst Maritimers.