Dear Editor,
I read with interest Brandon Mayer’s editorial “The honourable know best” and wholeheartedly agree that honest accountability is lacking in our system of government. That certainly makes it difficult to be a properly informed voter.
I can’t agree with your comments about the carbon tax, however. Yes, most Canadians are opposed. Much of that is due to Mr. Poilievre’s constant, inflated and only partially accurate comments. Mr. Trudeau promises a rebate that will help families cope with the tax. It would be interesting to know more about what the tax and rebate might amount to for, say, an average family of four and for heavily carbon-intensive large industries.
In any event, the overriding issue that seems to be seldom mentioned is global warming. The carbon tax is intended to help reduce Canada’s carbon emissions by discouraging the use of fossil fuels, as I understand it. Nothing could be more important.
But the affordability of food and housing for so many Canadians needs to be dealt with more directly by means that do not take away from Canada’s efforts to combat global warming. While the details of how this unaffordability came about may differ depending on who one asks, in the end it does come down to an economic system that works to funnel money upwards to those who already have much more than enough. Steeply taxing the rich would help.
Thanks for your thought-provoking work.
Karen D. Dukes
