Before our Government adjourned for the Easter break, you may have noticed Environment Minister Jim Prentice introducing new vehicle emission standards that will be applied to new cars in both the United States and Canada. Why is it important to set vehicle standards in concert with our largest trading partner? If we did not set these regulations for Canadian made cars, those automobiles would have been put at a disadvantage for sale in the United States. Our car markets are so integrated, that if we did not do the same thing at the same time, we would be severely damaging our domestic automobile manufacturing.
It doesn't matter if you believe in Global Warming or not, we had to cooperate with the United States on this trade matter. You may remember a few weeks ago there was a dust up between Prentice and Charest when the Premier of Quebec decided to "go it alone" setting very strict emission standards which only a tiny fraction of the car market satisfy. That means that thousand dollar fines will be applied to the majority of cars sold in Quebec, which I am assuming will be lining the coffers of Charest's treasury. Are car manufacturers going to make special cars just for Quebec? If they do, I guarantee that they will be absurdly expensive. If you believe in Global Warming, you should be happy that we are setting new standards, if you don't believe, you should be happy that we are continuing the integration of North American auto production.
That's what is best for everyone involved. Hopefully these standards will reduce smog, which does far more damage to our health and environment than carbon dioxide.
WOULD YOU BE OKAY PAYING A $5000 FINE TO THE GOVERNMENT FOR BUYING A NEW CAR IN THE NAME OF SAVING THE PLANET?
It is bad policy (98%)
It is noble (2%)
DO YOU BELIEVE DRIVING YOUR CAR WILL EVENTUALLY CAUSE AN ICE AGE?
No (92%)
Yes (6%)
Maybe (2%)
I am holding out for my hover car from the Canada150 boys nite out!
ReplyDeleteIf I can't get that I want my Buck Rogers Jet Pack!
Last resort my SEGWAY become legal on every highway!
You can marry mileage and emissions targets and explain that it is necessary because our auto sector is so integrated and be done with it,
ReplyDeleteor you could have a press conference and say that these emissions targets are to fight climate change, and that you are setting up a Carbon Trading market to facilitate compliance.
Two very different things. The government of Canada just let the Kyoto/Copenhagen genie out of the bottle and it will never be put back in.
This is a validation of the fraud that is AGW,(a fraud that gets further discredited every single day) and it is going to cost us billions.
This is not leadership - at least not Conservative leadership. It is the implementation of a Lib/left/socialist wealth transfer scheme, and Harper rightly identified it in 2002.
Ward, I disagree with you. The United States was going to do this with or without us. The alternative would have been to ignore them, not apply them to the Canadian market, further inhibiting the sale of Canadian cars in the world's most powerful consumer market.
ReplyDeleteIt isn't a choice, it's a lack of options.
I don't know of any Canadian cars. All of our cars are American. So if our American Car companies are forced to change their standards then I don't really see how any standards we set make any difference. Unless of course you happen to be stupid enough make emissions standards even tougher. Then you are hooped.
ReplyDeleteRead it again Iceman and Spin. Its how you deliver the message.
ReplyDeleteA) we adopt the same standards due to integration
B) we adopt the same standards due to climate change
One of those messages is based on a lie, so why did Prentice choose B, when A would have done just fine to explain the realities.
Explain to me why he had to validate climate change - I understand the integration of the auto industry.