Angry in the Great White North

Saskatchewan and Alberta have only one Liberal seat between them -- Ralph Goodale's seat in Saskatchewan.

So Stephane Dion's carbon tax plan is designed so that these western provinces will pay the lion's share of the carbon tax, while most of the so-called "revenue neutral" benefits will flow to Ontario and Quebec:

Dion's new "Green Shift" carbon-tax proposal amounts to a "Green Shaft" for Western energy-producing provinces.

By proposing to place his carbon tax on energy producers rather than energy consumers, Dion is proposing to place up to four times as much of the burden for financing his global-warming scheme on Alberta and Saskatchewan as on Ontario and Quebec.

What's that?  Your provincial economies produces energy instead of merely consuming it in private cars like the voters in the massive population centers of Ontario and Quebec?  Your emissions are going to be directly taxed in a direct attack on your top employers, but motorists in Ontario and Quebec are being let off the hook since Dion's carbon tax won't apply to gas for cars.  Screw you!

And the Far North?  You know, that area that is likely to be hit hard by global warming, should it ever actually happen?

It appears that Liberal Leader Stephane Dion has a lot more work to do if he wants to convince Canadian leaders to back his carbon tax plan.

Northern premiers say they're not buying the Liberal proposal. They emerged from two days of meetings in Yellowknife giving the thumbs down to Dion's plan. Northwest Territories Premier Floyd Roland, Yukon Premier Dennis Fentie and Nunavut Premier Paul Okalik said it would not be fair to their residents.

"We'd rather focus on alternatives to get away from fossil fuels. But to add on a cost to very high fuel costs already is just not an option for homeowners in our territory," Okalik said.

"(In the North), there really are no alternatives for us in Nunavut to turn to, to get away from diesel generation for power and for heat,'' he said.

What's that?  No alternatives? You're not even trying.  What about solar panels?  Pay to fit your homes with solar panels.  They might produce a trickle of energy in the six months of the year when the sun is actually above the horizon.  Hopefully Dion's carbon tax will entice you to do the right thing.  Screw you!

Addendum: Screw by numbers!

Total seats in Alberta, Saskatchewan, the Yukon, the Northwest Territories, and Nunavut combined: 47

Total Liberal seats in Alberta, Saskatchewan, the Yukon, the Northwest Territories, and Nunavut combined: 3

Total seats in Ontario and Quebec combined: 181

Total Liberal seats in Ontario and Quebec combined: 68