Liberal Party leader Stephane Dion is going to save the planet by making Canadians pay a carbon tax.  How is that actually going to work?  Who knows?  Certainly not senior aides who just couldn't understand what Stephane Dion was trying to sell:

At the last strategy meeting a couple of months ago, one insider said Mr. Dion spent more than an hour trying to explain his environmental plan, which was so complicated even his top aides had trouble understanding it. Some Liberals feel that if it's too difficult to sell in 30 seconds at the door, voters will tune out.

I have an uncle who for years was a top bureaucrat in transportation ministry in Ontario.  As such, he is essentially apolitical, as his job was to advise elected ministers, regardless of the party. 

He is dismissive of Stephane Dion's carbon tax.  Sneeringly dismissive.  Not because of the goals or of the issues, but because the plan is far too complex.  In his opinion, no one can truly understand what the carbon tax is going to do to them, and there is no way for Stephane Dion or any politician to predict with any confidence what the carbon tax is going to do.

I bet a lot of the "complication" came from answers like "We're not sure" or "That will be worked out later".

I think that might be the trouble Stephane Dion was having with these top aides.  Obviously they support Stephane Dion, and presumably they weren't being deliberately obtuse.

But I bet they had questions.

Here are my Top 21 Carbon Tax Questions:

1. Just how much carbon dioxide is going to be removed as a result of paying this tax?
2. What difference would that make to global climate?  How much will temperatures drop as a result?
3. If this isn't actually going to affect climate, then why do it?  To get China on board?  How does that work, exactly? If China doesn't agree to a carbon tax, are you going to continue to increase the carbon tax on Canadians until the Chinese government can't take it anymore and agrees to apply a carbon tax of their own?
4. If you can't predict how much carbon dioxide is going to be removed, how can you predict the revenues so accurately?
5. If carbon dioxide emissions are going to drop significantly in a short timeframe, then doesn't that mean the revenue drops too?  How do you fund the social spending programs attached to the carbon tax if the revenue of the carbon tax is expected to decrease quickly?  Increase the carbon tax even further?  Undo the income tax cuts?  Restore the GST to 7%?  Or is these no expected change in emissions?
6. A tariff on foreign goods from countries without a carbon tax?  Well, isn't that the United States and China?  So you expect countries like Norway and Sweden to supply most of the stuff Canadians import right now from China?  Or do consumers like me just pay the tariff to you as punishment for China not having a carbon tax?  Why do I have to pay for China's bad behaviour?
7. Where is the money from the tariff going?  It's not listed in the revenues from the carbon tax.  Can that be revenue neutral too?  Can I get that money taken off my taxes?  Where is the form to get a rebate on the tariff to make the carbon tax revenue neutral for me?
8. How much will prices go up?  Not just my fuel costs, but the cost of everything I buy.  If it's imported, you'll put a tariff on it.  If it's made here, you'll apply the carbon tax on it.  Will my 1% income tax cut cover my fuel costs and all the other cost increases that will be passed down to me?  If not, where is the rebate form to fill out to get an additional tax credit to make my portion of the carbon tax revenue neutral for me?
9. Gas is not affected?  Great.  What happens if gas prices go up because of increased transportation costs?  Does the carbon tax tariff apply to any oil that we import?  If the guy running the gas station has to pay more for his stuff, doesn't that mean the cost of gas will go up?  Where is the form for a rebate on the increase on the cost of gas I buy so that the carbon tax doesn't affect my gas budget like you promised?
10. How much of a raise should I expect from my boss?  It seems to me that the carbon tax is going to increase the cost of living, and I want my cost of living increase.  If the government has to pay a cost of living increase to all government employees, then how does that affect me?  I'm expecting this to be revenue neutral.  I don't want to pay more on the GST to cover the increase in government operating costs -- getting all my carbon tax money back like you promised isn't revenue neutral if your carbon tax plan kicks off tax increases in other non-carbon taxes.
11. Will we have to buy carbon credits from other countries to reduce carbon dioxide?  How does writing a cheque to Russia make less carbon dioxide?  Where does the money come from?  Where is the rebate form to fill out so that I can opt out of paying my portion of the carbon credit buy so that I can stay revenue neutral?  Are you planning to raise other taxes to raise money for a carbon credit buy?
12. Ralph Goodale says most of Saskatchewan oil is exempt from the carbon tax.  Can my province be exempt too?
13. Why does Scott Brison say that Nova Scotia is going to get special treatment?  Can my province get special treatment too?
14. I already pay a carbon tax in my province?  When will the forms be available to get a rebate equal to the amount I paid on my provincial tax so that I don't get double-taxed?
15. My province makes me pay a carbon tax on gas.  Am I going to be hit with a carbon tax tariff if I go into the US to fill up on gas?
16. Why should people in Quebec pay less because they have hydro power?  Isn't most of that coming from Newfoundland?  And it's not fair that I live where there is no hydro.  I want a rebate to make up for the cost of not living where there are rivers so that I can stay revenue neutral.
17. Can you promise that after Kyoto is done, Canadians won't have to pay any more penalties for using energy?
18. A few years back I put in some extra insulation in my house.  I think I still have the receipt.  Where do I get the rebate form to get my money back for keeping global warming from getting really bad by doing something early?
19. Will the carbon tax get lifted once we've stopped global warming?  How long is that going to take?  Five years, you figure?
20. How many polar bears will be saved if I pay a carbon tax?  How many polar bears will die if I don't? 
21. Can I get an extra rebate for snitching on my neighbour?  He keeps his porch light on all night, and he drives an SUV. Plus I saw a Conservative Party sign on his lawn during the last election, so he probably doesn't believe in global warming. David Suzuki says we should put people like him in jail.  See, I've been paying attention to the global warming science and stuff.  Can I get a rebate for knowing all about global warming?  Where's the form?

OK, there are more than 21 questions, but they are clustered into 21 themes.  And yes, they get progressively sillier.

Hey, why don't we all keep this list of questions handy.  We can quiz local Liberals who might come to our doors campaigning.  Let's see if they can explain it all in an hour.

[If you want a copy to keep handy, here are the Top 21 Carbon Tax Questions in PDF form.]