Angry in the Great White North

Bob Friesen, as head of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture, was against Liberal Party leader Stephane Dion's carbon tax just four weeks ago.  Friesen wanted farmers exempt from the carbon tax:

"What farmers are facing as a result of the Green Shift is a considerable increase in input costs, whether it's a result of fuel that farmers use or even as a result of how much their input costs may go up as a result of this carbon tax," says Bob Friesen, CFA president. "What we're basically saying is look, agriculture already provides a lot of carbon sequestration, farmers have done all kinds of things to create more carbon sinks... We're saying, look, there's got to be some calculations here that agriculture provides this -- they're the solution providers, so why tax them?"

Easter says a carbon tax exemption isn't likely to happen.

"I was on a series of meetings in the farm community last week and had farmers say to me if there's an exemption made for us we would be looked down on by the rest of society," Easter says. "Let's find the way of recognizing the cost impact on the farm community of this program and ensure that on the benefit impact at the end of the day there's economic opportunities for farmers and they receive their just due."

Are farmers getting an exemption?  Of course not.  Instead, Stephane Dion will direct more money paid into the carbon tax towards farmers as a subsidy to buy green equipment.  So farmers don't get the exemption.  The only break they get is the opportunity to spend money more of their own money on equipment while at the same time paying a carbon tax.  But if they're paying a carbon tax, then they have less money to pay for equipment.  A subsidy might help.  It might even make up the difference.  But it is not likely that farmers will come out ahead, and very likely that most farmers will continue to suffer, with new equipment out of reach, subsidy notwithstanding.  Canadian truckers have already come to this conclusion.

What conclusion has Bob Friesen come to?  Interestingly, he figures paying a tax on diesel is something he is no longer interested in doing, so he has sold his farm, left farm country to move to the suburbs, and is running for the Liberals.

It makes sense.  Why be a rube who pays Stephane Dion's carbon tax if you can be a fat cat who spends it instead?

Canadian Federation of Agriculture President Bob Friesen is the Liberal candidate for Charleswood-St. James, the Grits third attempt to wrest the riding from Tory control.

The announcement came this afternoon as Liberal Leader Stephane Dion rallied his caucus in Winnipeg with two huge tweaks to his Green Shift plan to help farmers and truckers cope with extra taxes on fuel.

Truckers, who protested last night before Dion’s town hall meeting, will have access to a $250 million fund to help them convert to green technology. Same with farmers, who will have their own $250 million fund to help them invest in technology like geothermal heating systems an anaerobic manure digesters.

Friesen, who has sold his farm near Wawanesa and is planning to buy a home in Winnipeg’s western suburb, said farmers will embrace the changes to the Green Shift plan.

Friesen will take on Steven Fletcher, who has bested former Winnipeg Mayor Glen Murray and former MLA John Loewen in the riding.

Embrace the changes?  Maybe.  The CFA website remains silent on this major change to the carbon tax.

On the other hand, Bob Friesen has embraced the tax that he won't have to pay on diesel fuel he won't be buying to fill his tractor he no longer owns.  Instead, he gets a riding handed to him.

Did Bob Friesen get anything else to suddenly stop being an overtaxed farmer and discover that he is really an undertaxed suburbanite?  I'm sure he didn't.

Curious Question: I just took a moment to check, and it seems that Wawanesa, Manitoba is in the riding of Brandon-Souris, represented by Conservative MP Mervin Tweed.  It would also appear that the Liberals still don't have a candidate in this riding.  If Bob Friesen thinks farmers would embrace Stephane Dion's carbon tax, why doesn't he try to do it himself in the riding of Brandon-Souris?  Why high-tail it out of farm country and head to the urbanized outskirts of Winnipeg?