Charlottetown MP Shawn Murphy says he's surprised by the support he's receiving on the doorsteps of capital city voters for the Liberal party's green shift plan.
But Murphy faced a series of concerns Thursday night during a town hall on the issue.
The green shift is supposed to reduce harmful emissions by putting new taxes on carbon, which in turn will mean new taxes on diesel and home heating fuel.
In return, Liberals say, they will reduce income tax by as much as 10 per cent for the lowest tax bracket to offset the addition costs.
But Tony Bullman of Charlottetown says that last winter many seniors had to choose between drugs, food and heating their homes. He said seniors can't afford the additional tax.
Murphy said low-income Islanders would benefit most through the tax cuts.
"This winter, I don't think you're going to see the green shift even if the Liberals got elected," Murphy responded. "There's no question the lower your income, the more you benefit from green shift."
But Bullman said that's not how it added up when he went to the green shift website and calculated who was going to reap the most benefits from the plan.
"A person making $140,000 a year will get $1,300 a year while somebody making $42,000 a year will only get $300. It would cost him a lot more than that to heat his home."
About 60 people attended the town hall, held in downtown Charlottetown. A series of information pamphlets were available at the back of the room, most bestowing the benefits of green shift.
Ray MacNevin of Charlottetown said he's fearful residents will have to pick up the tab for the country's largest polluters. He said if the big polluters are taxed more, they will simply pass those additional costs on to consumers.
Murphy admitted it will be the consumer who pays the additional tax, "it's not going to be absorbed by Exxon," he said.
"There's no question that they will, that's the trickle down effect," he said. "If the cost of business goes up, they are going to pass it on to the consumer. I'm not going to deny that."
Ifo Ikede and Andrea Stewart, both of Charlottetown, pushed Murphy for answers about what the Liberal party is going to do to stop big polluters, especially big oil in Alberta. Both asked a series of questions over the course of the evening but didn't feel they were getting answers.
"We're skirting this major issue," said Stewart. "The little guy is not going to make the big change."
Murphy said he will not single out big oil but he said he does believe there needs to be more than green shift. He said he personally wants to see a cap-and-trade system put in place and he hopes it is contained in the Liberal platform, which will be released later in the campaign.
"You may not be satisfied with that particular answer but if you want me to say I'm going to shut down the tarsands, the answer is 'no, I'm not going to'," said Murphy.
"If you want me turn into anti-tarsands, I'm not going to do it."
But there was also support. Gina Rattman of Charlottetown commended green shift, and warned Islanders to beware of other parties trying to discredit the program.
"Harper's plan is a farce," she said.
MP says green shift support growing but concerns raised at public forum
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Comments
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- louis
- - June 21st, 2010 at 20:33:59
upper canada will get a few dollars back
but the low wage earners in the maritimes,get pittance. you cannot fill the oil tank in mid winter on promises ..!
I do not support any one particular party,
but sure as God is in Heaven, will not be
voteing for Dion's rip off..! -
- skeptic
- - June 21st, 2010 at 20:12:57
Note to all liberal candidates: Drop the current carbon tax proposal! Canadians are already paying too much for home and auto fuel. People will go hungry and freeze to death in their homes if you add yet another tax on the already high taxes we pay for fuel! Support the development of alternatives and their use and make sure Canadians have had the $ and time to implement changes before implementing carbon taxes. Tax the purchase of gas guzzling vehicles such as Hummers. Make those who can afford such luxuries pay for their indulgences, not the working poor and the poverty stricken!
I plan to vote NDP this time - unless I hear that the Liberals have dropped this stupid proposal! -
- Fed Up
- - June 21st, 2010 at 20:08:57
It's time to cut all the complaining about the green shift and start working towards it as a whole because as much as everyone complains about the environment and how the Conservatives are not looking after it needs to start with the individual making changes in their life. With the gren plan the Liberals are making those hesitant to change more apt to change becasue they will pay more to live the way they are today. We will all be better off in the future as will our children if we make changes to cut our consumption of fossil fuels and use more renewable energy. I am not a true Liberal or Conservative follower but at least the Liberals seem to be willing to be put something in place and make Canada and the world a better place to be in the future. End of story!
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- Where is Ghiz?
- - June 21st, 2010 at 20:06:49
Goes ot show how out of touch Murphy and the Liberals are.............he is only hearing from his hacks..........time for Murphy and the rax hungry Liberals to go!!
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- Quiet
- - June 21st, 2010 at 19:55:48
The green shift is like everything else - it is gonna cost thoise of us who consume the oil (to heat our homes), gasoline (to operate our businesses where travel is necessary) on a daily basis. Reduce taxes? Yeah, right - have we ever seen a government reduce taxes (Except the recent GST cuts)? taxes only go one way, and that is up. And tax credits? They are useless because you try to survive and pay the higher taxes all year on a hope of getting a tax refund in April or May of the following year. A tax refund next year will not help me put oil in my tank in December or gas in my car so I can work today.
We all agree that something needs to be done to clean up the environment, but the Green Shift is not it. We need something that hits the worst offenders first, and uses an incentive, not a punishment. It is well known that incentives work better than punishments, and the Green Shift is pure punishment.
On the other side, the Conservatives have done basically nothing to help the environment.
We lose, or we lose.
I voted both Liberal and Conservative in the past, provincially and federally and hold no membership in or allegiance to either party. If the Tories had brought in the Green Shift, I would have spoken against it there as well.
We need a real third party who has some real, progressive, POSITIVE ideas to help the environment. -
- KENNETH
- - June 21st, 2010 at 19:52:57
THE LIBERAL PLAN HAS NEVER BEEN CLARIFIED, FOR EXAMPLE WHEN CARBON DIOXIDE, co2,IS REFERANCED
BY MR.DION MOST OFTEN,
WE ARE LED TO BELIEVE,THAT IT IS
RISING,WELL IT HAS NOT.
FURTHERMORE THOSE WHO WISH TO
ENLIGHTEN THEMSELVES THEN GO TO
GOOGLE OR WIKIPEDIA UNDER ATMOSPHERE.YOUR WELCOME. -
- Me in Ch'town
- - June 21st, 2010 at 19:46:08
Mr.Murphy although I am in your riding, you have never dawned my door! If you did, you would hear how I am unwilling to make the Green shift for the upper and financially challenged! You see, I am middle class and after studying the Green Shift I see that i stand to gain very little! When I built my home 17 years ago, I built a passive solar home, invested in the best windows money could buy, Installed solar panels to heat my water, a wood stove, back up electric heat , in floor oil based heat etc. etc. Could I afford all this at the time? Hardly!! We were just starting out but we had our eyes toward the future and so with that in mind we went further, and bought a wood lot.Recently we downsized to energy efficient vehicles! I think our family has made the Green shift and I'm not willing to pay a tax because others don't feel the need to be more environmentally conscious! If anything, I would be in favor of a Green rebate. Hey! now isn't that a concept! Reward those willing to make significant changes and those unwilling will have to pay a carbon tax.We could link this program to our Federal income tax form. And before anyone says Well you could afford all those Green changes Actually, no we couldn't! We made a lot of sacrifices in those first number of years. I have not been on an airplane vacation in 15 years! I don't mind though. There will be time for that when we retire. Word to the wise Mr. Murphy. I am not willing to pay the tax.I've already made the Green Shift and don't want to pay for others mistakes or omissions, as the case may be.
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- City resident
- - June 21st, 2010 at 19:44:42
Shawn is likely to win by default but he should shut up about the green shaft... it is losing the election in a major way for the liberals. This green Shaft is such as disaster, for a political platform before an election that even Dion's supporters are shaking their head. The 2 ways for Murphy to go down are 1 - a major harper majority - possible but unlikely and 2 Keep talking about the green shaft! and how good it is for us. Tory times in Ottawa could be very hard times, but people are just not going liberal this time. No leader and a BAD plan!
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- Doug
- - June 21st, 2010 at 19:35:36
Shawn Murphy may get some support in C'town for the Green Shift but he should try going door-to-door in rural PEI to get a dose of reality.
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- PEI
- - June 21st, 2010 at 19:34:38
The Green Shift is a huge mistake for the Liberals
Furnace oil is already well over a dollar and deisel fuel is hovering around $1.40
Why do you think adding an additional 11 cents per litre will magically make everyone switch to a greener life style? I have news for you, the current high prices are already bringing about the shift. Just ask the auto makers who can no longer sell trucks and SUVs and can't keep up with demand for energy efficient small cars. Go into Corrigans on a Saturday morning and see how long you will have to wait to talk to a sales person about installing a wood stove.
Increasing prices further will only hurt those individuals who don't have the money to buy a new car or add solar panels and pellet stoves to their houses.
