Well, you really know the incumbent is worried
when the
Prime Minister makes two trips to Saanich Gulf Islands
in a month. In February it was a
re-announcement of $155 million for a helicopter repair facility.
No statute of
limitations on re-announcements!
Today’s visit was quite cloak and dagger. No one from the public could possibly figure
out where Stephen Harper would be for his announcement. The media
were told
where to muster for the bus, like a Magical Mystery Tour. They were bussed to a home in my community
where a family obliged them by serving as backdrop for an
announcement on
income splitting. Partial and
eventual. In four years, maybe.
I was surprised that the national media missed
the GPC
position, since Greens favour an immediate tax shift to allow
income splitting,
all-inclusive and immediate. And I guess
I thought the media might notice that the Prime Minister was
devoting a lot of
political capital to trying to keep me out of the House of
Commons.
Since we are trying to create a space where
people can
agree, it is not a bad thing that our tax policy is being
partially imitated by
the Conservatives. On the other hand,
since there is no way to examine how the economy can handle a $2.5
billion cost
to the treasury while the Conservatives continue to cut corporate
tax rates and
ignore the structural deficit, this measure ends up looking more
imaginary than
real. Our full-on income splitting costs
$5 billion but the revenue is replenished from pollution charges. Our approach is revenue neutral.
We make promises we can afford.
We make choices based on rational choices and
setting priorities.
We would like to have a conversation about this
and other
issues. The way this campaign is going, it seems unlikely.