Tweet
CanPol - You won't hear Tories on the news
But you may hear them at your gas station. 
Lovely. A government that has a pathological fear of talking to the media is now going to assault my sensibilities when I fuel up. I can see some stations doing without my business this summer. First time I hear a Tory ad at a gas station I'll be looking for a new station.
New Tory attack ads are "blatant lies" and a desperate ploy to detract from a series of scandals engulfing the Harper government, Liberals charge.
The Conservative Party unleashed a series of aggressive multi-media spots yesterday, including "fuelcasts" that pipe out their political message at gas stations. The target is Liberal Leader Stephane Dion, who will "trick" Canadians into a cash-grabbing carbon tax, according to the ads.
Liberal MP and environment critic David McGuinty called it a "cheap hack stunt" designed to instill fear and mislead Canadians.
"When we do reveal our plan, it will be coherent and it will meet with success not only on the environmental side but on the economist side," he said. "That's why they have to go out and attack, because they're desperately worried about the growth potential and capacity of this idea."
Radio ads will broadcast in target markets across Canada, while the fuelcasts will play at select stations in the Toronto area and southwestern Ontario. Party officials would not provide locations of the service stations where TV screens are mounted on pumps to display the ads.
Officials said the ads, which cost "hundreds of thousands of dollars," are designed to warn Canadians that Dion's plan could cost them dearly on gas and electricity bills. But McGuinty said Canadians won't be fooled and predicted a public backlash.
"These ads are blatant lies, but I would expect nothing less from this team," he said. "When they've got brushfires burning all around them from Cadman to Bernier to in-and-out to NAFTA-gate, what are you going to do? Light another fire."
"Carbon taxes are really legitimate, effective policy options that governments in progressive countries around the world have used to deal with climate change," Clare Demerse, a government policy analyst with the Pembina Institute, said. "To see our government dismiss them in such a flippant way is very disappointing."
Demerse said the Conservatives' "dismissive" approach to the carbon tax issue comes as their own climate change plan has been widely criticized as inadequate. It is also out of step with the public, as polls have shown the idea of carbon taxes is gaining support among Canadians.
Speaking to the NDP federal council in Ottawa yesterday, NDP leader Jack Layton outlined his party's cap-and-trade carbon pricing plan. It would put a price on carbon by setting a cap on the amount a big polluter can emit, then establishes a carbon credit auction and puts in place a market where credits can be traded.
The Conservative Party unleashed a series of aggressive multi-media spots yesterday, including "fuelcasts" that pipe out their political message at gas stations. The target is Liberal Leader Stephane Dion, who will "trick" Canadians into a cash-grabbing carbon tax, according to the ads.
Liberal MP and environment critic David McGuinty called it a "cheap hack stunt" designed to instill fear and mislead Canadians.
"When we do reveal our plan, it will be coherent and it will meet with success not only on the environmental side but on the economist side," he said. "That's why they have to go out and attack, because they're desperately worried about the growth potential and capacity of this idea."
Radio ads will broadcast in target markets across Canada, while the fuelcasts will play at select stations in the Toronto area and southwestern Ontario. Party officials would not provide locations of the service stations where TV screens are mounted on pumps to display the ads.
Officials said the ads, which cost "hundreds of thousands of dollars," are designed to warn Canadians that Dion's plan could cost them dearly on gas and electricity bills. But McGuinty said Canadians won't be fooled and predicted a public backlash.
"These ads are blatant lies, but I would expect nothing less from this team," he said. "When they've got brushfires burning all around them from Cadman to Bernier to in-and-out to NAFTA-gate, what are you going to do? Light another fire."
"Carbon taxes are really legitimate, effective policy options that governments in progressive countries around the world have used to deal with climate change," Clare Demerse, a government policy analyst with the Pembina Institute, said. "To see our government dismiss them in such a flippant way is very disappointing."
Demerse said the Conservatives' "dismissive" approach to the carbon tax issue comes as their own climate change plan has been widely criticized as inadequate. It is also out of step with the public, as polls have shown the idea of carbon taxes is gaining support among Canadians.
Speaking to the NDP federal council in Ottawa yesterday, NDP leader Jack Layton outlined his party's cap-and-trade carbon pricing plan. It would put a price on carbon by setting a cap on the amount a big polluter can emit, then establishes a carbon credit auction and puts in place a market where credits can be traded.
Lovely. A government that has a pathological fear of talking to the media is now going to assault my sensibilities when I fuel up. I can see some stations doing without my business this summer. First time I hear a Tory ad at a gas station I'll be looking for a new station.
Comment