Thomas Pedersen

…on May 29, 2008, NDP leader Carole James, leader of the Opposition, voted ‘Nay’ on the third reading of Gordon Campbell’s Carbon Tax Act, alongside 29 of her colleagues. Their votes were for nought, subsumed by the 41 ‘Yeas’ voiced from the government side of the aisle. James was turning her back on wisdom she’d offered on television just over three months earlier. On Vaughn Palmer’s Voice of BC James said, “I think a revenue-neutral carbon tax that really looks at supporting low- and middle-income families, that actually is phased in so people can manage, that provides them with options to make change, then I think it’s worth looking at.” That … carbon tax design was exactly what the Campbell government passed into law, and exactly what she voted against. …Premier Eby should throw “axe the tax” where it deserves to go: Into the dustbin. …Let’s bring it back, and replace snake oil with intelligent policy.