Jack Pack #9 - Gas Prices (en francais)

Today, NDP MPs Joe Comartin and Brian Masse claim that they want to see action on rising gas prices.

Comartin suggested any notion of further NDP bargaining with the Liberals may have been overtaken by larger concerns including gas prices. (Ottawa Citizen, September 13, 2005);

while Masse said that "I know this will likely be a priority for a lot of people," (Globe and Mail, September 13, 2005).

However, despite the rhetoric, the NDP's own policies don't back them up. In fact, NDP policies call for gas prices to be even higher. How can Comartin and Masse claim to be for both lower and higher gas prices at the same time?

Points to Consider
Jack Layton, the NDP and Gas Prices

a. Federal NDP leader Jack Layton wants the federal government to force oil companies to rationalize price rises (Vancouver Sun, May 8, 2004).

b. "Green Taxation Reforms: The NDP has emphasised the need to change existing tax laws and tax credits that artificially lower the true costs of fossil fuels and nuclear energy." (NDP Action Plan, previously posted on NDP website)

c. "Stop tilting the marketplace towards unsustainable fuel and, over four years, shift government subsidies away from unsustainable fuels towards renewable ones. The first step is to reverse the tax reductions for fossil fuel industries" (NDP Kyoto Plan, http://douglas.ndp.ca/kyoto/en/taxpa.php)

So what's it to be Jack - HIGHER or LOWER?