There is no way around it with either a Liberal or Conservative government. The funds from a regressive carbon tax will be used for things that have nothing to do with reducing carbon. It is just a flat tax that is “revenue neutral” which means that it replaces a progressive tax. Same goes for Cap and Trade as the profits produced from investing in the carbon-trade market will eventually be used to invest in growth that has little to do with carbon-offsetting technology.

With a proper progressive approach we wouldn’t let the market decide and we wouldn’t use flat taxes, we would use revenue from progressive taxation and democratically directed public investment and regulation along with education around the need for sustainability.

As soon as you let these assholes commodify any natural resource they turn around and give away the money to business. The Tories have a great way of using the bogey man of job losses to enact the most regressive legislation. Here, we have the money disproportionately paid into by working people across the country going to GM.

The innovation fund is a corporate subsidy wrapped in green wash. It is sick and the ultimate in cynical governing.