The BC NDP were rightfully chastised for irrationally opposing the carbon tax introduced by the BC Liberals, and instead proposing a climate change policy that would be both ineffective at reducing GHG and harmful to the economy. This cost the BC NDP most of the support it traditionally enjoyed form environmentalists, and possibly lost them the election.
Thankfully Carol James and the NDP have realized their error and are now taking steps to redeem themselves:
New Democratic Party leader Carole James said Thursday she will abandon her call to scrap B.C.’s carbon tax, and instead shift her focus to ways the tax can be improved.
“The tax is there to stay. The election campaign is over with,” James said Thursday, as she announced the members of her opposition shadow cabinet.
“Gordon Campbell’s tax is in place. We now need to make sure it’s fair and that it’s effective,” she added.
Richard Littlemore over at DeSmogBlog sums it up nicely:
However ill-advised her earlier position, she has redeemed herself in one, sure gesture. It would be inspiring, now, if Premier Gordon Campbell welcomed her change of heart with equal grace and set upon the path of assuring British Columbia’s position as the greenest jurisdiction in North America where climate change is concerned.
The idea that ‘Premier Gordon Campbell welcome her change of heart with equal grace’ is particularly appealing to me. This issue is far to important for petty politics, and whenever any politician (no matter how much you disagree with their other views) does the right thing they should be applauded.
Bravo Carol James, and the BC NDP!
I wouldn’t call it redemption but reality.
She made a crass political calculation when she attacked the Carbon Tax. It didn’t work. It backfired. I’m not sure how the political calculation to change her position is worthy of redemption. Motives count.
At the end of the day the ‘why’ isn’t that important, while the ‘what’ is. She may not be coming to this position for the wrong reason but at least she has stopped her idiotic ‘axe-the-tax’ campaign and dropped her abysmal climate change policy.
These are all good praise worthy things even if we would have preferred her to arrive at this position for better reasons.