Today’s letters: Now Doug Ford is interested in what we think?

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Ford never asked us our opinion before

Re: Premier Doug Ford confirms that he will call Snap Ontario selection next week, January 24.

The decision to call an early election is characterized by our leader if necessary to get a “clear mandate” to tackle the threat of customs duty from US President Donald Trump. Apparently, the expenses that could be needed to blunt customs effects may not get the full supporting support from the opposition parties-the need to put it to voters.

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Where was this belief in democratic legitimacy in the last half decade? Premier Doug Ford did not feel the need for a mandate – though loosely defined – to repeatedly invoke it regardless of clause; disassemble our cap and trading system; cut the size of Toronto’s City Council during a term of election; Cut up Greenbelt; Or blow hundreds of millions of dollars to cancel green energy contracts and put beer in corner stores ahead of the plan.

Choices are often about more questions (in fact, this choice can be more plausible a referendum on the government’s non -compliance, the idea that he wants a mandate, so much less a clear, is Farcic. Instead of if the Conservatives win another Majority, it is likely to be on similar shaking grounds as their current, obtained through a number of votes from an anemic part of the eligible voters.

Aside, if Trump decides to adopt duties on February 1st, it will be in a caretaker period created by this election call and hardly give our province of stable leadership that is able to respond quickly.

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I hope ontario’s voters in this call for an early election cynicism and disrespect to the public that animates it. While Ontario’s opposition parties do not exactly offer an attractive alternative at the moment, voters may want to give local conservative candidates (if they are actually making themselves available during the campaign this time) to an honorable one about how wasted and unnecessary this process is.

Matthew Ayling, Almonte

Why carbon prices have not worked

Re: Minister waves on carbon tax; Guilbault, Tax’s Staunchest Defender, says it could be replacedJanuary 30.

Federal Environment Minister Steven Guilbault is right: The carbon tax on retail sales for consumers could be replaced. In fact, federal carbon tax should not have been introduced in 2018. At that time, the evidence of British Columbia demonstrated that the simplified economic thinking had failed.

BC was the first province to introduce a carbon tax on gasoline in 2008. Statistics Canada report the annual sale of gasoline by province. Sales of gasoline in BC have tracked a course that hit a top in 2017, 10 percent higher than in 2008. The only event that caused a decrease in sales was the arrival of the covide pandemic. But by 2021, sales went back, almost to the level of 2019.

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Parliament depends a lot on elementary economic thinking. It does not understand that such thinking does not always work.

With retail gasoline there are two factors. The event from Get-Go had to repay to the taxpayer the approximate costs of the tax at the pump and the gas meter. Why should a rational citizen pay close attention to a rated tax refunded? Oh, yes, I suspect the refund could be used to buy something else. And politically, the refunds can make the government look good to some voters.

The second factor is price elasticity. Retailers selling perishable foods and women’s fashion understand this. Birth machines reduce the price of a dilapidated salad to persuade customers to buy it before it becomes unsellable. Same with women’s fashion toward the end of a season. Our government does not understand.

The price elasticity of retail gasoline is -0.02 according to the United States Energy Information Administration. This means that consumers are hardly aware of the price; They may complain when the price rises, but they do not reduce their purchases. The same goes for fossil gas used to heat houses and water. These are important purchases in the buyers.

A carbon tax on retail sales does not work. There are many effective actions that the government has taken. An example is financial support to promote the purchase of electric vehicles. So let’s empty the trash and move on with measures that work.

John G. Hollins, Gloucester

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