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Lowering gas good election strategy
Tuesday August 26 2008
The Issue: High gas prices Our View: The issue should become a bargaining chip in the fall election
 
Will there or won't there be a fall election? With several federal byelections in the offing over the next month, speculation is heating up that either the Liberals, under Stephane Dion, will finally 'pull the plug' on the Conservative minority government or a fed-up Prime Minister Stephen Harper will do it himself.
The price of gas is certain to be an election issue the federal government could use to 'look good' in the eyes of Canadians.
Canadians are hurting every time they pull up to the gas pumps. Whether it's oil-rich Albertans who are stunned to find their pumps are reading '0.00' because of refinery issues, Ontarians who listen for MP Dan McTeague's daily or weekly gas price prognostications before filling up their tanks, or east coast residents who are paying through the nose, individual Canadians are hit hard by the continually-rising prices.
If Harper and his Conservatives are seeking to advance a new agenda when Parliament returns in September, and want to introduce legislation favoured by taxpayers, he could start by lowering taxes on fuel.
And if the Conservatives are loathe to drop taxes for gas, they could consider taking stronger action against the big oil companies which seem to conspire to keep prices up.
Action was taken against a few oil companies in Quebec which 'seemed' to be colluding to fix prices. Surely if one Ontario Liberal MP can predict oil prices across the country and explain what factors go into those prices going higher (and occasionally lower), our powerful federal government can take more decisive action into reducing pump prices for ordinary Canadians.
Otherwise, Ontario voters may start believing the charge levelled by Opposition MP McTeague that "with gasoline now reaching $1.40 a litre nationally, the Harper government is raking in a windfall tax profit of some $1.5 billion from today's soaring gasoline prices. Shame on Mr. Harper for forgetting his promises in 2004 and taking advantage of Canadians today."