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A significant point of disagreement between candidates running for leadership of the Conservative Party of Canada relates to so-called carbon taxes and pricing. Each of my colleagues is struggling to stand out from the rest of the pack on the best way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in response to the hypothetical threat of man-made climate change. What they won’t admit — or rather, what they will only acknowledge behind closed doors — is their deep skepticism of the science underpinning the climate debate.

In contrast to this weak approach, I believe that Conservatives want, and Canadians deserve, leaders who are not afraid to publicly challenge the self-serving ideas of the statist left. Which is why I have been clear, not just about carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) pricing — for that is what we are really talking about, it is not carbon — but on the whole premise of the debate.

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Climate change is real and cyclical, and current conditions are not unusual. Since the retreat of the glaciers 12,000 years ago, there have been several periods that were warmer than today. The most recent is the Medieval Warm Period that ended about 1350. It was a time when Europe’s great cathedrals were built and grapes were grown across England. Before that was the Roman Warm Period during the time when Christ was born. Going back still further was the Minoan Warm Period that peaked about 3,300 years ago. And, of course, the warmest time since the end of the last glacial age was, many scientists believe, the Holocene Climate Optimum between about 9,000 and 7,000 years ago. Clearly, none of these warm periods were caused by Joseph and Mary’s SUV or the Roman Empire’s coal-fired power plants.