Article content continued

All of it presented as evidence that when it comes to tackling climate change, the government is doing something righteous, effective and popular.

Or, at the risk of sounding cynical, all of this is evidence the government is desperately trying to convince the public that its new climate leadership act is righteous, effective and popular.

I mean you wouldn’t need to bring 20 cheerleaders to support an inherently popular policy unless you realize it is not inherently popular. You wouldn’t need to provide the news media with five pages of supportive quotes unless you’re afraid they’ll have trouble finding them on their own — or will have an easier time finding five pages of opposition quotes.

Herein lies the problem with the government’s sales pitch for its new Climate Leadership Implementation Act.

It is an act much easier to attack than defend.

Don’t get me wrong.

It is high time Alberta began to take climate change seriously — and the NDP government is promising to do more heavy lifting than anything done by a succession of shiftless Progressive Conservative governments.

However, when the government talks about the climate leadership act as a way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the opposition talks about the act as a way to introduce a new carbon tax that will collect $9 billion over five years by, among other things, increasing the cost of driving your car and heating your home.

When the government says that 66 per cent of lower-income Albertans will receive full or partial rebates to offset the tax, the opposition says the new act is obviously a wealth redistribution plan by a socialist government.