Jeffrey SimpsonThe Globe and Mail
Jeffrey Simpson, The Globe and Mail's national affairs columnist, took reader questions Wednesday about national politics and his latest column, on emissions and new Environment Minister Peter Kent. An excerpt:
Question: What would Mr. Simpson do if the Prime Minister gave him the chance to be Minister of Enviroment?
Jeffrey Simpson: I'd try to talk him out of it, since I wouldn't be able to do anything serious about climate change. But, if I had to do the job, I'd try to work out how to use economic models to reduce emissions; either a tax or a cap-and-trade system. What I would only do if forced to, is impose broad-based, marekt-insensitive regulations to limit emissions, which appears to be the path Ottawa will follow, if they move at all. The industry obviously hopes nothing will be done, but if something were to be done, regulation is very likely industry's least preferred option. And, I would ask for permissions to speak about the challenge and the issue, a request that would be forcefully denied.
Question: What do you make of the latest suggestions that Ottawa might contribute to the building of a new sports arena for Quebec City? Considering the largely negative public reaction in the rest of Canada, can this possibly be a winning move for the Conservatives?
Jeffrey Simpson: There is no case for Ottawa subsidizing professional sports arenas, and with the exception of a very small contribution to the Corel Centre in Ottawa (as it then was), Ottawa has not done so, under Liberal and Conservative governments. Moreover, the argument being advanced in certain Quebec circles that this is a downpayment on securing the Winter Olympics for Quebec city in 2022 is absurd. There is not a snowball's chance in hell that the IOC would give the games to Canada so soon after the Vancouver Winter Games. ... But my gut tells me that the Harperites will find a way because they want those seats in Quebec, and they know that the ridings in Alberta and Saskatchewan are so loyal that they will stay Conservatives. In other words, this issue is all politics all the time.
Read the rest of the conversation below: