Tories looking for ways to cut gas price

[ErickMontreal]

Tories looking for ways to cut gas price

 

DANIEL LEBLANC

Globe and Mail Update

July 30, 2008 at 2:01 PM EDT

 

LÉVIS, Que. — The Conservative Party will look over the next two days for ways to bring down the price of gas even though there is no room for major tax cuts, Finance Minister Jim Flaherty said.

 

Speaking to reporters Wednesday morning, Mr. Flaherty said his constituents have clearly told him about the impact of high gas prices on their household budgets in recent weeks. However, Mr. Flaherty cautioned that “this is a time of economic slowdown” and that his government has no plans to drastically change its course in coming months.

 

“This is not a year for big new spending projects or big new tax reductions,” he said.

 

Still, Mr. Flaherty said that the Conservative caucus will be exploring solutions to high gas prices at its current two-day meeting, including looking at a variety of tax measures that will be proposed by MPs.

 

However, Mr. Flaherty shot down the notion that he could use $4-billion in revenue from a recent auction of wireless spectrum to send cheques directly to taxpayers to offset their heating bills.

 

Mr. Flaherty said it is likely that a portion of the auction funds will be used to pay down the debt.

 

“Our preference is to have structural change,” he said. “You can't spend your way out of a situation like this.”

 

On law and order, Justice Minister Rob Nicholson and Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day showed that the Conservatives will continue to press for tough measures against criminals as a way to differentiate themselves from its political opponents.

 

“We are alone on this,” Mr. Nicholson said, promising to toughen the Youth Criminal Justice Act.

 

Mr. Day said his government is also looking to improve security in prisons, including getting rid of rules that prevent the government from forcing inmates to work or that hinder proper searches for drugs in prisons.

 

On federal-provincial relations, Transport Minister Lawrence Cannon said his government will continue to foster the autonomy of the provincial governments in their areas of jurisdiction. Mr. Cannon, who is the Quebec lieutenant in the Harper government, said his party's position is clearly different from the Bloc Québécois's focus on sovereignty and the Liberal Party's centralizing view.

 

“Our autonomy position as a political party is to respect the Constitution as it was written,” he said.

 

Conservative MP Maxime Bernier also addressed reporters, saying he has nothing more to say about the controversy over his relationship with Julie Couillard, a woman who had relationships with a number of people tied to criminal biker gangs.

[Habsfan]

“Our autonomy position as a political party is to respect the Constitution as it was written,” he said.

 

J'ai une question un peu naive portant sur la constitution.

 

Vu que le Québec n'a jamais signé la constitution en 1982, ça change quoi exactement pour nous?? ON aurais tendance à penser que si on n'a pas signé la constitution, elle ne s'appliquerait pas au Québecoises et aux Québecois?? non?

[Malek]

Je crois que la question à étée posée en cours suprême et la réponse est que oui ça s'applique au Québec, même si ça n'as pas été signé.

[monctezuma]

Je crois que la question à étée posée en cours suprême et la réponse est que oui ça s'applique au Québec, même si ça n'as pas été signé.

 

D'autant plus que depuis la constitution, le Québec agit selon celle-ci même sans l'avoir signée. Nos tribunaux provinciaux tranchent des litiges avec des règles constitutionelles.

 

On l'a signé, mais tacitement, pas physiquement. Ratification implicite.

 

C'est la même chose pour le Labrador.

 

Pour enlever une partie d'une province, il faut son accord. Le Québec n'a jamais dit oui, mais depuis le temps, on a signé pleins de contrat avec le Labrador = on reconnait son identité distincte.

[Habsfan]

Merci les boys!