KAMLOOPS, B.C. - Jack Layton fanned the flames of British Columbia's carbon-tax frustration Thursday as he urged voters angry about the cost of fuel to vote for an NDP government.
Liberal Leader Stephane Dion wants to triple the carbon tax imposed earlier this year by B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell, Layton told a campaign event in Kamloops, B.C., as he tried to capitalize on simmering anger over the controversial provincial measure.
Both Layton and Prime Minister Stephen Harper have warned West Coast voters that a Liberal government would force them to pay two carbon taxes, one federal and one provincial.
For his part, Dion has insisted the two measures would be harmonized and that his proposed Green Shift would not result in additional taxes at the pump.
Layton spoke from the parking lot of a Petro-Canada gas station, gesturing at the billboard behind him -- $1.36 a litre, it read -- to drive home his point about the staggering burden of high energy prices.
A New Democrat government, he said, would set up a ministry to protect consumers and aggressively crack down on what the NDP leader considers a conspiracy by Big Oil to rip off ordinary, working-class consumers.
"We have to stop gas prices from hurting working families, and saying no to the Campbell-Dion carbon tax is one step -- but we must also stop the big oil giants from gouging you at the gas pump," Layton said.
"To make sure that Canadians are protected from gouging we will establish a minister of consumer protection who will investigate gouging, prosecute gouging and collusion and aggressively fine the offenders."
The NDP would also set up a price monitoring agency to hold cellphone service providers, banks, airlines and other companies accountable for overcharging and hidden fees, he added.
Layton said his program would put a stop to fees at automatic teller machines, limit outrageous interest rates on so-called "payday loans" and cap interest rates on credit cards at a maximum of five percentage points over the prime rate.
"Unlike outgoing Prime Minister Stephen Harper, we'll stop the rip offs and we'll watch your back," he said.
Layton also urged B.C. voters to blame Prime Minister Stephen Harper for their provincial carbon-tax woes, since his Conservative government did nothing to oppose Campbell's decision to introduce it.
"Nobody has a better reason to vote New Democrat that the people of British Columbia," he said. "Campbell slapped on his carbon tax and it hurt families right here in B.C., and Bay Street Harper let it happen."
Layton appeared to be following in Harper's B.C. campaign tracks Thursday with a scheduled event in Victoria, where the prime minister had a morning event.
Harper has already cautioned disaffected voters in the province against turning to the NDP amid the apparent collapse of Liberal support.
Layton views Harper's comments as a good sign.
"He's worried about the New Democrats because we're actually standing with the families who are feeling squeezed and don't feel that he and his Bay Street-oriented policies are working for them."
