A direct challenge

Since John Baird clearly hadn't created enough confusion about what the Cons have or haven't decided to do with Bill C-30, CanWest reports that Baird is trying to claim no final decision has been made while rejecting one of the amendments out of hand. But while Baird engages in the Cons' usual combination of delay and misdirection, Thomas Mulcair is taking the issue of climate change directly to the Cons:

Former Quebec environment minister Thomas Mulcair, who announced last week he would run for the New Democrats, said he was astonished Baird still hasn’t proposed any alternatives to make real reductions in pollution.

“I’m so tired of hearing the Tories complain that it’s the Liberals’ fault and that they can’t be held to account for that,” said Mulcair. “Well to a certain extent, they can be held to account for a part of it because they fought tooth and nail against every measure that the Liberals try to bring in.”

While it's certainly worth remembering the Libs' failures, the Cons remain (as their predecessors were earlier) the party going to the greatest lengths to avoid any action. And it's particularly important to keep that fact front and centre when the Cons now try to justify letting their own bill die on the order paper in order to keep the consensus climate change plan from passing.