Canada | For Liberals, it should be 'the economy, stupid'

It is more than time for Liberal strategists to acknowledge that Dion's dream of a referendum-style election on climate change is not going to materialize.

His Green Shift message has missed the mark, in part because it is too complex but also because its economic upside is not impressive enough to offset the downside of a carbon tax.

In any event, the ongoing global turmoil on the financial markets is pushing the environment down the list of election concerns. For better or for worse, the economy is set to dominate the narrative of the rest of the campaign.