4.) Mulcair -- competent. Seems capable. I don't agree that it would be effective to soft-sell social democracy as a means to getting power, however. Using revenue from cap and trade to fund other non-environmental programs seems hypocritrical since we criticized the Dion Liberals on that aspect of their green shift proposal.
My recollection is different. I don't remember the NDP attacking the "green shift" on the grounds that it would raise revenue that would be used for other things...the NDP objected to the Liberal "green shift" because it included the Carbon Tax which was a tax on ordinary people that would have zero impact on greenhouse gas emissions.
But be that as it may - nothing in politics is sacrosanct. That was then and this is now. In 2008 the federal government still had a surplus. If you want to talk about being "hypocritical" - what about the Liberals who were so gung-ho about a "green shift/carbon tax" and now running screaming away from the idea?