Can We Trust Dion On GST?

So, it looks like Dion has changed his mind on GST cuts, so he says that he's not going to raise the GST if elected. The question is - can we take his word for it? Can we actually trust Dion not to reverse a tax cut which he's been fiercely opposing up until now?

Dion promised to rescind the GST cuts if elected as soon as the Conservatives released their mini-budget about a year ago. During the past year, Dion repeatedly referred to the GST cut as "ill-advised choice", suggesting that he would consider "revisiting it". So, which Stephane Dion should we trust? The one that hates the GST cut and wishes to reverse it or the one that agrees to let it be?

But maybe Stephane Dion did realize that reducing the GST wasn't such an ill-advised choice after all? Maybe. But how can we be sure he won't change his mind again if circumstances change? Can we trust Dion to defend the GST cuts even if the choice is between raising the GST and cutting spending to Liberal priorities? I doubt it. When it comes to Dion - we can't even trust him to defend his point of view (whichever it is) when most of his party executives pressure him to change his position. Dion may still hold the top job in the Liberal party but he's hardly an actual Liberal leader.

We've witnessed that already. Dion was against carbon tax back in March of 2007. And yet at the very same time, his fellow Liberal MPs joined the NDP and the Block and voted in a carbon tax proposal into the Conservative Clean Air Act. Every time Dion tried to reassure Canadians that there would be no carbon tax, his own party MPs suggested that there would - until Dion finally gave in.

Now, Dion is promising us that there will be no GST hike. Even if he actually means it this time, how can we be sure that some prominent Liberal isn't already drafting their first mini-budget that would rescind the recent tax cuts so that more money could be allocated towards Liberal spending priorities? Even if Dion has truly changed his mind on reversing the GST cut - the Liberal caucus on which Dion has no control still remains a triple threat to Canadian families.