When Stéphane Dion announced last November that a Liberal government would cut poverty by 30 per cent – and child poverty by 50 per cent – within five years, his political opponents scoffed.

Where would he find the billions of dollars he needed to deliver on his commitment?

Now we know the answer – or at least a large part of the answer.

Dion's proposed carbon tax, unveiled last week, would allow him to launch the most aggressive anti-poverty program in 40 years.

His "green shift" would transfer wealth from rich to poor; from the oil patch to the rest of the country; and from the coffers of big business to the pockets of low-income Canadians.

Roughly $9 billion of the $15. ... Read full article