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By QUENTIN CASEY
Canadaeast News Service

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Jeannot Volpe may only have a week left as interim Tory leader, but he's not slowing down his attacks on the Liberal government.

On Friday, the Madawaska MLA demanded that Premier Shawn Graham clarify his position on the federal Liberals' main election plank - a carbon tax.

Volpe said Graham has been silent on the plan, one the former finance minister says will be detrimental to New Brunswick.

According to Volpe, the carbon tax proposed by federal Liberals will drive up food, electricity and transportation costs, and could jeopardize energy projects in Saint John. Businesses will also close and the province will shed thousands of jobs, he said.

Volpe, who will step aside as interim Conservative leader Oct. 18, said Graham has been invisible on the issue. He demanded the premier state his position and also tell New Brunswickers how much a carbon tax will cost the province.

"New Brunswick does not need a carbon tax, nor can we afford its impact on our way of life," Volpe told reporters at a news conference.

"The question is, Do you support a carbon tax? And if you do, what's the cost?"

Graham has been non-committal on the federal Liberal plan, which would place a tax on polluters and offset that with income tax cuts and corporate tax cuts. For example, it would boost the tax on diesel fuel and put a price on greenhouse gas emissions.

At a Liberal campaign event last month, Graham dodged the issue. While introducing Dion at the event, he didn't voice support for the plan, calling it a component of the platform.

The tax has proven a tough sell in New Brunswick, home to a large Irving Oil refinery and fuel-intensive industries such as farming, fishing and forestry.

The provincial Liberals, however, are also considering a carbon tax as part of taxation reforms, though the idea was largely panned during public consultations this summer.

Volpe said Graham should follow the lead of Nova Scotia Tory Premier Rodney MacDonald, who has repeatedly blasted Dion's plan.

This week, MacDonald claimed the tax would cost his coal-reliant province upwards of $600 million annually.

MacDonald, however, didn't acknowledge that the province would recover about $470 million annually from the Liberals through promised tax credits and other payments.

Regardless, Volpe said Graham should have the same courage to step up with an opinion.

"We need a clear message here because it could be major for New Brunswick," he said. "New Brunswickers are scared right now, they're very concerned.

"This is a real lack of leadership."

Graham was not available to comment on Friday.

Marc Belliveau, a spokesman for the finance department, said the province hasn't examined the local impact or cost of the federal carbon tax.