As former U.S. president Bill Clinton's campaign famously declared in the run-up to his inaugural 1992 election victory, "It's the economy, stupid."

With less than two weeks left to go in the federal election, the Liberals' hopes of focusing the campaign on their Green Shift -- or shaft, as the Tories characterize it -- seem dim.

Local candidates from all parties say the economy is the hot topic at the door, fueled by the financial meltdown south of the border, with healthcare often a strong second.

Even Liberal hopefuls acknowledge voters aren't asking about the Green Shift and its mix of carbon taxes and income tax cuts.

"I kid you not. Everybody, it's the economy," said Mountain Liberal candidate Tyler Banham, who is "surprised" by the Green Shift's low profile.

The labour lawyer rejects that the scheme is too complicated to explain and scoffs at Prime Minister Stephen Harper's "Republican-style" charges that it's an economically risky tax grab.

A couple with the average household income of $60,000 will pay $220 more in carbon taxes, but in return will see its income taxes cut by $1,300, he said.

"It's not a new tax, it's a different way of taxing you. We want to tax what you burn, not what you earn," Mr. Banham said.

"I tell people, 'Listen, no political party, not even the Liberal, Tory or NDP, is going to run on giving you a new tax. It just doesn't even make any sense."

That view is echoed by East Hamilton-Stoney Creek Liberal candidate Larry Di Ianni, who calls the Tories' talk of a Green Shaft "a silly rebuttal."

The former Hamilton mayor contends the Green Shift is as much of an economic plan as an environmental one. He notes gas is exempted.

"It's almost embarrassing to think that a party as honourable as the Progressive Conservative Party used to be would resort essentially to name calling and hope that's what sticks in people's minds," Mr. Di Ianni said.

"It certainly is a tax break for everyone, and so if you're going to debate, debate intelligently based on the facts, as opposed to the spin you want to put in people's minds."

But Conservative MP David Sweet, who is running in Ancaster-Dundas-Flamborough-Westdale, said the Liberal promise of an overall tax cut needs to be taken with a grain of salt.

He contends a carbon tax will also "drive up the price of everything," including because of higher transportation costs for goods and services.

"It hasn't been the case in history where a government taxes and ever gives back," he said.

Mr. Sweet said his party's Turning The Corner plan will instead regulate industrial carbon emissions and bring an absolute reduction of 20 per cent by 2020.

This will include a cap-and-trade system that sets a price for carbon emissions to encourage companies to become cleaner.

"There's a very firm regulatory framework that's being put in place to make sure that industry has very firm caps," Mr. Sweet said.

But Green candidate Stephen Brotherston sees plenty of holes in the Tory plan, not the least of which is a promise to cut the excise tax on diesel fuel.

The move is projected to cost $600 million while lowering the price "on the dirtiest fuel we use for transportation," he said.

The retired business owner said the cap-and-trade systems touted by the Tories and NDP miss half of the equation by not taxing gasoline and putting too much onus on industry -- which will eventually hit consumers.

His party favours a carbon tax, but unlike the Liberals, would include gasoline. In exchange, it promises bigger income tax cuts.

"If you don't work a system where you're providing the average person with some form of tax relief or compensation for the fact you're implementing additional costs on things they have to buy, there will be a lot of pain with that," he said.

But Mountain NDP MP Chris Charlton, whose party promises a cap-and-trade system, argues a carbon tax won't necessarily cut emissions because it doesn't set mandatory limits.

She said the NDP plan will target big polluters who exceed progressively lower caps and use their fines to encourage alternative fuel sources, retrofit homes and help Canadians reduce their emissions.

"The impetus to get consumers to use less fossil fuels would be there," Ms. Charlton said.

"All of it would go into green solutions, which would include fostering our own Canadian auto industry and purchasing fuel-efficient cars."