If Prime Minister Justin Trudeau wants to win Canadians over to his carbon tax scheme, he'll first need to master the art of political propaganda.

And when I say "propaganda" I mean that word in its old school sense, i.e. using the powers of persuasion to get people to do things, they might not otherwise want to do.

Indeed, the basic premise of many propaganda campaigns is to convey a message along the lines of, "Hey, we know we're asking you do to something that's unpleasant, but trust us, it's for your own good."

An age-old technique, propaganda of this kind has been used throughout history for everything from convincing citizens to fight unpopular wars to urging kids to eat their broccoli.

Of course, up until now, Trudeau has not really treated his environmental agenda like broccoli.

In fact, he's treated it more like candy.

What I mean is he's basically been telling Canadians that his plan to stop climate change by imposing carbon taxes will be painless and will have no harmful impact whatsoever on our standard of living.

In short, Trudeau's environmental plan, as he presents it, has no costs, only benefits.

Who could possibly be opposed to that?

And as long as Canadians buy into this "fighting climate change will be awesome" idea, the Liberal government can rely on "fun" stunts to promote its green schemes, such as having Environment Minister Catherine McKenna show up in the House of Commons dressed in a "Climate Crusader" costume.

But unfortunately for the Liberals, a little something, I like to call, "reality", will inevitably come into play, i.e. Trudeau's environment plan will eventually impose economic pain on Canadians.

Most obviously, of course, Trudeau's proposed carbon tax will sting Canadians every time they put gasoline in their cars.

And yes, I know the CBC likes to call it a carbon "price," but for most people it'll be perceived as a government tax, and if the Conservatives are smart, they'll help this attitude along by slipping the term "Trudeau Tax" into our public discourse.

At any rate, whether it's called "tax" or "price" the bottom line is people don't like getting hit with higher costs for what are essentially basic energy needs.

If you don't believe me, just ask, soon to be ousted, Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne who, for some reason, thought shooting hydro rates through the roof would be a fantastic idea.

As a matter of fact, it seems like Canadians are already getting antsy about the impending carbon tax.

For instance, a recent poll showed that 72 per cent of Ontarians believe carbon taxes are just a tax grab, while 68 per cent dismissed them as a purely symbolic gesture.

And as if that's not bad enough, the costs of the Liberal green plan won't stop at the pump.

According to the Parliamentary Budget Office, in 2022 Trudeau's tax (see how easily "Trudeau tax" rolls off the tongue?) will cost the Canadian economy about $10 billion.

So my point is, in the face of all this carbon tax unpleasantness, Trudeau will sooner or later have to forgo his current utopian messaging and instead convince Canadians they need to make sacrifices for the good of the planet.

In other words, he will have to do propaganda.

What would such pro-carbon tax government propaganda look like?

Well, I guess the Liberals could stick up inspirational posters at gas stations all over the country; perhaps they'd feature the Environment Minister, dressed up in her Climate Crusader costume, pointing at the gas consumer, above the words, "I Want You To Pay for more for Fuel!"

Or maybe they could come up with some sort of snappy slogan, such as "The carbon tax, Not Just a Symbolic Gesture"

Ok, so maybe these aren't great ideas.

But my point is, somehow, someway, Trudeau will soon have to start treating his carbon tax idea, less like candy and more like broccoli.