Green Party of Canada

Leader: Elizabeth May

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We have assembled the content for this political party platform summary from the sources listed at the bottom of the page. If you notice any incorrect information or have any questions, please get in touch with us using our contact us form - we welcome all feedback!

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Aboriginal Rights	The party believes that failure to address issues of aboriginal poverty now will result in significant impacts on human health and negative economic impacts well into the future. Wants to draw more attention to the issue that 100 Aboriginal communities across the country are on drinking water advisories.
Accountability	Amend the Government Accountability Act to ensure that all those who monitor government are selected at arms length from those they monitor, and to guarantee transparency and openness for all government activities. Strengthen the rules of conduct for lobbying to make it more transparent to the public. Appoint an independent Ethics Commissioner and instate mandatory ethics training for MPs and their staff. Emphasize decentralization of decision-making powers.
Agriculture/Fisheries	Encourage more local food production to reduce carbon emissions from transportation. Help non-organic farmers transition to organic farming. Sign and ratify the global treaty to ban bottom trawling. Legislate to protect habitats to preserve sustainabilty.
Armed Forces/Military	Begin withdrawing Canadian NATO Forces from Afghanistan as soon as reasonably possible (no later than February 2009). Declare Canada a nuclear free zone and press NATO allies to get out of the nuclear weapons business.
Arts/Culture	Believes that arts and culture are positive assets to both society and the economy.
Childcare	Restore and revamp the 2005 agreement reached between the federal government, provinces and territories to achieve a universal childcare programme in Canada. Tax shift to make advertising directed at children ineligible for corporate tax write-offs. Accelerate the creation of workplace childcare spaces.
Democratic Reform	Form a Citizens’ Assembly to study options for a more proportional electoral system to be voted on by the public. Introduce fixed election dates to ensure political stability and fair elections. Reduce mandatory $1000 candidate deposit to encourage political participation.
Economy	Send price signals to the economy in the form of a “Carbon Tax” by reducing income and payroll taxes. Maximize efficiency by quadrupling energy productivity and reducing waste.
Environment	The Green Party of Canada’s entire platform is developed to be environmentally friendly, no matter what the issue. Attempt to curb the effects of climate change through legislation and economic incentives, such as the Carbon Tax or carbon caps. Reaffirm Canada’s commitment to the Kyoto Protocol.
Gun Registry	Scale back the bureaucratic burden of the current gun registry in consultation with hunters, First Nations, gun collectors, and sportsmen.  Introduce balanced and fair measures to eventually ban handguns and semi-automatic firearms in Canadian cities. Plan would amend Criminal Code to allow provinces and territories to prohibit the ownership of handguns. Ensure that law-abiding citizens are free from unreasonable fees and the threat of criminalization.
Healthcare	Strong emphasis on prevention and health promotion in addition to standard healthcare. Expand healthcare coverage to include qualified complementary/alternative health professionals such as naturopaths, chiropractors, and dietitians. Set up a commission to study the feasibility of a national PharmaCare program to ensure prescription drugs are available to all Canadians.
International Policy	Shift from a Department of Defence to a Department of Peace.  Ensure Canada adheres to the Geneva Convention by pursuing international criminal investigations where human rights violations are reported. Revamp the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) to focus more on developing community-based green economies, alleviating poverty, and programmes to combat and adapt to climate change in the developing world. Ensure that HIV/AIDS retroviral drugs are provided to Africa.
Immigration	Urge professional societies to remove barriers to recognizing the professional credentials of immigrants. Increase funding for official language training. Establish a program to ensure full landed immigrant status for those who have been living in Canada illegally.
Marijuana	Create regulations that would allow for safe production for independent growers and develop a tax rate for the sale of marijuana that coincides with that of tobacco. Legalize marijuana and remove it from the drug schedule
Post Secondary Education	Increase funding for a needs-based Canadian National Student Loan and Bursary Program with low interest rates and reasonable repayment schedules.  Restore and expand the federal government’s student summer job program. Forgive 50% of a student’s loan when they complete a degree or certificate program.
Same-Sex Rights	Support public education to end prejudice and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Amend the Canadian Human Rights Act so that gender expression and identity are protected grounds of discrimination.
Seniors/Low Income	Guarantee people the right to draw up a “living will” that gives them the power to limit or refuse medical intervention and treatment. Establish and fund a program to provide grants to non-profits setting up palliative care hospices.  Increase Guaranteed Income Supplement for seniors by 25%. Top up income support for single parents on welfare during the time they are attending school or job training programmes.
Taxation	Increase taxes on alcohol and tobacco, in consultation with provinces. Introduce a high tax bracket on incomes over $150,000 and eliminate taxes on incomes below the low-income cut-off. Provide increased tax breaks for Canadians who donate to charitable societies.

Sources:
www.greenparty.ca
www.mapleleafweb.ca

 


The federal Green Party was founded in Ottawa in 1983 by a group of several ecologically minded people who felt that environmental issues were not being addressed by any of the big federal parties.  The party was later registered in 1984 and began by running 60 candidates in that year’s election, earning 0.2% of the vote.  From then on, the party has had various leaders and made progress each election. 

They finally surpassed the threshold of 2% of votes to secure federal financing in the 2004 election, with an actual vote-share of 4.3%.  This has allowed the party to expand further and jump up to 6.8% of the popular vote in 2008, as well as earning a spot in the leader’s debates for the first time. 







Dr. Trevor Hancock was the very first party leader.  He is a physician that focuses on the health effects of the environment on sustainable urban development.  He also consults for the World Health Organization.

Joan Russow (1997-2001) was the first party leader to engage in a national leader’s campaign.  She lost a lot of influence in disagreements with party representatives in Newfoundland and Labrador over the seal hunt.




Current party leader Elizabeth May has been instrumental in advancing the party’s progress.  A former director of the Sierra Club, she is the first Green Party leader to have taken part in the leader’s debates.

Adriane Carr is the party’s deputy leader.  She is also a former leader of the B.C. provincial Green Party.

Blair Wilson was the first ever Green Party MP.  Previously a Liberal, he left the party and later joined the Greens in August 2008.  He was not re-elected in the election later that year.




Right now is the most important period in the history of the Green Party of Canada.  Although they still have not elected a Green MP, the party has garnered credibility in the 2008 election and is now considered a significant force in Canadian party politics.  Since the progress of the 2004 and 2006 elections, the Greens have increased their support base and their share of the popular vote at an exponential rate. 

Green candidates finished second in several ridings and the party was included in the televised leader’s debates for the first time ever, despite opposition from some of the other parties.  With 6.8% of the popular vote to show for it, the party has secured more financing, as well as legitimacy in the eyes of the electorate. 

Protect the environment (supports a carbon tax), adopt proportional electoral system, increase student loans, international peacemaking.




The Greens struck a deal with the Liberals for the ’08 election.  In exchange for not running a Green candidate in Dion’s riding, the Grits did not run one in Elizabeth May’s riding of Central Nova, so as not to split votes.

The party advocates for turning the Department of Defense into the Department of Peace and focusing heavily on peacekeeping missions worldwide.

Elizabeth May earned one of the best results ever for a Green Party candidate in London North Centre riding in the 2006 election.  She earned 25.8% of the vote.  She chose to run in Central Nova against popular Conservative MP Peter MacKay in 2008.  She came in second, but topped her previous score by achieving 32.3% of the vote.

Sources

www.greenparty.ca
http://www.mapleleafweb.com/features/2008-canadian-political-party-profiles
http://www.politicalparty.ca 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Party_of_Canada