Canadian Politics – Green Party of Canada
Elizabeth May's Leadership Sparks New Interest in the Green Brand
Sep 28, 2008
The Green Party of Canada is a relative newcomer to the Canadian political game, born in 1983 and really only rising to prominence in the past two to three years under the leadership of Elizabeth May, having taken over for outgoing leader Jim Harris.
Environmental Credentials and Increased Awareness
Elizabeth May has worn many hats in her lifetime and has a strong resume when it comes to environmental and social justice issues – having run alongside The Small Party in the early 1980's as a peaceful, grassroots political organization, as well as being a lawyer, author, and Executive Director of the Sierra Club from 1989 through to 2004.
Aside from the strong leadership, the Green Party has benefitted greatly in recent years due to a rampant increase in environmental and ecological awareness amongst voters, by and large due to a plethora of debate surrounding global warming as well as Al Gore's immensely successful film, An Inconvenient Truth.
Social Progressives, Economic Innovators
The Green Party advocates a social platform firmly rooted in the larger concepts of equity, peace, and non-confrontational resolution. According to their recently published platform document, “Looking Forward”, the Green Party is founded on three primary principles.
- Integrated policies that support one another and are fiscally responsible
- A commitment to grassroots democracy, and support of the notion that citizens possess the power, and that Government rightly serves them.
- A pursuit of the common good, the idea that Government should work to reduce inequality, engage and empower their citizens, and deliver quality public sector services.
Elizabeth May, further, has spoken out on two occasions supporting the legalization of cannabis – a discussion that erupted during the Federal Campaign of 2008 surrounding the resignation of two noted marijuana activists turned NDP candidates – Dana Larsen and Kirk Tousaw. Currently, the Green Party is the only federal party supporting this policy.
The Green Party has also released an Official Budget which can be downloaded in .PDF format from their website, linked at the end of this article.
Campaign 2008
Some of the major facets of the Green Party Platform for the election of October 14th, 2008 include :
- A commitment to Green Tax Shift using a cap and trade system to encourage environmentally sound industry and punish large polluters.
- Introducing income splitting and low-income financial support as part of the Green Tax Shift, while eliminating income tax entirely for those who make less than $20,000 per year.
- Ensuring universal access to childcare and early childhood education, allowing single mothers and working families to be more financially stable and independent.
- Reworking the current Federal Student Loans programme in order to reduce climbing debt loads, including a plan to forgive half of the principal loan upon completion of a degree or certificate program.
- Enforcing pay equity, expand and protect the rights of gay, lesbian, bi-sexual, and transsexual Canadians, as well as to increase support for the disabled.
To learn more about the Green Party of Canada, visit http://www.greenparty.ca
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