Today’s Random Green Party Policy of the Day from Vision Green is page 129:

“In recent years more and more of Canada’s major companies and control over natural resources have been bought out by foreign-owned corporations. This is not in the best interests of Canadians.

Green Party MPs will:

- Sponsor and support legislation that restricts foreign ownership in Canada in strategic sectors so that Canadians remain in control of the destiny of Canada, reap the benefits from the exploitation of Canadian resources, and retain the right to determine their use and rate of exploitation.”

Quick Translation: Our fossil fuel and mineral sectors are almost completely foreign-controlled. We have almost no control over our own resources. And we want it back to ensure Canada stays strong.

Won’t it feel good to vote Green!

Media Release

For Immediate Release

April 28, 2011

smart economy – strong communities – true democracy.

NEWMARKET – The Green Party in Newmarket-Aurora is pleased to announce that our election night party will be at local restaurant, Tom & Jerry’s (Yonge and Millard), starting at 8 p.m.

Local Candidate Vanessa Long said, “We are looking forward to celebrating at Tom & Jerry’s. It took some effort to find a restaurant that was truly accessible so that all of our volunteers and supporters can join us after an intense local campaign. I was assured by one local restaurant that they were 100% accessible but when I visited them, there was a 2″ lip at the entryway and the washrooms were unreachable by someone in a chair. If it was this hard for me to find a location, imagine how hard it would be if I were in a wheelchair. Universal accessibility needs to be a priority in a fair and equitable society.”

Vanessa has emphasized the importance of quality of life throughout this campaign, championing the right of every resident in Newmarket and Aurora to live with dignity.

“Hopefully on election night, we’ll see the results of our hard work and Vanessa’s excellent showings at the local debates. However it turns out, we’ll be celebrating our most successful campaign to date and planning to build momentum in 2011,” said local Green CEO Carter Apps.

Everyone is welcome to drop by on Monday, May 2nd, and enjoy some Green company.

Tom & Jerry’s: 17335 Yonge Street, Newmarket, ON L3Y 8Z2 Tel: (905) 853-2345.

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Contact:

Today’s Random Green Party Policy of the Day from Vision Green is page 118:

“The Canadian Foreign Service is suffering from the neglect of successive governments. The Harper government, in particular, has underestimated the importance of a robust diplomatic corps with highly-trained officers.

Canada has traditionally had a fine foreign service. Its officers represent a standard of excellence envied by the world.

Green Party MPs will:

- Restore adequate financial support to the hiring and training of a continuing foreign service and embassies, consular services and High Commissions around the world.”

Quick Translation: Our Foreign Service used to move the world with its skill and bridge-building, giving Canada a diplomatic reputation far above our middle-class power status. We are losing this reputation – and the Green Party wants it back.

Won’t it feel great to vote Green!

Today’s Random Green Party Policy of the Day from Vision Green is page 127:

“The Green Party of Canada affirms the ruling of the Supreme Court of Canada in the B.C. hospitals case. In June 2007, the Supreme Court Justices ruled that the right to collective bargaining is a basic charter right. As such, employers, whether private or public, are obligated to deal with their employees as a collective when seeking to make amendments to wages and working conditions. The Court made it clear that employers may not make such changes unilaterally wherever the employees have chosen union representation.

Green Party MPs will:

- Actively promote and encourage collective bargaining as a human right and a Charter right.”

Quick Translation: I don’t think one is needed for this. The Green Party affirms collective bargaining as a human right and a Charter right. Period.

Won’t it feel great to vote Green!

Today’s Random Green Party Policy of the Day from Vision Green is page 86:

“Canada is a multicultural society with a strong history of welcoming immigrants and celebrating cultural diversity. Canada currently accepts about 300,000 new immigrants annually. Opportunities for new immigrants, however, vary. Studies show that immigrants from some countries do a lot better than others ins ecuring jobs with decent incomes and opportunities for advancement…

Our immigration policies must be revamped to ensure we stay true to our identity as a just, fair, and open country, and to be prepared for new challenges that are predicted to arise with increased numbers of environmental refugees seeking a safe new home in an increasingly perilous world…

Green Party MPs will:

- Lead a national discussion to define ‘environmental refugee’ and advocate for the inclusion of environmental refugees as a refugee category in Canada and accept an appropriate share of the world’s environmental refugees into Canada.

- Eliminate the valuation of foreign credentials for immigration purposes except in those cases where such credentials are recognized in Canada or a clear and expeditious path to Canadian accreditation is established, and in place establish realistic criteria for immigrants based on existing job opportunities for immigrants to Canada.

- Press professional societies to remove unnecessary barriers hindering the recognition of valid professional credentials of immigrants.”

Quick Translation: Immigration is a key part of Canada’s identity and we need to ensure that those who migrate here are welcomed with equitable opportunities and not excessive red tape.

Won’t it feel great to vote Green?

Today’s Random Green Party Policy of the Day from Vision Green is page 99:

“Canada seems to have a two-tiered justice system. The rising costs and complexities of litigation mean that only the wealthy have easy access to effective legal representation in our courts. Middle-class Canadians are increasingly being left in the cold by the cost and complexity of Canada’s judicial processes.

Greens understand, however, that we don’t really have real justice in Canada until we have justice for all Canadians…

Green Party MPs will:

- Increase access to justice for all Canadians notwithstanding their financial situation, by working with the provincial governments to establish a comprehensive National Legal Aid plan that will ensure stable, long-term funding.

- Simplify those matters within the exclusive jurisdiction of the Federal Court of Canada or Tax Court (e.g. intellectual property, income tax appeals, CPP and disability claims). Reducing the amount of time spent in court on civil and criminal matters saves taxpayers money and helps ensure cases are not kicked out due to excessive delay.

- Increase the use of alternative dispute resolution processes, such as mediation and collaborative lawyering, in family and civil courts to reduce conflicts in relationship breakdown.

- Amend the Divorce Act to ensure children are no longer treated like the spoils of war. We will launch a consultations with Canadians, with the legal community, family therapists, and other experts to seek ways to reduce, and preferably eliminate, the adversarial nature of family law.”

Quick Translation: Our Courts are increasingly inaccessible and inequitable as those with the most money crush their opponents with pre-trial motions and huge legal bills. Canadians deserve better.

Won’t it feel great to vote Green!

Today’s Random Green Party Policy of the Day from Vision Green is page 63:

“While everyone is against cruelty to animals, factory farming has been allowed to create systematic and routine cruelty to livestock production. Chickens are packed tightly in cages their whole lives, cattle crowd in feedlots, and pigs are kept indoors in cages on slatted metal floors all their lives. Most people believe that animals, including domesticated animals, have the right to be treated humanely…

Green Party MPs will:

- Adopt animal welfare legislation to prevent inhumane treatment of farm animals including intensive factory farming methods. The Act will set minimum standards of treatment and have a timetable for the phase-out of intensive factory farming and other inhumane animal husbandry practices. It will set standards for distances live animals can be transported, condition of animals in slaughterhouses, auctions, and entertainment, and it will prohibit trade in exotic animals.

- Update Canada’s criminal code as it pertains to animal protection, moving crimes against animals from the property section, and recognizing animals as sentient beings. The Green Party of Canada will, furthermore, invest resources in the development and training of police officers to deal with cruelty cases.”

Quick Translation: Animals are not mere property, they are sentient beings deserving of care and respect. How we treat them is a strong reflection on our own success as a culture and as human beings. It is time to recognize the inherent rights of nature.

Won’t it feel great to vote Green?

Today’s Random Green Party Policy of the Day from Vision Green is page 110:

“Poverty is fatal. An estimated fifty thousand people die from poverty-related causes every day. The situation for children under 5 is worse. Ever three seconds a child in poverty dies.

Canadians have rallied to Make Poverty History. In 1992 at the Rio Earth Summit, Canada re-committed to increasing Overseas Development Assistance (ODA) to 0.7% of our gross domestic product (GDP). This commitment represented a target set by Canada three decades earlier…

Based on 2009 announcements, government aid commitments may be increasing, but transparency is missing. It is clear, however, that under the Harper government, the development priorities have shifted more than usual, and they were always influenced by non-poverty concerns, to strategic priorities. Currently, the largest recipient of Canadian aid is Afghanistan…

We will ensure our commitments for the provision of HIV/AIDS retroviral drugs for Africa is fulfilled, and that AFrica will be a significant focus of our development priorities. This will include support for African plans for adaptation to the increasingly devastating impacts of climate change in Africa.

Green Party MPs will:

- Prioritize the restructuring of ODA delivery while making responsible and consistent increases that will achieve the target of 0.7% of GDP within a decade…

- Fulfill our commitments for the provision of HIV/AIDS retroviral drugs to Africa.”

Quick Translation: We have the ability to end poverty, a goal we have committed to for decades and ignored. The Green Party keeps its commitments – at home and internationally.

Won’t it feel great to vote Green!

Today’s Random Green Party Policy of the Day from Vision Green is page 76:

“Greens subscribe to the World Health Organization’s definition of health as a ‘complete state of physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.’ Our present health-care system addresses only one dimension – the treatment of disease and/or trauma by qualified professionals in publicly-funded medical facilities…

The Green fully support the Canada Health Act (CHA) and all of its principles. We oppose any level of privatized, for-profit health care. The five criteria of the CHA guiding the provincial public health insurance plans, which we believe to be non-negotiable, are:

1. Public administration: The public health insurance plan must be managed in a public, not-for-profit fashion.

2. Comprehensiveness: All residents must be covered for ‘medically necessary’ health services.

3. Universality: All residents must be covered by the public insurance plan on uniform terms and conditions.

4. Portability: All residents must be covered by their public plan, wherever they are treated in Canada.

5. Accessibility: All residents must have access to insured health care services on uniform terms and conditions without direct or indirect financial charges, or discrimination based on age, health status, or financial circumstances.

The threat of a NAFTA challenge from the American for-profit health care industry cannot be over-estimated. Allowing for-profit health care would be the ‘thin end of the wedge’ that jeopardizes our entire health system…

Green Party MPs will:

Eliminate Two-Tier Health Care

- Identify and measure the extent of two-tier health care in Canada and strive for the elimination of two-tier health care as quickly as economically possible.

Improve Our Existing Acute Care System

- Use the full force of federal spending power under the Canada Health Act to oppose any steps that open the way to further two-tier health care in Canada.

- Address the cost crisis that produces long waitlists by providing more money to hire staff to open currently closed beds, fully utilize existing operating rooms in hospitals and purchase new diagnostic equipment.

- Provide funds immediately to being training more doctors and nurses.

- Work with the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) to immediately establish qualification standards and on-the-job mentorship programs to fast-track certification of foreign trained health care professionals.

- Provide student loan forgiveness incentives for graduating doctors, nurses, paramedics and other health care professionals who agree to staff rural facilities and family practice clinics where recruitment is currently a problem…

Improve Our Chronic Care System

- Enshrine a policy that seniors’ care must be provided in the communities where they or their families live.

- Expand home support and home care programs and assisted-living services to support people with chronic care needs, including many seniors who wish to stay in their own homes and communities…

Reduce the Costs of Pharmacare

- Advocate for immediate action on the 2004 Standing Committee on Health recommendation that Health Canada enforce the current prohibition of all industry-sponsored advertisements on prescription drugs to the public to help reduce the demand for unnecessary prescription drugs…

- Immediately embark on a commission to study and conduct a cost-benefit analysis on the feasibility of establishing, in cooperation with the provinces, a new crown corporation to bulk purchase and dispense generic drugs to pharmacies, and the feasibility of establishing a national pharmacare program that ensures that effective pharmaceuticals are available to all Canadians who need them.

Quick Translation: Canada’s Health Care system is worth preserving, and it also needs alot of work to ensure that it is accessible, universal, and effective.

Won’t it feel great to vote Green!

Today’s Random Green Party Policy of the Day from Vision Green is page 31:

“The tourism sector in Canada is unique in that it makes a significant contribution to every region’s cultural and economic well-being. It goes beyond creating jobs and foreign exchange revenue. It enables Canadians to explore our land and helps knit our country together. With revenues of approximately $61 billion in 2005, tourism constituted over 2 per cent of Canada’s GDP. This is nearly as much as our forestry and agricultural industries combined. Within the federal government, the Ministry of Industry has the lead responsibility for tourism policy.

The Greens believe that we must foster a green, low-carbon tourism industry and market it responsibly throughout the world. We believe we must provide exceptional tourist experiences by having the finest National Park system, the best museums and cultural events and the most hospitable service. To do this, the Canadian government must play a bigger role in coordinating and guiding efforts across the entire country.

Green Party MPs will:

- Create a separate federal Department of Tourism to coordinate all aspects of tourism. This ministry will focus on helping the fastest-growing sector of global tourism, ecotourism, become stronger, and through special programs encourage Aboriginal Canadians to assume a bigger role in it. It will also take a major role in making sure our borders are open and security measures are reasonable.

- Reverse the Conservative government’s decision to eliminate the GST rebate for foreign visitors.

- Build a low-carbon tourism sector based on intermodal rail and bicycle touring.”

Quick Translation: Canada rocks and we want everyone in the world (and inside of Canada) to know it! And we want it done right with a coordinated strategy and as small a carbon footprint as possible.

Won’t it feel great to vote Green!