Today’s Random Green Party Policy of the Day from Vision Green is page 27:

“Genetically engineered (GE) organisms pose a potentially serious threat to human health and the health of natural ecosystems. Many Canadians want to follow the example of the European Union and ban GE crops. At a minimum, GE products must be labelled, giving consumers the right to know, as well as to say no to GE foods.

Although polls show that 8 in 10 Canadians want mandatory labelling of GE foods and food ingredients, the federal government has not acted. In 2004, the Standards Council of Canada adopted a Standard for Voluntary Labelling but it has not been widely adopted…

Green MPs will:

Prohibit field testing, commerical use, sale and importation of ‘terminator’ (genetic use restriction) technologies.

Maintain the ban on GE wheat and oppose GE alfalfa.

Place a moratorium on field-testing genetically modified trees while an expert panel of the Royal Society of Canada examines the risks.”

Quick translation: Canadians want to know what is in their food and Canadian farmers want support for sustainable practices – but the government is not helping.

Won’t it feel good to vote Green?!

Today’s Random Green Party Policy of the Day from Vision Green is page 84:

“The Greens will vigorously defend every hard-won victory for women’s rights and for women to advance forward towards full equality in Canada. Women’s equality is fundamental to a just society. Among the best ways to break down barriers and advance opportunities for women are through poverty eradication, national affordable child care, programs to eliminate the financial barriers to post-secondary education, programs for affordable housing, and the adoption of a Genuine Progress Indicator that includes measures of unpaid and voluntary work by women.

Green Party MPs will:

Oppose any possible government move to diminish the right of a woman to a safe, legal abortion. We fully support a woman’s right to choose. We will also expand programs in reproductive rights and education to avoid unwanted pregnancies, and expand supports for low-income mothers.

Pass pay equity legislation, as recommended by the Pay Equity Task Force, immediately implement full pay equity for women employed in the federal sector and develop tax incentives for companies to meet the highest standard of gender and pay equity.

Establish specific job re-entry programs for women with children who want to restart their working lives either part-time or full-time.”

Quick translation: We do not have true democracy until all Canadians enjoy the full benefits of our economic abundance.

Won’t it feel good to vote Green?

Today’s Random Green Party Policy of the Day from Vision Green is page 29:

“Canada’s most conspicuous environmental and economic tragedy has been the collapse of our wild fisheries… Over the last few decades, the fishing industry has installed large, powerful gear on ships equipped with sophisticated navigation and fish-finding technology. This has caused serious depletion of cod, haddock, bluefin tuna and other species, leading to the collapse of local economies and loss of important biodiversity from coast to coast to coast…

Green MPs will:

Repeal the Canada Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Act and the Canada Newfoundland Offshore Petroleum Act and adjust regional agreements to give fisheries greater protection from petroleum exploration and development.

Extend permanent bans on oil and gas exploration and development in ecologically-sensitive areas, particularly the coast of British Columbia and the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

Encourage a greater role for fishermen and Aboriginal peoples in managing fisheries through co-management provisions in the Oceans Act.”

Quick translation: Short-sighted policies have devastated Canadian fisheries and we need to take action now to protect our abundant shorelines.

Won’t it feel good to vote Green?

Media Release
For Immediate Release
April 7, 2011

smart economy – strong communities – true democracy

NEWMARKET – The Green Party released its platform at a press conference in Toronto on Thursday, April 7, 2011. Vanessa Long, candidate for Newmarket-Aurora, joined Green Party candidates and Canadians across the country as Elizabeth May unveiled the platform by live-streaming video on the Internet.

The Green Book contains tax cuts for low income Canadians, tax splitting for Canadian families and real measures to clean up the environment and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

“Our platform makes it clear. The Green Party of Canada has a plan for a smart economy, strong communities and true democracy. We have spent our time developing solutions – not engaging in partisan name-calling. We have solutions to help families and young people, to combat climate change, to create a national transportation strategy, strengthen our communities and to fix our democracy. We call it smart economy, strong communities and true democracy,” said Green Party Leader Elizabeth May.

The platform contains a suite of measures designed to be economically viable, create jobs, address poverty, protect our health care system, increase support for youth and seniors, respond to the climate crisis and clean up the environment. Each measure has been fully costed.

“We will create thousands of jobs investing in renewable energy, expanding passenger rail, modernizing freight and retrofitting thousands of buildings,” added Ms. May. ”We are also the only party so far in this campaign speaking to international issues and raising trade deals as a concern.”

“I encourage all the voters of Newmarket-Aurora to have a close look at our platform. We are serious about ensuring every Canadian can live in dignity with a strong local economy, a healthy community and a true democracy,” said Vanessa Long.

The Green Party Green Book is available at www.greenparty.ca/platform2011

-30-

Thanks to Teresa Latchford at the Era-Banner for her article on how local political candidates would help families in Newmarket-Aurora.

Here’s what I said:

Thank you for asking me to comment on how the Green Party would help Ontario families. As the Social Services Critic for the Green Party, this issue is of particular importance to me.

The Green Party is committed to ensuring that every Canadian, regardless of their age or geography, can live with dignity. This means providing opportunities for youth to gain education and employment without crushing debt. It also means ensuring that our public pensions will be there when our aging population needs them.

On Thursday, April 7, 2011, Elizabeth May released the Green Party of Canada platform – the Green Book – in Toronto. It includes a fully costed budget to get Canada on the right track with a strong economy, healthy communities, and true democracy. We believe that all three of these areas need improvement to help Canadian families.

Specifically, for Ontario families, the Green Party of Canada would:

- eliminate personal income tax below the low income cut-off of $20,000 as the first step to eliminating poverty in Canada;

-reform the Divorce Act to reduce the adversarial environment of the Family Law courts with a default assumption of equal parenting as being in the best interests of the child;

- extend maternity/paternity leave for new parents;

- implement a national housing strategy to retrofit homes and businesses making them more energy efficient as well as creating affordable housing spaces for those in need;

- make it easier to telecommute or work from home to help people balance work and family life;

- ensure flexible child care with access for all including more workplace child care spaces;

- provide support for those who stay home to raise their children and support for those who need to get back to work while their kids are still young;

- support arts and physical education in schools, including national fitness testing;

- invest in First Nations education, safe drinking water, and improved housing to rectify the abhorrent conditions that currently exist for these communities;

- and, finally, the Green Party would lower income taxes and introduce full income splitting, immediately, to reduce the tax burden on married couples and families;

The Green Party recognizes that families depend on their municipal infrastructure and as part of our platform we are providing help for local governments through sustainable long-term funding to repair decades-old crumbling infrastructure. This fund will help Canadian towns and cities build for the future with more of the common amenities all communities need for recreation, transportation, water works, and arts and culture.

As the Green MP for Newmarket-Aurora I would dedicate myself to improving the quality of life of all Canadians by implementing Green thinking and policies. Instead of ’boutique’ tax cuts and credits, we would lower income tax rates for all Canadians so that they can invest their own money – in the arts, in active living, or in any one of a myriad of ways that can increase quality of life.

Won’t it feel good to vote Green?!

Not that the proposal for income splitting really has anything to do with the carbon tax but it is just like 2008 all over again for the Green Party.

Once again, one of the major parties has taken one of our policy proposals and totally bolloxed the introduction of it to the Canadian people. Well played! Dion did it in 2008 with the carbon tax and now Harper has done it in 2011 with income splitting.

To be clear, the Green Party of Canada supports income splitting. Yes. We really do. You can find it right here in Vision Green – our guiding policy document. The important thing to note is that it is one of a suite of measures that would be introduced to help all Canadians improve their quality of life. Here’s the quote from Vision Green:

While income splitting does not benefit low-income families or families where income earners earn about the same amount, failure to solve all problems through one measure is not a good reason to fail to solve many problems. Those not impacted by the income-splitting move will be helped through targeted programs to assist low-income families.

And now the Conservative Party has introduced it as a stand-alone platform plank. Which has raised the ire of people whose opinion I totally respect like the CCPA and Proud Fringers.

As the Social Services Critic for the Green Party, when Diane Finley does something questionable I can’t keep silent. And I don’t want to. She has messed this up and now it’s my job to fix it.

Waiting 5 years to bring in income splitting is ridiculous. Middle class families need tax relief now. So do most Canadians. And Canadians who don’t earn enough to pay taxes need different programs than those who do. The Green Party has those as well.

Of course, the Green Party takes it even further – we don’t like income taxes and our plan is to slowly, in a revenue-neutral way, shift our tax base from income to pollution. Put simply, we believe in taxing what is bad (pollution), not what is good (income).

Every Canadian deserves to live with dignity and income splitting is one way to move toward that. I refuse to accept the argument any longer that we live in a country that cannot work for all of its citizens. One type of family should not be pitted against another. There is plenty for all – and the Green Party will be releasing a budget that proves it.

Instead of arguing about one policy as if it were the whole platform why don’t we change the channel and talk about creating a national youth education and employment strategy that will keep our young people in Newmarket and Aurora – and create the kind of place where they want to stay.

This pair of opinions from the National Post reveal an interesting facet of our current minority Parliament: the Opposition has made itself irrelevant.

Gerry Nicholls predicted that Harper would engineer the downfall of his own government in a last-ditch effort to win a majority. And that he would do it this Spring (most likely around a Budget that the Conservatives cannot reconcile with their record deficits), rather than waiting until 2012, when his own law requires a federal election.

Michael Taube was quick to respond that the numbers do not support a Harper majority, that they haven’t in at least a year, and are unlikely to in the coming months.

A conundrum perhaps? Perhaps. To me though, the most important point being made in these articles is not whether or not we will have an election, but that if we do have one it will be entirely of Mr. Harper’s making. He will have created the circumstances that cause the fall of his government and not the Opposition Parties who apparently have neither the power nor the gumption to take Canadians to the polls.

Again.

For the third time in four years.

At a cost of $300 million.

And that is what I’ll remember if I end up in a campaign this Spring. That our supposed economically-aware and competent leader has decided to blow another $300 million of taxpayer funds in a desperate attempt to win a majority.

I hope you’ll remember that as well.

Last week, friends, family and Green supporters gathered at the Wellington Gallery in Aurora to help me kick-off my bid to become the Green MP for Newmarket-Aurora.

It was fabulously successful and I am so grateful to everyone who came out to lend their support (both emotional and financial) to our cause.

The local press was present and there was a great article by Sean Pearce in the Era (and possibly the Banner?) yesterday.

The best part of the night, for me, was hearing that I had helped to restore people’s faith in politics and politicians, and that they now saw a tiny bit of light at the end of the tunnel. I couldn’t wish for greater praise than that.

We’ll post the video as soon as it is edited. Until then, here’s the original text of my speech (minus the laughing, crying, and ad libbing!). Hopefully, it resonates with you as well.

“Let me start by thanking you for joining us here tonight. I feel so blessed to be surrounded by wonderful friends, family and supporters. Thank you to Emil for allowing us to use this beautiful space. And thank you to Adriane Carr and Georges Laraque for lending their support to our local group and my Candidacy. I’ve been joking with friends the last few days that this is my ‘coming out’ party. For the last several months I’ve felt like a stealth candidate. I’ve been developing strategy and quietly making connections in the community and learning what issues are important to the people of Newmarket and Aurora. So this is my debut. One of my clients suggested I wear a white dress but I thought that might be going a little too far. I’ll save that for my wedding.

Speaking of which, I have to thank my fiancé Jordon Davidson for his incredible support and ability to help me find balance. Thank you sweetheart.

Tonight I wanted to answer a couple of questions that I frequently get asked.

The first is ‘Why do I support the Green Party?’: I’ll tell you straight out. It’s Green Values. The Green Party is not just Canadian, it is a global network of people who share a common set of values. Social Justice, Ecological Wisdom, Sustainability, Non-violence, Respect for Diversity, and Participatory Democracy. Every decision, every policy that the Greens put forward is based on these six values. It keeps things simple and it makes it easy to answer questions. If I can speak from these values, then my answer will be authentic and true.

The second question is ‘Why am I running?’: The answer is simple. I care about what happens to humanity. I care deeply about what happens to Jordon’s children and my nephew after I am gone. I care about the quality of life that their grandchildren will have. I want them to be able to drink the water, eat the food, and breathe the air. I want that for them. Like you, I care about my family.

And I care about the global family of humanity. I believe that when we throw our trash ‘away’ we are simply making it someone else’s problem.

When we exploit other areas of the globe to feed our consumption, I believe that we are not only harming our global family, but we are harming ourselves.

When we act in anger, or talk about hate, I believe that we harm ourselves a great deal. One of the six Green Party values is non-violence and I believe that we need to look at the harm that we do to ourselves, as well as to others.

That is why I am running. I want people to have something, and someone, to vote for, and not just to vote against.

This has been an exciting year and I have learned a lot about what it means to be the candidate for the Green Party. I have met fantastic people who are working to build community in this area and to get people engaged. And it has been a privilege to help them as much as I could. And I would like to thank them.

The first person is Liz Jefferson. Starting with indignation at the Harper government’s arrogance in proroguing for a third time, Liz has since created a group called Citizens Engaging Democracy that is dedicated to getting us involved. One of the major successes this year was the inauguration of a Fair Vote chapter for York Region.

The second person is Sue McKee. Seeing the changes that are coming and wanting to be proactive, Sue started a Transition Town group for York Region. The goal is to create local, resilient communities and economies so that people can live, learn, work and play in their own community. It is challenging, exciting and fun work and I am grateful to Sue for the work that she has been doing.

A year ago I did not know either of these women and now I don’t like to imagine my life without them. And though I like to think that I would have joined these groups and taken the steps to get involved without being the Candidate, doubt remains in me.

I think that I needed to make a commitment.

I needed to commit to being the Green Candidate and doing the best job that I could.

I needed to commit to building community and reaching out to people in every way that I could.

I needed to commit. And I have. I have committed to being the best Green Party Candidate and serving you as best I can. I have made that commitment. And I want you to hold me to it.

And I want you to make a commitment as well. That is what tonight is about. If we want to build a strong Green presence in Newmarket-Aurora we need your support.

We need your commitment to get involved. To stay involved even when it is hard. Even when you want to turn away from the harm that is being done to our country, to our community and to our families.

I challenge you to stand up and be counted. To engage with democracy in your community and in your country. We need to change the system so that every vote counts, so that every one is represented.

If we had a fair voting system we would have Conservative MPs from Toronto, Liberal MPs from Alberta and a beautiful Green caucus in the House of Commons.

This is our democracy. This is our country. And it is time to commit to taking it back.

Please lend us your support tonight as we work to build the very best campaign that we can. Thank you very much, again, for your support and your faith in me.”

It is sad for me to see a Canadian icon like Rex Murphy slip into vitriolic ranting, the likes of which Toronto has seen too much of these last few months, but that is how he has chosen to use his precious inches in the National Post. His most recent column, from Friday, is so one-sided and narrow-minded that I questioned whether it was even worth responding to.

However, a rant was requested by a dear friend, so here it is:

Rex slams the UN for allowing *bad* people like Ahmadinejad to participate, allowing the Human Rights Council to make decisions he doesn’t agree with, and, generally, not bowing down and licking the ass of western leaders. He claims it is inefficient, that it has failed, and that we, as a country, are foolish to seek a Security Council seat because we should just walk away.

How ridiculous.

The United Nations is a grand experiment the likes of which humanity has never before attempted. It envisions a world where we talk instead of fight, where we have a neutral forum for diplomacy, and where even the smallest country has as much power as the mightiest.

The General Assembly comes close to this ideal – it has passed landmark resolutions through the decades that have helped to create a new standard for humane behaviour. It has called for acknowledgment of the Rights of Children, the Indigenous, the Disabled (Differently Abled), Women, and many other groups. Which is pretty amazing considering it has representatives from almost every recognized country in the world.

After two horrific world wars in the first half of the 20th century, the UN has played a key role in raising living standards and reducing violence the world over. It has provided a moral voice that provides light to those living in darkness and it has not shied away from calling to account the powerful who act in selfish ways. Sometimes it is the U.S., sometimes China or Russia, and sometimes, especially lately, it has reprimanded us.

With our current government, we have, more and more, become outsiders at the UN as our representatives continue to act in selfish, greedy, ignorant ways that are only concerned with power and not at all with the concerns of humanity.

Our leader pretends to care about maternal health, but I don’t buy it. When he begins to listen to science, or his own International Co-operation Minister, and act in ways that are up to the world’s standards, then maybe I’ll believe. But as long as he is driven by a radical religious ideology and the tenets of neoconservatism, his compassion is illusory if not altogether absent.

Is the UN perfect? Absolutely not. The first, and I believe most beneficial change, would be to reform the Security Council and eliminate the veto for the World War II victors. If you want to know why the UN is inefficient, why it cannot respond quickly in the face of crisis, you need look no further than the VETO of the Security Council. It is a shame, and one that desperately needs changing.

Has it had scandals? Absolutely yes. But, then again, if we got rid of every institution that had scandals we’d have very few left. The problem with the UN is that it lacks accountability and auditing. Systems need to be put in place to ensure that its branches are audited, its workers are given exit-interviews and that there is some coherent and understandable mechanism transparent to the public.

Why is the UN worthwhile?

The UN provides food assistance, through the World Food Programme (just one of its many programmes) to over 100 million people each year, including 62 million children. It is one of the first aid agencies to arrive when there is famine, natural disaster, or war.

The UN calls us to a higher standard of behaviour, urges compassion for those in need, and aims to move beyond simplistic power politics. It provides a vision for the future and hope to those who live in terror.

The UN opens our eyes to the world around us. It makes it harder to believe that our actions do not have global implications and tears our eyes away from consumerism and reality TV.

Finally, the members of the UN developed and agreed to the Millennium Development Goals, incredibly inspiring statements of purpose for a more just world. That they have not been fulfilled is a matter for Western leaders, like ours, who have paid lip service to them, but don’t really give a shit.

But, as citizens, we can care, we can care a lot, and we can call our leaders to account and demand that they donate the funds necessary to change the world for the better by empowering women, and improving health care, literacy, and the economic position of the world’s poorest.

We can care. We can transition from selfish consumers to aware citizens. We can pick one of the MDGs and run with it, call attention to it, and campaign to get it done. We can do this.

We can.

And, as for Rex Murphy. . I’ve had enough of loud-mouthed, narrow-minded drivel to last me a lifetime.

I choose a positive vision of the future. One filled with peace and compassion and understanding.

I can.

And so can you.

It took me five hours to read the motions, read the discussions, and cast my votes. If you’d like to shorten the process for yourself, and if you trust me, then I am happy to provide you with how I voted, and where I think it is important, my reasons for doing so.

This has been an eye-opening process, I think it is the first time I have ever taken the time to really look at the motions being put forward and by whom. The Green Party is a continually evolving organization, and as with any such process, there are always groups that envision the evolution proceeding in different directions.

I still believe the the GPC is the only place to be, and the only place to put my vote, and I further believe that our exhaustive policy formation process, from the grassroots, gives ordinary members an extraordinary ability to participate in the Party evolution.

I’m sure that I’ve offended just about everyone with at least one of my choices, but in the interests of transparency and accountability I remain willing to be called out on them, and to defend them, or to have my mind changed. I look forward to seeing you at the Convention, on the floor and in the workshops.

If you are not currently a GPC member, and are wondering what on earth I am talking about, you have until July 22nd to become a member, research, and vote on these issues yourself.

Here is the list, starting with Policy Motions:
p02 – Green
p24 – Red
p26 – Green
p27 – Green
p29 – Green
p12 – Red
p13 – Green
p14 – Yellow
p20 – Green
p28 – Green
p15 – Green
p16 – Green
p17 – Yellow
p18 – Yellow
p34 – Yellow
p04 – Green
p08 – Green
p10 – Yellow
p11 – Yellow
p19 – Yellow
p21 – Green
p25 – Red
p31 – Green
p32 – Green
p33 – Yellow
p07 – Green
p09 – Yellow
p22 – Yellow
p23 – Yellow
p30 – Green

Constitution Motions
c01 – Black
c09 – Green
c10 – Black
c11 – Red
c13 – Yellow
c25 – Red
c02 – Green
c03 – Green
c05 – Green
c24 – Yellow
c26 – Yellow
c27 – Yellow
c28 – Green
c12 – Green
c29 – Yellow
c30 – Green

c14 – Green
c15 – Yellow
c16 – Red
c17 – Yellow
c18 – Yellow
c19 – Yellow
c20 – Yellow
c21 – Red
c22 – Red
c23 – Red

To be clear, I have serious issues with this group of Resolutions pertaining to EDAs (c14-c23). Beyond the rather pathetic flaw wherein they refer to EDAs as Riding Associations, and head office as ‘the Party’ (an issue I’ve already taken up with them in the context of their pithy preambles…), these seemingly reasonable motions have the cumulative effect of removing all independence from the EDAs and placing it in the hands of the central office, which, in my experience to date, has been incapable of organizing themselves effectively and should certainly not be put in charge of the entire EDA function as well. As an example, c15 mandates that the selection of candidates will be entirely prescribed by head office, and c16 that every EDA must adopt the Constitution provided by the central Party and that any proposed amendments must be approved by central Party through an undefined process. C14 through c21 would be damaging enough on their own but when combined with c22 and c23, two resolutions which allow central Party to negate the RSA or to completely deregister an EDA for noncompliance, they are unacceptable and need to be defeated. I get that we need to have a reasonable standard of compliance across our EDAs, but these heavy-handed, poorly thought out, and incredibly arrogant motions are not the way to do it. As an example, our EDA could be deregistered if we do not have an ‘acceptable’ Constitution on file with Head Office – with no redress. What if Head Office lost our Constitution? What if we disagreed? What if we simply wanted to keep the Constitution we already have? We would have no choice, and would lose our right to exist, simply because someone (and this is not defined either, by the way) said so. This is incredibly distressing to me.

c04 – Yellow
c07 – Red
c08 – Yellow

Directives
d02 – Black
d11 – Red
d10 – Yellow
d13 – Yellow
d01 – Green
d05 – Red
d09 – Green
d12 – Red
d14 – Red
d03 – Green
d04 – Yellow
d06 – Red
d07 – Green
d08 – Red