platform green party 2014 nb

7/27/2019 Platform Green Party 2014 NB

1/18

If we change... everything changes.

This time... Vote Green


2/18

David Coon, Leader Green Party

Honest and Caring Leadership.Green Party Leader David Coon has devoted his working life to advance the public good,

championing local decision-making and environmental protection.

He believes that government has a critical role to ensure that everyone can reach their full

potential, and those in need are well cared for.

David understands that a healthy economy depends on a healthy environment that a just

society requires an economy that works for people and communities not against them.

The full costing of the Green Party platform is available in a companion document.


3/18

12014 Election Platform

This time... Vote Green.

The Green Party thinks long-term. We

are dedicated to building a secure

future for our children and theirchildren. That means that we are

committed to long-term practical

solutions for a sustainable future.

We must have the courage to confront

the major challenges we face: a broken political

system, growing income inequality, the climate

crisis, and ecological decline.

The Green Party represents opportunity: an

opportunity to change for the better our

politics, our communities, and our economy. Ours

is a vision of sustainability and social justice. We

believe that New Brunswickers have the will and

ingenuity to build a socially just and ecologically

sustainable society, an economy that provides

work for all, and that respects nature.

A New Approach

1www.greenpartynb.ca/en/partymenu/charter-of-principles

Our priorities in this election are to:

1.Take charge of our future to put people and communities first.

2. Fix politics so government works with people and their

communities.

3.Create strong local economies that provide green jobs

4.Rebuild forestry for the good of our peoples, our water, and

wildlife.

5. Deliver preventative health care and timely access to all health

care services.

6.Ensure everyone pays their fair share to provide the services we

need.

What We Stand For

Our priorities in this election advance the six principles1that define

what the Green Party of New Brunswick stands for:

Living Within Our Ecological and Financial Means

Local Self-reliance

Grassroots Democracy

A Just Society

Active Citizenship and Self-Determination

A Culture of Peace


4/18

2 Green Party of New Brunswick


Never before has the need to reconcile our relationships

with each other and with the Earth which sustains all life

been more urgent. And never before has the opportunity to

change direction in our politics, our economics

and our communities been so apparent.

Worldwide, people are embracing new

thinking and new ways of doing things to

address the growing problems of economic

injustice, insecurity, ecological decline and

climate change. New Brunswick must not be

left behind. This province has the talent, the

values, and the means to change. The Green

Party provides the political leadership to make

that change happen.

The Green Partys defining issue is the future and the legacy

we will leave for our children. We shape our future by the

choices we make today.

If we want a viable, healthy future for our children, then we

have to start moving in that direction now.

Building a Culture of Sustainability

The Green Partys

defining issue is

the future and the

legacy we will leave

for our children. We

shape our future by

the choices we maketoday.

Ours is a vision of sustainability communities that provide

fulfilling lives for everyone, and an economy that works with,

not against, people and the Earth.

In a sustainable and just New Brunswick, a lot of

things will look different than they do today: the

communities we live in; how and where our food

is produced; how we will take care of the most

vulnerable; how we move ourselves around and

power our homes, businesses and public buildings;

how we will provide meaningful livelihoods; and

what we do in our leisure time.

Environmental sustainability, social justice and

democracy are not issues that can be treated in

isolation, but must be considered in everything we do.

Thats why our social development, environmental

protection, and democratic reform policies are integrated

throughout our platform.


5/18



The Green Party will work with

communities to advance the public

interest, rather than submit to corporate

agendas, such the Irving forestry deal.

This is our province and we need to

be in the drivers seat. We will shake

off the corporate stranglehold on our

society, our politics, and our media that

both the Liberals and Conservatives have enabled.

Surrendering to a future that primarily benefits Irving

or other corporate interests is unfair and unsustainable. Wejust cannot afford it. Its time we take charge of our future.

Central to this vision is the role citizens must play. For

too long, we have been marginalized by governments

and lobby groups simply as taxpayers or consumers, or

clients. We are none of these things. We are citizens of this

democracy and our active and meaningful participation

with our elected representatives is the cornerstone ofreclaiming our future. Green MLAs will be committed

to working with people and their communities. We will

stand up for you in the Legislative Assembly and insist that

citizens are part of decision-making in New Brunswick.

Taking Charge of Our FutureA Green Government would:

Legislate a 40 percent cap on the concentration of corporate

print media ownership, and eliminate the ownership of media

by corporations with significant non-media interests in New

Brunswick.

Require a three-year waiting period before retired MLAs or public

servants can work as lobbyists. Require lobbyists to divulge

any contribution either financial or in-kind to candidates,

politicians, political staff, political appointees or public servants.

Introduce a bill to require governments to provide citizens with

green papers on challenges faced by New Brunswick and white

papers outlining major new policy or legislative initiatives, and toengage in meaningful public consultation.

Open up government with sunshine laws, which, among other

things, would require all government contracts be posted in

a public registry, place the onus on public servants to provide

information to the public when requested, and overhaul the

Right to Information Actso it treats the business of government

as the business of its citizens.


6/18



A representative democracy requires that

Members of the Legislative Assembly

represent the views of their constituents tothe best of their ability, no matter how their

party or leader wants them to vote or what

they want them to say. A participatory and

responsive democracy gives people meaningful

opportunities to participate in the decisions that affect their

lives. That means government seeks your views on policy

changes and proposals BEFORE decisions are made. It means

government listens to citizens and responds: not just during

elections, but every day. Real democracy doesnt end with

the election of politicians to run the show until the next

election. Real democracy is participatory, representative, and

responsive.

A Green government will shift power from the Premiers

inner sanctum back to the Legislature and its MLAs, no

matter what their political stripe. Green Party MLAs will notbe required to vote the party line. They will represent their

constituents, and they will have an obligation to regularly

solicit the views of, and consult with, the people of their riding.

Fixing PoliticsThe Green Party will put more power in the hands of citizens

and communities to help to solve the challenges that we

face. This will be done through citizen assemblies, town hallmeetings, and Legislative committee hearings.

A Green Government would:

Pursue proportional representation where seats in the

Legislature would more closely reflect the popular vote.

This reform to our electoral system would be based on

the recommendations of New Brunswicks Commission on

Legislative Democracy2.

Move power and money from the Premiers office to the

Legislature. This would provide legislative committees with

the resources and research capacity to hold public hearings

on proposed policy and legislation, so policies and bills can be

amended to better serve the public interest.

Introduce a bill to create a job description for MLAs that defines

their roles and responsibilities as representatives of their

constituents and as legislators.

Amend the Public Interest Disclosure Actto increase protection

for government whistleblowers with sanctions for those who

might retaliate against them.

2 http://www.electionsnb.ca/pdf/cld/CLDFinalReport-e.pdf


7/18




Recognize and respect the treaties signed

with First Nations, the Passamaquoddy, the

Wolastoqiyik, and the Mikmaq as the

legal basis for the relationship between

the Province of New Brunswick and First

Nations peoples.

Launch a public education program

to build awareness about our historic and

current treaty relationship with First Nations, to

be coordinated by the Aboriginal Affairs Secretariat.

Establish citizen assemblies in which aboriginal and non-aboriginal people of New Brunswick can come together to

make recommendations on how our Peace and Friendship

Treaties, recognized in Canadas Constitution, should be

respected in our province.

Legislate the duty to consult with First Nations in compliance

with Supreme Court decisions.3

Right Relations with First NationsServe as an ally to New Brunswick First Nations in their

dealings with Ottawa.

Pressure the federal government to finance native languageimmersion education for First Nations children phased-in one

year at a time, and support immersion teacher training to

properly deliver this program.

Implement the recommendations of the Ombudsman and

Child and Youth Advocate Bernard Richard regarding the child

welfare system on First Nations.4

32004 decision Haida Nation v. British Columbia; 2014 decision Tsilhgotin First Nation v. British Columbia

4http://www.gnb.ca/0073/review/PDF/handinhand-e.pdf


8/18



A strong local economy strengthens businesses,

cooperatives, and social enterprise. The Green

Party will strengthen local economies in

our cities and in our rural communities. Our

strategy will create new work with green

jobs supplying local food, constructing green

buildings, producing local renewable energy,

sustainably using forest resources and supplying more of what

New Brunswickers need. We will promote the clean tech and

information technology sectors as instrumental to growing

new greener economies in our cities. And we will champion thearts, education and recreation as essential to building vibrant

new economies in every corner of our province.


Introduce a Local Food Security Actto set targets and

timetables for New Brunswick to become self-reliant in locally

produced food to create jobs and business opportunities here.

The Act would require a New Brunswick firstfood purchasingpolicy for all provincial institutions, Crown agencies and

departments. It would create a food labelling program so

consumers can identify food produced and processed locally.

Strengthening Local EconomiesLegislate a Renewable Energy Actwith targets and timelines

to green New Brunswicks energy system and reduce energy

demand over 20 years. It would green the electrical grid, by

requiring NB Power to replace its use of all non-renewablefuels for electricity generation with renewable sources. It

would include measures to ensure the majority of residential

and commercial heating is supplied by geothermal, solar and

bioenergy. This would create jobs in engineering, trades, and

manufacturing.

Accelerate the creation of a smart electrical grid to help achieve

the Renewable Energy Actstarget for renewable energy use and to

permit the rapid adoption of electric vehicles. This would provide

tremendous opportunities in the tech, information technology,computer science, electrical trades, and engineering sectors.

Give New Brunswicks Energy Efficiency and Conservation

Agency the mandate to pursue a ten-year building retrofit

strategy with clear targets to reduce energy demand and

lower heating costs for households and business through

financial incentives and technical advice. According to the

Energy Efficiency and Conservation Agency, for every $1 of

incentive, $5.25 is invested by building owners on efficiency

projects, creating jobs and business start-ups.5

Restore New Brunswicks Energy Efficiency and Conservation

Agencys mandate for transportation to ensure New

Brunswickers have access to convenient and affordable public

transportation.

5http://efficiencynb.ca/home/results.html


9/18



Implement an import replacement strategy to encourage

more local production of goods and services to increase

employment in New Brunswick.

Bring competition to the forest products sector by making

fibre, timber and non-timber resources from Crown land

available to local enterprises, ensuring local communitieshave first rights to forest resources in their region.

Work with provincial arts, culture and heritage organizations to

implement ArtsLinkNB recommendations for sustaining the arts

sector as a vital part of the economy. 6

REBUILD FORESTRYThe Green Party will create a new Forests Sustainability Act

in consultation with all New Brunswickers, and which

respects our treaty relationships with First Nations.

We will ensure that Crown lands are managed to

sustain the Acadian forest while providing more

work and opportunity for our local communities. A

diverse Acadian forest can sustain water and wildlife,

support a diverse forest economy, and best cope with the

consequences of climate change.

A Green Government would:Enact legislation to immediately cancel all contracts signed by

the Alward government with forestry companies that guarantee

a 25-year increase in wood supply.

Restore the status of private woodlots as the primary source of

wood supply to mills.

Replace the Crown Lands and Forests Actwith a Crown Land and

Forest Sustainability Act. TheActwould create a new management

structure that respects our treaty relationship with First Nations

and the Supreme Courts recent Tsilqhotin decision, works withforest-based communities, linking access to forest resources to

local regions, while protecting water, fish, and wildlife.

Replace the timber-using companies (the mills) as the

managers of Crown land with professional management

authorities that are publicly accountable to the people of the

province. Forest management services could be provided by

cooperative, social or business enterprises or by public sector

agencies through forest management agreements signed

with the Department of Natural Resources, First Nations ormunicipalities, depending on the relevant jurisdiction.

Provide for the creation of Community Forest licenses, as has

been done in BC, adjacent to and within municipalities and

First nations. Community forest license holders would have

the authority to control the use of forest resources within that

license. A portion of the stumpage fees would remain in the

community.

Implement a plan to protect and restore Acadian forestbiodiversity, ending logging in any remaining old growth

forest.

6 http://firstmoncton.com/hp_wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Finalartslinkreport_feb2013b.pdf


10/18



AGRICULTURE

A Green Government would:In addition to building a local food economy, establish

provincial goals for increasing the percentage of agricultural

production that is organic, making available a transitionfund to protect farm families income during the three-year

transition period to organic production.

Increase the organic production extension services within the

Department of Agriculture to be funded by re-directing the

focus of existing extension services.

Give farmers greater economic power in the marketplace by

supporting marketing cooperatives and supply management

systems, while exempting direct-to-consumer sales from

supply management or quota restrictions.

Reform provincial food inspection regimes to account for

differences between farm-gate, mid-sized, and industrial-scale

facilities to encourage the development of slaughterhouses, food

production, and distribution enterprises to serve local markets.

Advocate for federal mandatory labeling of all genetically

engineered foods and food ingredients.

OIL AND GAS

A Green Government would:Legislate new provincial greenhouse gas reduction targets of 15

percent below 2012 levels by 2020; 40 percent below 2012 levels

by 2030, and 75 to 85 percent below 1990 levels by 2050 in keeping

with global efforts to stabilize the climate system through the

phase out of fossil fuels and shift to a renewable energy.

Discourage increases in the production and use of fossil fuels

by denying permits for new fossil fuel infrastructure such as

the Energy East pipeline.

Ban the exploration and exploitation of shale gas with

legislation that will cancel shale-gas related exploration

licences and production leases.

FINANCING THE TRANSITION TO STRONGERLOCAL ECONOMIESEstablish a $10 per tonne of carbon dioxide equivalent levy on

the import or extraction of fossil fuels consumed in the province.7

The levy would apply to energy producers and importers and is

estimated to generate $164 million per year.8 Revenues would be

used, along with federal gas tax fund revenue, to fund new green

infrastructure such as public transportation, energy efficiency and

renewable energy investments.

Establish Community Economic Development Investment

Funds (CEDIF), following the Nova Scotia model to finance

investment in green economy enterprise start-ups.9

Establish New Brunswick Savings Bonds to keep more

investment dollars in New Brunswick.

7 16.4MT carbon dioxide equivalent in 2012

8Alberta effectively taxes large industrial emitters. (>100,000 tonnes) at $15 per tonne of CO2.

A $10tCO2e tax implies a 2.34 cent increase in the price of a litre of gasoline.

9 http://www.novascotia.ca/econ/cedif/background/


11/18



Good health is fundamental to our well-being. The

Green Party will put preventative health care

front and centre and fully integrate mental

health care into the system. We will ensure

that everyone has access to the physical,

mental, and reproductive health care they need,

when they need it.

PREVENTATIVE HEALTH CARE

A Green government would:Increase the capacity of the Medical Officers of Health to better

address the social and environmental determinants of health.

Increase the resources to the well child program to support

public health nurse visits to at-risk new mothers to provide

early, and if necessary, ongoing parenting support.

Strengthen pollution regulations and phase-in a ban

on industrial releases of cancer-causing substances and

developmental toxins affecting hormone function, brain and

motor development.

Establish an Environmental Bill of Rightsto: (a) Guarantee

citizens right to information about pollution threats and

hazards; (b) Provide the right to petition for investigations

and guarantee access to the justice system to prevent

Getting Healthy and Getting Careenvironmental harm; (c) Appoint an environmental

ombudsman as an Officer of the Legislature; (d) Protect

Childrens Health from Environmental Hazardsas proposed

by the New Brunswick Childrens Environmental HealthCollaborative.10

Ban advertising directed at children under 12, as has been

done by Quebec.

Invest Gas Tax Fund revenue11, in programs and infrastructure

to ensure cities are walk able and bike accessible.

Establish a health tax on junk food and direct the revenue to

finance school food and wellness programs.

Accelerate investment in community health-care centres,

establishing two new centres per year over four years. Centres

would have family doctors, nurse practitioners, social workers,

therapists, dieticians, midwives, and naturopaths. They would

also provide chronic disease management, prevention-

focussed addiction and mental health services, and health and

wellness assessment and support for seniors.

10 http://www.nben.ca/en/collaborative-action/collaboratives/childrens-environmental-

health-collaborative-effort

11The province projects $225.2 million from 2014-2019 from the gas tax transfer

agreement with the federal government.


12/18



Develop and implement womens health

agenda, to provide comprehensive

reproductive health care, mental health

counselling, chronic disease management,

and wellness support for women of all

ages.

ACCESSING HEALTH CAREAs proposed by the Mental Health Commission, increase the

proportion of the Department of Healths budget dedicated to

provide mental health services.

Mandate Horizon and Vitalit Networks to expand sexual/

reproductive health services through their existing clinics toserve both youth and adults.

Repeal regulation 84-20 of the Medical Services Payment Act,

which requires women to seek permission from two doctors

to access abortion services.

Ensure that individuals earning less than $25,000 and families

of four earning less than $40,000 pay no annual premiums

for drug coverage, but would pay the required prescription

co-payment.

Expand home-care services for those who can remain in their

homes with assistance financed by the savings achieved by

removing them from hospital beds. Review the standards of

care, continuing education requirements, and remuneration

for home-care workers, to ensure they can provide the

needed services at a fair salary.

Establish regional residential facilities for autistic adults who

are unable to care for themselves.


13/18



Escaping PovertyPoverty occurs when individuals lack the

income necessary to provide for themselves

and their families. The solution to

escaping poverty lies in ensuring New

Brunswickers have enough income to

escape poverty.

Social assistance rates in New Brunswick in 2012

were the lowest in Atlantic Canada at 64.8 percent below the

Low Income Cut-off Rate for a family with two children12.

The number of people relying on food banks increased from

under 16,000 in 2008 to more than 19,500 in 2012. Half of

these were women and a third were children, according to

the Common Front for Social Justice. 13

Many New Brunswickers working in full-time minimum

wage jobs continue to live in poverty.

The Green Party believes that an essential first step to

escaping poverty is to ensure that everyone has an incomesufficient to allow them to meet their needs with dignity.


Immediately index the minimum wage to the cost of living

for the more than 24,000 New Brunswickers who are paid the

minimum wage.

Replace the minimum wage with a living wage, phased in over

four years so that anyone working full-time will earn enough

to keep them out of poverty. Work with the small business

sector that depends on minimum wage employees to

determine how best to assist them during the transition from

a minimum wage to living wage.

Raise the social assistance rates for the almost 40,000 New

Brunswickers who depend on this source of income to match

those of Newfoundland14.

Eliminate barriers that keep people from entering theworkforce such as the countless claw backs from social

assistance income, such as occurs with earned income below

$20,000 and premature withdrawal of prescription drug

benefits.

Expand the number of early childhood education centres

within our elementary schools beyond the six existing

pilot projects as part of a plan to implement a non-profit,

universally accessible quality childcare system.

Establish a public inquiry into the adequacy of retirement

income for all New Brunswickers.

14http://www.caledoninst.org/Publications/PDF/1031ENG.pdf12http://www.caledoninst.org/Publications/PDF/1031ENG.pdf

13http://frontnb.ca/uploads/file/New%20release-Oct%2030%20,2012.pdf


14/18



Work in the Legislature to ensure that pensions are not

subject to changes after retirement and restore the accrued

benefits for retired public sector workers.

Tackle homelessness with the Housing First15model to

provide a coordinated system of care that tackles root

causes not symptoms.

Establish a pilot program to provide housing for rural

seniors who find it difficult to remain in their family homes

but dont require special care of nursing home assistance.

Within four years, establish pilot housing projects in one

rural community in the south and the north.

The Green Party believes that direct investment in our

children is one of the best ways to move New Brunswick

toward a just and sustainable future.

Education is a primary pathway out of

poverty and the best means of developing

self-confidence and an understanding

of the responsibilities of citizenship. It

is critical, then, that our public and post-

secondary school systems are effective andaccessible to everyone. It is essential that our teachers

are given the resources they need to ensure that all of

their students, no matter their abilities, can reach their full

potential.

Tuition-free post-secondary education is an ideal towards

which any society should strive and is our long-term

goal. In the short term, we must reduce the cost of post-secondary education so young adults are not burdened

with insupportable debt when they leave school.

Ensuring Children ReachTheir Full Potential

15 http://www.caeh.ca/a-plan-not-a-dream/housing-first /

http://www.caeh.ca/a-plan-not-a-dream/ten-essentials/


15/18




Provide a prominent role for teachers in the development

and evolution of educational policy and how it is

implemented.

Introduce citizenship studies and outdoor

education curriculum to promote healthy,

active lifestyles and community engagement.

Enhance trades and other skills-based

programs in middle and high schools

and expand apprenticeship and co-op

placement programs.

Expand school-based arts programs including visual, musical,

folk and dramatic arts.

Provide the resources required to fully implement the provincial

inclusion policy and ensure all children can achieve their

full potential. For those children who are unable to function

successfully in the regular classroom even with increased

resources, provide alternative education settings within the

schools.

Institute a family centred literacy program in our elementary

schools, piloted in selected Saint John neighbourhoods to

provide parent and child time at school.


Make all provincial student loans, interest-free,

as was done in Nova Scotia.

Reduce the current cap on student debt

(New Brunswick residents) to $20,000.Extend the grace period of six months from

graduation to one year before repayment

of student loans begins.


16/18



The Green Party believes that healthy rural

communities and vibrant urban centres are

essential for our future. Self-reliance and

resilience are built on public assets placed in

the hands of, and dedicated to, the service of

local communities. Healthy communities also

require economies that are locally controlled and

that minimize dependency on external resources.

The New Brunswick Green Party believes vibrant, self-reliant

and resilient communities depend on local governments

having more control over their own destiny.

A Green government would:

Increase the authority of municipalities to generate revenue

and to make decisions regarding development of their

communities.

Require Regional Service Commissions to integrate

management on a watershed basis into their planning

responsibilities.

Building Resilient CommunitiesExpand the authority of municipalities to retain subsurface

and intertidal zone rights, decide on all development, and

collect economic rents from any resource development

within municipal boundaries.

Expand the options available to rural areas to incorporate

as municipalities so they can make their own decisions

about land use and services and benefit from local resource

development.

Enable homeowners on fixed incomes to remain in their

homes by de-linking property assessment from the real

estate market. Assessments would increase based on actual

improvements made, or when a house is sold.


17/18



The Green Party is committed to living within our financial,

as well as our ecological means. We believe we canbe prudent, respect nature and ensure everyone

has access to essential public services and fulfilling

lives. To achieve our objectives, the Green Party of

New Brunswick believes that we need to focus on

policies that affect overall provincial government revenues,

expenditures and debt.

A Green government would:Establish a new tax bracket for personal income over $150,000

at a tax rate of 21%, while ensuring that people with a personal

income of $20,000 pay no provincial income tax.

Increase the corporate income tax rate from 12% to 16% (Nova

Scotia and PEI levels).16

Require the provincial government to post the income tax paid

by corporations in New Brunswick.

Have the Department of Finance create and publish a tax

expenditure account to track losses in provincial revenue

associated with tax cuts, tax exemptions, deferrals and credits

in the New Brunswick tax system.

Establish a pollution tax of $10 per tonne of carbon dioxide on

the import and/or production of fossil fuels to support public

transit, energy efficiency incentives and those living on low

incomes. This would generate $164 million dollars in annual

revenue.

Increase royalty rates for all non-renewable resources in

the province to capture their full economic value. Introducea New Brunswick Heritage Fund where all non-renewable

royalties would be deposited, with the NB government

transferring only five percent in any one year to general

revenues.

End subsidies and tax credits to the resource sector.

Increase stumpage fees and establish licence fees on Crown

land.

Ensure Everyone Pays Their Fair Sharefor the Services We Need

16http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/tx/bsnss/tpcs/crprtns/rts-eng.html


18/18



Establish border tolls on commercial traffic entering or

leaving the province.

Collaborate with other Maritime provinces to petition the

federal government to adjust the federal per capita monetary

health transfer for age of the population.

Negotiate with the federal government to reform the HST to

remove or reduce taxes on necessities and increase taxes on

luxury items.

Require direct public ownership of critical infrastructure and

phase-out the contracting out of management services for

Crown Corporations such as Ambulance New Brunswick.

403 Regent Street, Suite B-1

Fredericton, New Brunswick E3B 3X6Email: [email protected]:(506) 447-8499

Toll Free:1-888-662-8683

platform green party 2014 nb

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