| |
|
2008, GPC candidates, Anne Faulkner attended as CEO for HNFGPA
Anne will attend 2010 GPC National Convention Toronto, Aug 16-22, 2010
|
|
|
|
Pictou County and moratorium on oil development |
|
|
PRESS RELEASE
July 19, 2010
For Immediate Release
BP Spill a wake up call to coastal landowners in the Gulf of St. Lawrence
PICTOU COUNTY - As Canadians watch the horrifying footage of the devastation occurring in the Gulf of Mexico, we turn our eyes to our own shores and the need to prevent such a tragedy here. The Green Party of Canada has joined forces with the powerful Save Our Seas and Shores Coalition (SOS) in calling for a moratorium on oil and gas development in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
A similar call was made last week by the PEI Fishermen's Association, with concerns echoed by PEI’s Environment Minister, Richard Brown. "We'd like to see the same leadership and respect for our livelihoods and historic coastal communities with a call for a moratorium from other provinces and our federal government as PEI has," said Greg Egilsson of the Gulf NS Herring Federation. The Obama administration has put a moratorium on deep-water drilling activities in the Gulf of Mexico after the stunningly destructive oil spill that has been affecting the area for thirteen weeks. "There's a moratorium on Georges, a moratorium in the Gulf of Mexico; why is there no moratorium in the Gulf of St. Lawrence?" said Egilsson.
“Shoreline landowners in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, PEI and Quebec should be very concerned with the evidence that we are seeing that the oil and gas industry is sorely unprepared to deal with spills. They have proven that they don’t know how to prevent a spill, they don’t know how to stop a spill, and they don’t know how to clean up a spill,” said Green Leader Elizabeth May.
An oil exploration lease has been issued to Corridor Resources next to the Iles de la Madeleines in the Gulf of St. Lawrence in what is considered the most productive marine region in Canada. Seismic is planned for this fall with drilling foreseen by 2012. Scientists have been calling for a moratorium in the Gulf of St. Lawrence for almost 40 years. Because of the Gulf's counter-clockwise circulatory currents, if there is an oil spill from this proposed deepwater oil well site, contamination of the shorelines and coastal communities in PQ, NS, NB and PEI is certain, putting a 300 million dollar fishery and 20,000 jobs in NS, NB and PEI alone at risk.
“It only takes one well and if we allow them into the Gulf of St. Lawrence, it is not a matter of whether it will happen but when,” said May. “Our tourism industry, our quality of life, our fisheries are all at risk. Already, the oil from the Gulf of Mexico is within reach of our shorelines and coastal communities and landowners need to realize that the threat is not down south, but it is also right here at home. Canadians need to stand up and protect what we have for our children before it is too late.”
|
|
|
|
Would you like to get involved with the Green Party?
Click here. |
|
|
Donate to the Haldimand-Norfolk Green campaign online securely by credit card or send a cheque in the mail.
Click here. |
|
|
|
|
H-N Federal Green Party Association |
|
|
For additional information, please contact us using the online form or phone EDA CEO Anne Faulkner at 519-426-7414. |
|
|
|
1984 GPC founder passes away |
|
|
OTTAWA - Founding member of the Canadian Federal Green Party, Jim Bohlen, passed away on Monday at the age of 84. An ardent environmental activist known for his anti-nuclear campaigning, Jim had a profound impact on the growth and structure of the Green Party of Canada.
Jim was a Green Party candidate in the riding of Vancouver Quadra during the 1984 federal election. The fledgling Green Party ran a slate of 59 candidates that year, garnering National Party status only a year after the Party was founded.
“He was one of the original Greens who was way ahead of his time on key issues such as organic agriculture, renewable energy and Green politics," said Deputy Leader Adriane Carr. " Jim was an amazing man who stayed true to his principles. He will be missed."
"Jim played a key role in establishing Sierra Club of Canada," said Leader Elizabeth May. "I was honoured to know him as a Sierra Club activist and as a Green."
Mr. Bohlen is survived by his wife, Marie and three children. |
|
|
|
Vision Green presents a well-researched analysis of critical environmental, economic and social challenges facing Canadians from coast to coast to coast, and presents practical solutions that can be achieved if there is the political will and leadership to take forward-looking action. It was developed by our Green Cabinet and was informed by experts, activists and citizens who participated in policy workshops held across Canada.
All the proposals are based on policies approved by the membership of the Green Party of Canada. Our solutions are realistic because they follow “best practices” already in place in parts of Canada and around the world. These practices are cost-effective, deliver results, and benefit people, the economy and the environment.
The Green Party’s down-to-earth solutions will work in Canada because they have worked around the world. Many have been successfully applied in Europe, where Greens are elected at all political levels, including the European Union and national parliaments. Countries where Greens have served in government are the countries creating new high-paying jobs while simultaneously meeting targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. They are the countries where the gap between rich and poor is small and the standard of living is high. These countries don’t trade off the environment for the economy. Their economies and environmental laws are both strong. Green Party solutions are rational because the Green Party, unlike other parties, understands the scientific reality of limits to growth set by the carrying capacity of our planet. We must work within these limits. Otherwise, we will exhaust resources, degrade our environment and put our economy, health and children’s future at risk. Many people find it hard to position the Green Party on the old political spectrum. We believe in sound fiscal management and strengthening our economy while ensuring that it is sustainable. Does that mean we are “right wing”? We believe that government must provide needed social services while protecting our environment and the rights of women, minorities and disadvantaged people. Does that make us “left wing”? We don’t think so. More and more people are simply thinking of the Green Party as the party of the future. The Green Party is different from other parties in another important way. We will never place the pursuit of power above principle. We will not allow partisan politics to get in the way of good ideas and needed action. We agree with Canadians who say it’s time for parties in parliament to stop bickering and get on with the job of governing, combating climate change and taking better care of our environment, our health and our economy. The Green Party of Canada, founded in 1983, is now a major force in Canadian politics. Nearly one million Canadians voted Green in the 2008 federal election. More than one in ten Canadians are now saying they plan to vote Green. Green directions point to more jobs, more time with family and a livable world, now and for our children and their children. |
|
|
1. Maximize efficiency
The central driving principle of Green Economic Policy is maximizing efficiency. Green Party economic policies aim to improve the efficiency of resource and energy use by a factor of four. http://www.greeneconomics.ca/pub/1851
Based on the most recent budgets, the United States will outspend Canada on renewable energy by a factor of almost 14.
2. Get the prices right
To get there from here, market distortions created by a failure to internalize externalities must be removed. In other words, we must get the prices right. The single most significant government policy tool to advance or retard economic sustainability resides in the fiscal framework. The Green Party commitment to Green tax-shifting will: - Reduce income taxes;
- Reduce payroll taxes; and,
- Introduce a carbon tax, sending a clear economic signal that wasting energy and resources implies real costs.
|
|
| |
| | |
|