NDP riding discontent wave, like Bob Rae did in 1990

Rising fuel and food prices pave way for major NDP gains

For those Ontario voters who have been around for a few decades, this federal election in Canada has a clear sense of deja vu to it. Back in 1990, nobody thought Bob Rae and the NDP were real contenders in Ontario, however after David Peterson called an unwanted snap election, the NDPers managed to ride a wave of social dissatisfaction with the powers-that-be all the way to victory, capturing 38% of the popular vote and a majority government of 74 seats.

They said it couldn't be done, Jack, yet the NDP did it, in Canada's most populous province. If Layton and the NDP can get further traction in Ontario and BC, combined with the massive Quebec surge, then Canada's New Democratic Party will surprise more than a few people this Monday, and Canadians may wake up Tuesday to the sounds of "New Canadian Prime Minister Jack Layton says ..."

Now that would be cool!

Greens in Canada; NOW is the time for strategic voting

ALL aboard the NDP Express

The surge in popularity of Jack Layton and the NDP party in Quebec and across Canada is a sign of hope in a beleaguered nation. Certainly we don't have troubles on the scale of our American friends and countries far worse off than us, however the "relative strength" excuse masks real pain and suffering in Canada and shortchanges the potential of the nation with the greatest per capita wealth of any country on Earth.

You don't agree that Canada is wealthiest, overall? I'm not just talking about money, but everything that is important to humanity. Starting with material wealth and moving further into complex areas of freedoms and rights, what other nation can match Canada's net total for:

- land per capita
- energy resources per capita
- gold per capita
- wood products per capita
- autos / roads / bridges per capita
- telephones per capita
- computers per capita
- televisions per capita
- doctors / hospitals per capita
- food production per capita
- schools per capita
- fresh air per capita
- free press per capita
- freedom of religion per capita
- rule of law / equality before the law, per capita

Our rights and freedoms stretch from sea to shining sea, and our deep, profound responsibilities wrap themselves completely around the globe, encircling this spinning ball of blue, green and brown fun with hope and inspiration, a yearning for what could be, if only there were an opportunity.

Greens in Canada must examine their local race closely, and if the NDP has a shot and the Greens don't, this will be the election to partner with our Quebecois friends and vote for change. It is a FACT that the NDP has greener policies than the Conservatives or Liberals, by a wide margin, so voting NDP is not choosing a lesser evil, but rather a greater good.

If your Green candidate has any chance of being elected, by all means stay on board, however if that is not the case, then voting NDP still provides a vote for for social change, with the bonus kicker that this time, in the revolutionary year of 2011, Canadian progressives may play a significant role in governing the nation for the next few years, or more.

We'll be fully investigating the benefits of a merger of the NDP and the Green Party after the election, yet for now our best option is to roll with the train that is leaving the station.

All aboard!

Canadian Election: Green Party and NDP Energy Policy

Future merger of progressive parties requires fine tuning

Green Party Climate Plan: A New Energy Revolution to Avert Global Catastrophe

The Green Party plan calls for:

Rapid development of Canada’s renewable energy sources through tax incentives, research funds and new policies, including carbon conditionality clauses requiring provincial adoption of Advanced Renewables Tariffs.

Tax incentives, regulation and funded programs to cut vehicle emissions 30% by 2015 and 85% by 2040, including incentives for the Canadian manufacture of electric and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles.

A retrofit of all Canada’s buildings to a high level of energy efficiency by 2025 and zero net energy after 2025 using refundable tax credits, tax-deductible Green Mortgages, 100% Accelerated Capital Cost Allowance, revolving federal loans and changes to Canada’s Building Code.

Regulations requiring all appliances to meet Energy Star rating by 2015 with most inefficient appliances and light bulbs phased out by 2010.

Adaptation strategies to cope with climatic disruption that is no longer avoidable, including a special task force to prepare area-specific strategies and a Climate Change Adaptation Fund to assist areas hard hit by “natural” disasters linked to global warming.

Withdrawal of federal funding for programmes such the Pacific Gateway Programme, that encourage urban sprawl and increase vehicle use.

Removal of all subsidies to coal, oil, gas and coalbed methane production, a cap on overall extraction levels of fossil fuels, and phasing out of coal, oil, gas and nuclear electrical generation.

Payments to farmers for carbon sequestration in soils within a domestic carbon market.

A carbon tax or carbon rebate for forest companies to reflect either the net loss of carbon storage or the net gain of carbon sinks from their lands.

A methane tax on all landfills and mandatory methane capture after 2015.

Global verification and certification standards for carbon credits and the establishment of a Canadian Carbon Bank along with a federal framework for local and provincial carbon banks to encourage the purchase of local offsets.

Expansion of the Kyoto Protocol beyond 2012 to include international aviation and shipping and commitments to ramp up solar energy, electric vehicles and other low carbon technologies.

New Democratic Party of Canada - Energy Policy

It is wonderfully "green" of the NDP to include energy policy as a sub-section of Environment, however in the new combined Green Democratic Party of Canada policy structure, Energy will more likely be a key component of the platform and specific clean power technologies (eg. solar, wind, offshore wind, geothermal, biogas +++) will be covered extensively.


2011 NDP Energy / Environment Policy

2.1 Protecting Nature and Our Ecosystems

New Democrats believe in:

Protecting the environment as a common good by creating a legal framework to ensure that people have the right to live in a healthy environment with access to natural spaces

Protecting and restoring ecosystems as central to all social and economic planning
Reducing and eliminating highly toxic substances, especially those threatening life and habitat

Protecting our supplies of fresh water by excluding it from all international trade agreements, privatization and deregulation

Strengthening laws to protect biodiversity and threatened species; and

Protecting and developing our national parks and designating new parks.


2.2 Climate Change

New Democrats believe in:

Establishing binding targets and clear standards to cut greenhouse gas emissions
Creating a revenue-generating carbon market to ensure industry reduces greenhouse gas emissions to targets set by government; and

Imposing strict energy efficiency and emissions standards for motor vehicles, appliances, and buildings.


2.3 Energy

New Democrats believe in:

Promoting clean, renewable energy to mitigate the negative effect of non-renewable energy such as fossil fuels

Investing in research and development to create new sources of alternative energy and develop incentives to encourage their use

Promoting coordination between provinces and territories to share clean energy sources and ensure better energy security, including, where appropriate, an east-west energy grid

Rescinding tax breaks and subsidies for fossil fuel industries, while protecting workers, communities, and the surrounding environment

Halting nuclear expansion and upgrading the safety and security of current nuclear energy and waste management facilities

Developing strong standards and incentives for energy conservation and creating public awareness about its importance; and

Working with all levels of government to achieve large-scale energy efficiency, especially through major retrofit programs.


2.4 Towards a Green and Sustainable Economy

New Democrats believe in:

Reviewing all economic decisions to assess their environmental impact
Establishing a major research and development fund for green technologies
Including environment sustainability in corporate social responsibility codes
Consulting with communities on the development of local sustainability initiatives; and

Investing in the development of “green cars”.

Directing infrastructure stimulus spending in a strategic way that focuses on public transit, retrofitting buildings for energy efficiency and following urban design models to make our communities more energy efficient.


2.5 Showing Green Leadership to the World

New Democrats believe in:

Taking leadership internationally to prevent environmental damage to the planet and implement environmentally sustainable practices worldwide

Adhering to international agreements to reverse climate change, including those with binding regulations; and

Demanding environmental standards in all trade agreements to which Canada is a signatory.




Note from blog Publisher Joe: Since the early 1980s when we first formed and launched the Green Party in BC and Ontario, NDPers have often claimed that there's no need for a Green Party because the NDP is the "green" party" and now with this merger on the table, NDP folks have the option of actually (not metaphorically) being the Green party.

Green Democratic leadership, carrying strong Canadian traditions

Pierre Trudeau brought home and updated Canada's Constitution, and also gave us the essential Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms:

Article 2

Everyone has the following fundamental freedoms:

(a) freedom of conscience and religion;
(b) freedom of thought, belief, opinion and expression, including freedom of the press and other media of communication;
(c) freedom of peaceful assembly; and
(d) freedom of association.

Article 3

Every citizen of Canada has the right to vote in an election of members of the House of Commons or of a legislative assembly and to be qualified for membership therein.


Trudeau also abolished the lash, legalized homosexuality and gambling, and built significant modern monuments in Ottawa and region. I bring up these crucial few of PET's many major accomplishments because the Liberals know leadership; Trudeau even tried to promote a young Brian Mulroney by getting him to cross over and go straight into the Cabinet.


Should the Green Democratic Party seek inclusiveness at the top?

While everyone would agree that the Federal Cabinet should contain as much diversity as expertise and experience allow, some would argue that we should not prejudge where the leader comes from. I will state emphatically that this needs to be seriously considered, for the Liberal's policy of alternating the leadership between francophones and anglophones has been a type of glue for our country. Population and cultural considerations may make us consider an updated version of this unwritten yet steadfast Liberal Party policy in Canada.

For the Green Democratic Party, I will make a suggestion. Let's try and average one anglophone, one francophone, and one other Canadian out of every three party leaders. By other, I mean people we we don't traditionally consider anglophones / francophones, and some that we may have. Native Canadians, Chinese-Canadians, Italian-Canadians, Ethiopian-Canadians, our party must be open to leadership from these and dozens of other widely represented ethnicities in Canada, while at the same time respecting the contributions of Quebec and the French community in provinces such as New Brunswick, Ontario, Manitoba and Alberta, by including francophones in the rotation.

Perhaps our leadership rotation can also be unwritten, with everyone already conscious and prepared to shake things up a bit. May the best gal or gent take the reigns, and let us lend our skills and services to build the Canada we all know she can be.

Canada 2011 Election: Greens and NDP Tactical voting strategy

Decide tactics locally, visualize strategy federally

Personal Tactical Voting in Canada

If the candidate of your party is believed to have a reasonable chance of winning or if you cannot support the policies of the candidate of the other party, then vote for your party's candidate.

If both candidates are perceived as worthy, and the candidate of the other party is deemed to have a much better chance than your own party's candidate, it may be best for the Green Democratic Party for you to vote tactically, so that we can begin the union of progressive forces with a strong voice in the Canadian Parliament.

Remember, when young people and other conscious folk decide to move Canada forward yet again, nothing can hold back the tide!


Canadian Provincial and National Strategy

In future elections, for areas where the two parties (NDP and Green Party) have agreed to merge but the actual merger date has not yet passed, it would be wise for the combined entity to not run against incumbents, for this is the base we need to build upon.

As legal and timing considerations may prevent implementation across provinces and nationally as soon as we'd all like, trailing candidates must not be discouraged from openly supporting competitive candidates of the partner party, as everyone needs to look ahead and see what can be if we will it to be.

Progressives of Canada unite!


Joe Trainor
TalkPlusAction

Canadian Election: Clean technology a key emerging issue

BP oil spill, Fukushima nuclear disaster spur concern

In last Thursday's Toronto Star, Clean Break columnist and alternative energy reporter Tyler Hamilton examines the policy stances of major Canadian political parties on the issue of clean technology development and implementation.

Here's an excerpt:

Clean technology innovation must be part of Canadian election debate

By Tyler Hamilton, Energy and Technology Columnist

Over the years I’ve written about dozens of clean technology companies doing very innovative work. Most , at some time or another, have received funding from a federal agency called Sustainable Development Technology Canada, or SDTC.

You may not have heard of this agency, but it has been around for nearly a decade and has played a crucial role as public nurturer of Canada’s fledgling green innovation economy.

It has funded 210 demonstration projects touching on everything from electric transportation and advanced energy storage to nuclear fusion and water desalination.

The technologies behind these projects are important if we, as a country, hope to use energy more efficiently, reduce waste, conserve water, shrink our collective carbon footprint, and keep pollution out of our air, soil and water.

But it’s not just about the environment. Businesses and industries that adopt these clean technologies become more competitive and productive by using limited and increasingly expensive resources more efficiently.

Gasoline prices are above $1.20 a litre. The price of oil seems to be finding a permanent home above $100 (U.S.) a barrel. Commodity prices are at record highs, driving up the cost of food and industrial materials.

The situation is going to get worse over the long term. Countries that learn how to do more with less will be far better off in the 21st century, and those countries that develop the enabling technologies can seize a healthy share of a growing global export market.

Sustainable Development Technology Canada has helped give home-grown innovators a leg up. For every dollar it has put toward a clean technology demonstration project, another $2.40 of mostly private-sector money has been brought to the table.

Put another way, of the $515 million the agency has so far granted it has attracted more than $1.2 billion.

This match-and-more funding from the private sector is what makes SDTC’s approach attractive. It squeezes money from institutions, companies and other players that might otherwise have no interest.

It reduces project risk by doing much of the upfront due diligence and putting its own flesh — that is, taxpayer dollars — in the game, making participation more palatable to private partners and venture capitalists.

SDTC doesn’t throw money at anybody. The bar is high for those who apply. Many complain that the application process is too taxing, but this is public money, after all.

Despite this successful formula — an approach being eyed as a model for the United Kingdom and California — the federal government has put SDTC on a shorter and shorter leash over the past two years. The initial $550 million fund created for the agency nine years ago is near empty, yet the Harper government declined in its 2010 budget to top it up.

The latest federal budget, now shelved because of the election, made an additional $40 million available over two years. But that represents less than a quarter of Sustainable Development Technology Canada’s annual funding over the past few years.


Full online article about clean technology politics in Canada

Canada: Sustainable Economy AND Greener Environment

There are two major problems with the shallow, toxic consumer society being fostered upon citizens by multinational corporate giants:

A) Destruction of Earth - Unsustainable industrial activity destroys the very foundations of our food, water and air, and the Green Party has been and is best at addressing these accelerating ecological issues.

and

B) Destruction of Equity - Unsustainable corporate pay scales destroy our towns and communities by paying workers a less than liveable wage, and diverting dividends and re-investment dollars into extreme executive compensation. The New Democratic Party has been and is the best at addressing these deepening social issues.


It would seem both prudent and wise for all of us to work hard and expedite this merger of the two progressive political forces in Canada. We have been the gadfly long enough, and it is now time to take the reins of power.


Ladies: The Age of Civil Disobedience and Nonviolence is here

Sisters and Mothers, Daughters and Grand-daughters: When you are certain of what you want, take your pots and pans to the busiest intersection in your town or city. These tactics have been successful in previous suffrage and human rights movements, and this time we suggest you bring your brother, husbands and sons with you, to show support and follow your leadership.

In the context of the proposed forthcoming merger of the New Democratic Party and the Green Party in Canada, I proclaim that the initiative will gather momentum and breathe life and energy into the Canadian political landscape, and this will occur because female NDPer's and Greens shall form an unbreakable bond and convince their families and friends to support the new major political force in Canada, the Green Democratic Party.

Joe Trainor
TalkPlusAction