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.
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