I can't believe Jack's gone...

Honourable Jack Layton, 1950-2011


It is a sad day for Canada, as Jack Layton was one of the most rooted, devoted and passionate politicians Canadians have seen in a long time. Regardless of whether you agreed with Layton's politics, his tireless efforts on behalf of regular people were to be deeply admired, and his recent breakthrough in Quebec was nothing short of revolutionary.

In the tradition of Tommy Douglas and Ed Broadbent, you served your country well, Brotherman.

We would be remiss if we did not take this opportunity to state that NOW is the time to consolidate Jack's gains made in recent months and years, and the only way to do this is for all politically progressive Canadians to demand a merger of the New Democratic Party of Canada and the Green Party of Canada.

If PEI can arrange this union at the provincial level initially, then Prince Edward Island will not only be the Birthplace of Canadian Federation, but also the inspiration for Canada's renewal.

Charlottetown Calling... to the far away towns!

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.

New Democratic Party and Green Party Economic Policy

Principles guiding the Green Party of Canada Economic Plan

Reducing waste: Improving our lives

Greens are committed to improving our collective well-being. Greens recognize that we need new measurements of our societal health and well-being. Greens know that the notion of unending economic growth is a dangerous illusion. We can do far more with far less. The central driving principle of Green Economic Policy is to improve well-being by eliminating waste. Our society has embedded wasteful practices at every turn. We waste raw materials, waste water and waste energy. In fact of all the energy used by Canadians, more than half is wasted. Green economic policies aim to improve the efficiency of resource and energy use by a factor of four.

In their seminal book, Factor Four, Ernst von Weizacker, Amory B. Lovins and L. Hunter Lovins concluded: “The amount of wealth extracted from one unit of natural resources
can quadruple. Thus we can live twice as well – yet use half as much.”

There is abundant evidence to support this contention. Improvements in labour productivity drove economic growth after World War II. We must now repeat the exercise as we improve the productivity of resource and energy use.

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.

Our fiscal plan is straightforward: Use the tax system to help meet societal and ecological goals. Get the prices right. Allow business to pursue profit, with clear signals of environmental and societal objectives.

The Green commitment to Green tax relief will:

Reduce income taxes, including a stop to the practice of over-taxing married couples.
Reduce payroll taxes.
Introduce a carbon tax, sending a clear economic signal that wasting energy and resources implies real costs.
According to an editorial in The Economist, September 9, 2006:

“Ideally, politicians would choose the more efficient carbon tax, which implies
a relatively stable price that producers can build into their investment plans.”

The Greens will also eliminate large corporate subsidies and grants programs.

It makes no sense to subsidize the wealthiest companies on Earth to make the world’s most profitable product -- a barrel of oil. These perverse subsidies must be removed. It makes sense to reduce taxes on things we want – income and employment – while increasing taxes on things we do not want, like greenhouse gases and pollution that causes smog.

Canadian businesses want two things from their government: predictability and policy coherence. The Green Government will ensure that the rules are clear, the playing field is level and decision-making is transparent.

Key societal goals:

Ensure Canadians have more time for friends, family and community engagement.
Send the right price signals to the economy. The days of cheap, abundant energy are over. A carbon tax will send that signal and generate the revenue to cut income taxes, allow “income splitting” and reduce the tax burden on small business.
Eliminate perverse corporate subsidies. No more “corporate welfare bums.” No more unpaid “loans” to government granting agencies.

Part 1: The Green Economy - Applying Green principles to economic decision-making

Français - Fondements du plan économique vert



New Democratic Party - Our Vision for Canada

The New Democratic Party believes in economic prosperity and social equality for all Canadians.

Our commitment is reflected in a vision for Canada that emphasizes strong and sustainable economic growth, strong environmental stewardship, equal rights for all, and effective social programs – including universal Medicare – that ensure no Canadian is left behind. New Democrats believe that Canada must be a leading global voice for peace and human rights on the world stage.

The statements below comprise official policy of New Democratic Party of Canada that has been drafted and endorsed by the members of the Party, everyday Canadians like you who support building a greener and more just Canada.

SECTION 1: Economy

Innovating and Prospering in the New Energy Economy



SECTION 2: Environment

NDP Canada: Building a Clean and Sustainable Economy



SECTION 3: Social Policy

NDP: Investing in a Canada Where no one is Left Behind



SECTION 4: Foreign Affairs

NDP Policy: Redefining Canada’s Place in the World



SECTION 5: Governance

NDP Canada Governing in an Inclusive and Fair Canada



SECTION 6: Rights and Heritage

NDP Canada Strengthening Human Rights and the Canadian Identity

Green Democratic Party to unite progressive forces in Canada

Our goal is to inspire one million new members to join the Green Party and/or the New Democratic Party over the next three years, and to utilize the human and financial capital contributed to form a single, effective union of the progressive political forces in Canada, from BC to PEI.

The Green Democratic Party of Canada will provide a unified voice that will elevate social democrats and greens from the "gadfly" role to actually governing our nation in a responsible, responsive manner, thus benefiting all Canadians.

Join the NDP Party of Canada

Donate online to New Democratic Party of Canada

Join or donate to Green Party of Canada

We believe that uniting the New Democratic Party and the Green Party in Canada will create a powerful, positive force in the Canadian political and economic landscapes, spurring green jobs creation and providing more widespread prosperity and social equity in Canada for generations to come.

Talk Plus Action
March 2011