Live Green Now

Green party Leader Elizabeth May recently outlined her party's green vision to ensure that Canadians continue to enjoy a high quality of life and wellness.  May outlined her party's vision for Canada in response to the Conservative Speech from the Throne, given by Stephen Harper on October 16, which focused on taxes, crime and extending Canada's participation in the Afghanistan mission.

 

In her counter speech May outlined the importance of crafting solid policies that will leave successive generations with an environmentally healthy world in which they can expect to live long and healthy lives.  In order to ensure government policies are in line with the goal of a healthy planet earth for future generations the Green Party examines all of their policies through the following lenses:

• Does it advance the common good?
• Does it advance global security, in environmental and geo-political terms?
• Does it address the needs of children?
• Does it protect, enhance and restore the life support systems of the planet?

It seems to me that this is a pretty good approach if one wants a just and sustainable society.   May also presented the Green Party's bold solutions to halting and reversing our current trend towards irreversible climate changes.  Her solutions include emission reductions including a Green tax shift, moving taxes off income and onto carbon and enhanced regulations for energy efficiency.  She also proposes confronting the growing cancer epidemic by reducing exposure to cancer-causing chemicals - in our food, consumer products, workplaces and environment.

 May's idea that differs the most radically from the direction Stephen Harper's government is headed is her determination that we, "work with the European Union and other responsible nations to distance ourselves from the sabotage efforts of the current U.S. administration. Our policy on the climate crisis will be driven by the best scientific advice, not by industrial lobby groups".  I am not sure where I stand on some of the Green Party's proposals but I would definitely agree with the last statement!

 

(All cited figures and quotes are from May sets out green future - TheStar.com, Nov 3)