A key element in our multi-national federation is a commitment to flexibility and the accommodation of differences between provincial governments and between peoples. Asymmetry is an important means of fostering collective political identity and meaningful governmental consent when Canadians have multiple political allegiances. That is, it allows people to be comfortable as both Quebecers and Canadians.

Although Canada is a single country with a common public dialogue and a common set of values and political commitments, the existence of a common country does not require a uniform set of values, cultures, and laws. Canadians come from a great variety of backgrounds and cultures, and have varied political concerns. The Green Party of Canada therefore recognizes that Quebecers and First Nations people form a number of ‘nations’ within a united Canada. We also believe that different institutional arrangements and styles of governance can ensure fairness and equity for all Canadians.

It is important that Quebecers, just like Canadians in other provinces, have a say over the same kinds of political decisions, but that they are sometimes able to exercise their say in a provincial rather than a federal forum. Federal arrangements that reflect the cultural and linguistic diversity within Canada are able to enhance our diversity and our unity.

The Green Party of Canada is a grassroots party with a global perspective. We are all planetary citizens, but determine our rights and responsibilities based on our local empowerment. As such, the Green Party of Canada respects the rights of Quebecers to determine their own future.

Quebec and the rest of Canada must work together as partners, in the true spirit of Confederation, and work to solve their fiscal and cultural imbalances. Federal powers to regulate high environmental, health, and labour standards must be strengthened while at the same time moving funding and implementation to provincial levels.

Green Party MPs will:

• Ensure Quebec’s unique place within Canada is recognized and affirmed in all agreements between various levels of government;
• Respect Quebec’s right to opt out of social programs and be fully compensated by the federal government if it provides a reasonably similar program;
• Promote a form of federal-provincial tax-shifting that would gradually reduce the fiscal imbalance;
• Support Quebec’s official representation at UNESCO and ensure that if Quebec and the federal representative do not agree upon a matter then Canada would abstain;
• Rebalance the funding formula to ensure fairness across regions and provinces;
• Recognize the legitimate right of the people of Quebec to freely and democratically determine its full and undiminished sovereignty through a clear majority vote in Quebec on a clear question in favour of secession, provided it is politically and legally recognized by the international community.

The post 6.13 Quebec’s place in Canada appeared first on Elizabeth May.

After the 1982 patriation of the Constitution and the refusal of Quebec to sign the Constitution, after two failed federal accords, two referendums, asymmetrical federalism, a sponsorship scandal, and ‘nation within a nation’ legislation, many Quebecers and Canadians ask the obvious question: “Where do we go from here?”

The Green Party proposes to make Canada a true functioning Confederation in which the provinces and territories are more empowered and financed to meet the needs of their communities.

Green Party MPs will:

• Rebalance the funding formula to ensure fairness across regions and provinces;
• Remove the false choice for those provinces eligible for equalization to allow access to funds for health, education, and other services provided through equalization, and remove any requirement to abandon rights under the Atlantic Accord.

The post 6.12 Rebuilding federal/provincial/territorial relations appeared first on Elizabeth May.

The catastrophic 9.0 earthquake followed by a 3-metre-high tsunami wave and nuclear melt-downs that hit Japan in March 2011, coupled with catastrophic earthquakes in Haiti in February 2010 and in Christchurch, New Zealand in February of 2011, have put the need for national emergency preparedness at the top of Canadians’ minds. Yet in 2010, our federal government cut $35.8 million over three years from the budget of Public Safety Canada, resulting in cutbacks at Canada’s only national emergency preparedness college, and reductions in Joint Emergency Preparedness Program (JEPP) funding for emergency preparedness infrastructure and training. These cuts were imposed on an already-inadequate budget and severely compromise Canada’s emergency preparedness.

Canadian municipalities, which are charged with the responsibility of preparing for and responding to emergencies, do not, in the vast majority of cases, have the finances to put their local emergency plans into practical use. They need the help of the federal government. The 9-11 attacks in the United States and the SARS epidemic prompted the Government of Canada to provide special funds for emergency preparedness for terrorist attacks and pandemics.

The Green Party believes that the high likelihood of emergencies related to seismic events, tsunamis, and events related to climate change such as catastrophic storms, point to the need for the Government of Canada to fast-track increased funding and support for national emergency preparedness.

Green Party MPs will:

• Work to greatly increase funding through Public Safety Canada and the Joint Emergency Preparedness Program (JEPP) for projects that implement municipal, territorial, and provincial emergency preparedness plans, including: public education and training programs; local emergency infrastructure, such as adequate tsunami warning systems; civil defence sirens and other communication systems; adequate marking of emergency evacuation routes; and means to supply essential services such as medical services, energy supplies, food, and water;
• Push Public Safety Canada to simplify the application process and expand the eligibility criteria for funding through the JEPP;
• Work to increase funding for emergency preparedness training programs for emergency responders, including the Canadian Emergency Preparedness College;
• Work to provide funding to fast-track seismic upgrading of public buildings such as hospitals, schools, and fire halls. The program for seismic upgrading should be coupled with the programs for energy retrofitting of public buildings, so as to ensure efficient use of public funds.

The post 6.11 Emergency Preparedness and Public Safety appeared first on Elizabeth May.

It is a fundamental principle of a free and democratic state that its police must be exemplary and above reproach.

The Green Party supports RCMP officers across Canada. The Green Party supports a professional Royal Canadian Mounted Police force that not only has the highest conduct standards, but also commands the respect of all Canadians.

Green Party MPs will:

• Pass legislation that establishes an independent body to investigate complaints regarding the conduct of RCMP officers with full judicial inquiry powers and the requirement to report its finding publicly;
• Provide more funding to the RCMP, specifically to give more training to new recruits;
• Ensure RCMP in the line of duty are provided with the best technology in protective equipment and are always supported with adequate back-up in dangerous encounters with violent offenders;
• Create a Board of Management to monitor and advise with respect to the RCMP’s organizational, administrative, and financial accountability. This Board would oversee the RCMP’s operations in strategic planning and implementation, budget planning and financial management, human resources management, risk management, communications, and organizational performance management;
• Provide guidance to the RCMP in cultivating a promotion system that is based upon performance, skill, and ability. The morale and discipline of the force depend upon clear and transparent guidelines for the personal advancement of officers;
• Work in cooperation with the provinces and territories to establish the RCMP as a truly national police force re-focused upon the enforcement of federal laws;
• Ensure the RCMP has the freedom and independence to conduct investigations into government officials, bureaucrats, and corporate executives, without interference from politicians.

The post 6.10 Restoring public confidence in the RCMP appeared first on Elizabeth May.

In recent years, more and more of Canada’s major companies and control over natural resources have been bought out by foreign-owned corporations. This is not in the best interests of Canadians.

Green Party MPs will:

• Sponsor and support legislation that restricts foreign ownership in Canada in strategic sectors so that Canadians remain in control of the destiny of Canada, reap the benefits from the exploitation of Canadian resources, and retain the right to determine their use and rate of exploitation;

• Key strategic resources (e.g. energy, communications, transportation, water) should be controlled by Canadian-owned or publicly owned corporations.

The post 6.9 Ensuring Canadian ownership of vital resources and industries appeared first on Elizabeth May.

During recent years, the ownership of the media in Canada has been concentrated into fewer and fewer hands. Today, Canada has the most concentrated ownership of any country in the ‘free world.’ Nearly all of Canada’s newspapers, radio stations, and television networks are owned by a handful of corporate players. The national public broadcasters, the CBC and Radio Canada, are exceptions, but they are fearful of losing funding. The 42 daily newspapers in Canada owned by PostMedia carry syndicated news and columns. We had a golden opportunity when the Canwest empire melted down and the 42 newspapers in its chain were up for sale. Tragically, the trustee in bankruptcy insisted all 42 be sold as a block. It was the perfect time to give some entrepreneur with a commitment to journalism a chance to bring the Kingston Whig-Standard and the London Free Press back to their glory days. The Green Party was the only party to call for the government to dismantle the corporate control of all 42 major dailies, and, in the end, Postmedia picked them up.

A free and diverse range of voices in our national and local media is an essential ingredient to a healthy democracy.

Green Party MPs will:

• Call for an Independent Commission to undertake a comprehensive study of the concentration of media ownership in Canada in comparison to other western countries and recommend how to diversify media ownership and strengthen the depth and breadth of news reporting, especially local news, in Canada.

The post 6.8 Reducing concentration of ownership of the media appeared first on Elizabeth May.

The post 6.7 Open Government Data appeared first on Elizabeth May.

The internet has become an essential tool in knowledge storage and the free flow of information between citizens. It is playing a critical role in democratizing communications and society as a whole. There are corporations that want to control the content of information on the internet and alter the free flow of information by giving preferential treatment to those who pay extra for faster service.

The Green Party of Canada is committed to the original design principle of the internet – network neutrality: the idea that a maximally useful public information network treats all content, sites, and platforms equally, thus allowing the network to carry every form of information and support every kind of application.

Green Party MPs will:

• Pass legislation granting the internet in Canada the status of Common Carrier – prohibiting Internet Service Providers (ISPs) from discriminating due to content while freeing them from liability for content transmitted through their systems;
• Support Canada’s Advanced Research and Innovation Network (CANARIE);
• Increase infrastructure spending to accommodate increased bandwidth use and to improve access to rural and remote Canadians (see Section 1.14 Infrastructure and Communities);
• Review the economic model of how ISPs bill their customers;
• Improve support for small ISPs to improve competition and diversity choice for consumers;
• Ensure network neutrality by supporting the principles of fair use, consumer information privacy, communications market competition, and rationalization of the statutory damages provision.

The post 6.6 Supporting the free flow of information appeared first on Elizabeth May.

Charities across Canada have increasingly faced politically inspired, ideologically based repetitive audits and harassment. In 2012, the Harper budget increased the Canada Revenue Agency’s budget by $8 million specifically to pursue charities with a focus on environmental protection. It has since been increased to $13 million. Some environmental groups have had repeated audits without ever being given a report. This limbo state leaves them insecure and silenced in the face of the most devastating attacks on environmental laws and policies in Canada’s history. A similar ‘chill’ has hit charitable organizations working to end poverty in Canada and abroad, as well as for groups advocating for human rights. As evidence that this assault is ideological, the charitable status of the Fraser Institute has not been questioned.

Green Party MPs will:

• Promote revising and updating the laws relating to charitable NGOs, so that NGOs can participate in advocacy and be able to retain their charitable status and their ability to accept tax deductible donations.

The post 6.5 Allowing charitable societies to advocate for change appeared first on Elizabeth May.

The federal government is the largest customer for a wide range of goods and services in Canada. Our government should ensure it gets the best value for every dollar spent, but that means considering criteria that are essential to developing a just and sustainable society.

The Green Party believes that the federal government should set an example in its purchasing policies, ensuring that its expenditures support a strong Canadian economy, good labour practices, and environmental protection.

Green Party MPs will:

• Require that government purchase Canadian-made products and services wherever possible and, if imports are necessary, procure certified fair-trade goods (produced with responsible labour and environmental practices) wherever possible;

• Require that all government departments and agencies incorporate a ‘triple bottom line’ (social, economic, and environmental cost/benefit) analysis in purchasing goods and services and assessing their operations and programs;

• Require that all government departments and agencies meet the highest environmental standards including full recycling, purchase and use of small energy-efficient vehicles, and energy-efficient and toxic-free buildings with toxic-free grounds maintenance;

• Ensure transparency in purchasing decisions by making that information available for public oversight.

The post 6.4 Making government a leader in ethical purchasing appeared first on Elizabeth May.