Newfoundland and Labrador Green Party

Blog No More

2008-10-25T07:39:00.000-07:00

This blog will not be updated any further, as any visitors may now have seen. Because it's a memory that I wish to keep, I will not be deleting it. Feel free to poke around if you wish.

If you are interested in the Green Party, I suggest going to their website.

If you want to read other blogs by the author of this one, check out either of the following:

Understanding Eli - Personal mix bag of nuts blog.
NL BlogRoll - The hub for all blogs in Newfoundland and Labrador
Canada Demands 9/11 Truth - An information blog for 9/11 Truth in Canada

In peace. In Truth. In Love
Stephen

Green Party gives thumbs down to “bits and pieces” budget

2007-03-22T17:29:00.000-07:00

Thanks to the Green Party website for the following.

Harper budget heavy on PR but lacking in substance.

Ottawa – The Green Party has rejected the federal budget brought down today by Finance Minister Jim Flaherty. “This is a budget that is heavy on public relations but lacking any real substance when it comes to the key issues,” said Green Party leader Elizabeth May.

“The government has included lots of small goodies for just about everyone but all those bits and pieces don’t add up to much,” she said. “It’s a most unimpressive budget and the Green Party would certainly join with the Liberal Party and the NDP in voting against it.”

Ms. May singled out the budget’s climate change initiatives for particular criticism, calling them piecemeal and, in the final analysis, insignificant.

“There is no way this government will ever be able to deliver credible climate policy while it insists on adhering to the regressive greenhouse gas reduction targets of 45-60% below 2003 levels by 2050,” she said. “That translates to about 30% below 1990 levels and we need to reach that by 2020. These targets are a formula for disaster.”

Ms. May did welcome Mr. Flaherty’s decision to borrow a plank from the Green Party platform by introducing a “feebate” tax incentive to shift drivers out of gas guzzlers and into fuel-efficient vehicles but said that one eye-catching initiative did not constitute effective climate policy.

“If this was part of an overall strategy that included a suite of similar initiatives, we could actually look forward to significant progress on climate change,” she said. “By itself, it will hardly make a dent in Canada’s emissions.”

She also criticized the budget’s weak response in the areas of child care, support for aboriginal communities and tax relief for poor and middle class families. “They included some personal finance breaks but exclude broad-based income splitting,” she said. “In almost every area, Mr. Flaherty has chosen to tinker around the edges rather than take substantive action.”

-30-

Contact:
Camille Labchuk
613-882-4761
clabchuk@greenparty.ca

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13% There's just no stopping the Green Party

2007-03-05T08:54:00.000-08:00

From the Green Party website:

13% There's just no stopping the Green Party

The Green Party continues its meteoric rise in the polls. The latest figures from Decima Research released today show the Greens at 13% nationwide, tied with the NDP.

The Green Party continues its meteoric rise in the polls. The latest figures from Decima Research released today show the Greens at 13% nationwide, tied with the NDP.

It is the Green Party's highest ever national polling figure and the first time in the history of Decima polling that the party has been level with the NDP.

Today's 13% Decima result confirms the unstoppable momentum of Green power, following recent results from other polling companies: 11% in an Environics poll in January and 12% in a Strategic Counsel poll last month.

Tories Surge ahead of Grits

Harper's Middle East policy counterproductive

2006-07-26T10:16:00.000-07:00

Harper's Middle East policy counterproductive

(Ottawa - Friday, 26 July 2006) By calling Israeli attacks on Lebanon 'a measured response,' Prime Minister Stephen Harper shows he has a poor grasp of international humanitarian law and the conflict in the Middle East, said Green Party of Canada Leader Jim Harris today.

Harris was responding to comments made by Prime Minister Harper this past week that Israel's bombardment of southern Lebanon was 'a measured response' to Hezbollah attacks. According to human rights organizations, both Israel and Hezbollah have already caused hundreds of civilian casualties in the conflict that began July 12.

According to Human Rights Watch, Hezbollah attacks on Israel show signs of a deliberate attempt to harm civilians after rockets were found to be armed with metal ball bearings. At least 29 people have been killed by Hezbollah attacks on Israel and more than 306 people - including eight Canadians - have been killed from Israeli attacks on southern Lebanon.

"Canada's role in the Middle East should be to reduce tensions, find working solutions and uphold international humanitarian law, not to take sides in a chronic conflict where both sides have justifiable claims and questionable tactics," said Green Party of Canada Foreign Affairs Advocate, Eric Walton.

Elected Green Party MPs will work to support a two-state solution to the Israel/Palestine crisis and also seek to incorporate an international plan for stimulating economic prosperity in both nations.

"Siding primarily with Israeli and U.S. foreign policy in this region is an unwise shift for Canada and reduces our potential to make a difference in helping to bring comprehensive peace to the region," said Walton.

For more information:
Van Ferrier
Media Relations Officer

Authorized by the Chief Agent of the Green Party of Canada
Information: media@greenparty.ca

National Convention - Aug 24 to 27, 06 - Ottawa, Ontario

2006-05-27T11:36:00.000-07:00

The following is borrowed from the Green Party website

When: August 24 to 27, 2006
Where: Ottawa Congress Centre, Ottawa, Ontario

What is the National Convention?
This is the event for Party members, combining a policy convention and biennial general meeting. At the convention we will:

* Debate and vote on policy resolutions for ratification by the membership
* Elect the Leader of the Party
* Elect the governing Council of the Party
* Hold a general meeting of the membership (selection of shadow advocates, Ombuds committee, various resolutions, etc.)

Members will also be voting by mail-in ballot, before the convention, on revisions to the constitution proposed by the Constitutional Review Committee. Members will receive this ballot and proposal in the mail this summer.

Program for the National Convention 2006
Overview

* Thursday August 24: registration starting 5:30 p.m., opening reception at 7:30 p.m. (cash bar)
* Friday August 25: Policy workshops and plenary (voting on policy resolutions)
* Saturday August 26: Vote for Leader; policy workshops and plenary; gala dinner
* Sunday August 27: General Meeting including council
elections

A detailed schedule will be sent to all registered participants.

Leadership Race
Click here for complete information about elections for Party Leader.
Official rules for the 2006 GPC leadership race.

Council Elections
Click here for complete information about Council elections.
Federal Council Election Rules.

How do policy resolutions and directives work?
Policy page

Workshops and Speakers
A number of workshops and speakers are being prepared. They will each be added here as soon as they are confirmed.

Constitutional changes
The Constitutional Review Committee (CRC) established at the Party’s last general meeting is presenting revisions to the Party’s constitution to the membership for a mail-in vote this summer before the convention. The CRC is no longer taking new proposals for constitutional amendments. Members may always submit resolutions to amend the constitution in accordance with the article of the constitution dealing with amendments.

How do I register to attend the National Convention?
Online: click here to register online

By mail: download this form, print it, fill it in, and mail it with your payment

Registering early saves you money and helps the Party plan. Please refer to the Deadlines table for registration fees and note the deadlines for discounted fees. A portion of your registration fee is eligible for a tax receipt. The amount of the tax receipt for each registration fee is shown in the table.

What’s included? What’s not?
The registration fee includes:

* Admission to all convention sessions, workshops, events, and speakers
* Thursday evening reception
* Coffee and refreshments on Friday, Saturday and Sunday
* Lunch on Friday, Saturday and Sunday
* Saturday night banquet dinner

The registration fee does not include your travel to Ottawa or sleeping accommodations (see below for options).

Accommodations Options
The registration fee does not include sleeping accommodation. Accommodation options near the convention site include university residence, youth hostel, and a full range of hotels. The location is also convenient for billeting, and there are even camping facilities within 20 Km of the site.

More information regarding accommodation options and billeting will be posted here.
.
Can I be subsidized to attend the Convention?
Yes. If you are a student or a low income member you can approach your nearest EDA about being sponsored (you don’t have to live in the district). Please see the section below about sponsoring by EDAs.

Can an Electoral District Association (EDA) sponsor people’s convention costs?
Yes! Here is how it works:

An EDA can pay part or all of a member’s costs of attending the convention. This can include part or all of registration, travel, and accommodation. (The central party can not do this as it is the vendor in the transaction.)

The EDA can sponsor any GPC member (e.g. students, low income, or anyone they want) including people residing outside of the EDA (e.g. members residing where there is no EDA).

EDAs can fundraise and take donations to be used to sponsor members to attend. Donors do not have to reside in the EDA.

Travel Specials
Information regarding travel specials that the Party negotiates will be posted here.

How do I find out more?
This website is the definitive source for all information related to the convention. All the most up-to-date information is here and all new information is added here first as soon as it becomes available. If you have questions about the information that is here please contact the GPC national office by email at office(at)greenparty.ca or by phone at 1-866-868-3447.

May wants to lead Greens

2006-05-18T11:52:00.000-07:00

The following is provided by the Cape Breton Post.

May wants to lead Greens
Cape Breton Post. Cape Breton, N.S.: May 10, 2006. pg. A.1

Elizabeth May, one of the country's best-known environmentalists, will seek the leadership of the Green party, pledging to woo disaffected voters back to politics.

May, a lawyer, former executive director of the Sierra Club and an officer of the Order of Canada who was raised in Cape Breton, is disillusioned with mainstream parties and wants to change the face of politics.

"I really think the old labelling of left, right and centre are so outmoded," she said at a Tuesday news conference announcing her candidacy. "They really represent an anachronism in the way we talk about politics."

She said she'll take pragmatism over politics if necessary.

"If the appropriate solution to an environmental problem is a market mechanism, then we use it. We're not doctrinaire in the old sense."

But she also suggested she will try and expand the scope of the party, which until now has been seen as focused more on the environment than social issues.

"The Green party must be concerned with the plight of the poor," she said.

"You can't have environmental sustainability with social injustice, it's just not possible."

She's seeking to take over a party torn by infighting under the leadership of Jim Harris the leader since 2002, who announced his departure last month.

His tenure was marked by internal party struggles, questions about his environmentalist credentials and threats of legal action against party members who criticized him.

The party itself essentially practised kitchen table politics on a shoestring for years until new federal campaign finance laws delivered a cash windfall before the campaign for the Jan. 23 election.

Even flush with money, the Greens made little progress over their 2004 showing, raising their vote share to 4.5 per cent from 4.3 per cent.

May promises to expand the party's appeal and membership.

"Youth, in particular, need to find a party that they can support enthusiastically," she said.

May brings a higher profile to the party. Harris was a little known quantity to many and was seen by some as having a libertarian streak.

Under him, the party managed to field candidates in every riding, but couldn't win a Commons seat.

May brings a lifetime in activism, wide public recognition and a career's worth of contacts, from the Sierra Club board to famed wildlife painter Robert Bateman, who is honorary chair of her campaign.

Her only rival so far is David Chernushenko, the party's deputy leader. He ran in Ottawa Centre in the last election, winning 10 per cent of the vote in a riding that went to the NDP.

The party chooses its new leader at a convention in Ottawa Aug. 24- 27.

Green is an essential colour in our spectrum

2006-05-18T11:37:00.000-07:00

The following is an excellent article from the Montreal Gazette

Green is an essential colour in our spectrum; [Final Edition]
The Gazette. Montreal, Que.: Apr 30, 2006. pg. A.14

Canada needs a Green Party, a strong sophisticated one willing to say "environmental issues need to be at the top of our national priorities list." Jim Harris, who has led the party in the last two elections, has announced his decision to step down, and a new leader will be named this summer.

As Liberal leadership hopefuls criss-cross the country this summer, the Green Party risks being marginalized again, as tends to happen at election time. The Greens were optimistic after the 2004 federal election, when voters wanted to say "neither one of the above" to the Liberals and Conservatives. The Greens didn't elect anyone that year, but ran a full slate of candidates and amassed 600,000 votes, 4.3 per cent of the total. It was reason for optimism.

But in 2006 the party reached only 4.5 per cent, and again didn't come close to electing a single member of Parliament. The way expectations work is that while 4.3 in '04 was considered great news, 4.5 in '06 was a big disappointment for the party, especially since it had been on the gravy train of subsidies from the government for the first time.

Harris showed some admirable qualities as leader, but he also came under criticism, largely from party members who find his brand of environmentalism a little too cozy with the private sector. On balance he was probably correct to think that his usefulness to the party, if not the movement, is finished. But he, like everyone honourably involved in politics, has earned the respect of all Canadians for his efforts.

There are already two plausible possible candidates to replace him, deputy leader David Chernushenko and Elizabeth May, who was until recently executive director of the Sierra Club of Canada.

A glance at the party's platform reveals the strength, and weakness, of the Harris legacy. The platform does at least touch on each major issue of national concern. But it says more about biodiversity than about Quebec and national unity. Even many of the environmental planks are incremental, rather than radical.

Positioning the Green Party as a potential government, complete with policy on pay equity and regional arts festivals, is a pointless exercise and will likely remain so for decades. That's doubly true for downright foolish platform planks, such as requiring cinemas to offer at least 20 per cent Canadian content.

We've already got lots of parties with priority plans for everything. What Canadians need, we believe, is a truly green Green Party, one which can serve as an energetic, well-informed national conscience, not just another power-seeker.

This country has serious environmental problems, especially the slow-motion catastrophe of climate change. More and more Canadians are willing to listen and learn about that issue in particular, but mainstream parties keep shuffling it to the bottom of the pack of priorities.

It's easy to say "we are all environmentalists now" but if that were true, Canada's greenhouse gas emissions would be dwindling, not increasing.

Canadians need a clear, vigorous Green Party to press the other parties to keep their eye on the ball - the big blue ball we live on.

A new poll puts GPC in statistical tie with Bloc

2006-05-08T12:54:00.000-07:00

A new poll by Strategic Counsel shows the Green Party at 9% and the Bloc at 10%. This means we are statistically tied!!!

When asked which political party’s candidate they would vote for tomorrow, 35 per cent of Canadians said a Conservative candidate — down 4% from April.

For other party candidates (with +/- change since April in brackets):

* 31 per cent said Liberal (+2);
* 16 per cent said NDP (+2);
* 10 per cent said Bloc Quebecois (-1); and
* 9 per cent said Green Party (+2).

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20060505/conservative_poll_060505/20060506?hub=TopStories

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Newfoundland and Labrador, green party, Green Party of Canada

Abel Announces Green Party Leadership Race

2006-04-01T09:13:00.000-08:00

News Release
For Immediate Release
Abel Announces Green Party Leadership Race

(Ottawa - Wednesday, March 29, 2006) – Bruce Abel, Chair of the Green Party of Canada’s Federal Council, announced today that nominations for the Leadership of the Green Party will open on April 21, 2006. Voting on the leadership will take place at the party’s national convention in Ottawa August 24-27, 2006.

"According to our constitution, there is an election for the leadership every two years, regardless of whether the current leader wishes to continue or not," explained Abel.

A $2,000 registration fee is required of all candidates. Candidates are allowed to spend up to $50,000 on their campaign.

The election of the leader is a one-member-one-vote process. Members have the option to mail in their votes if they are unable to attend the convention. Membership in the Green Party of Canada must be purchased or renewed no later than June 27, 2006 to qualify to vote. To join the party visit www.greenparty.ca or call 1-866-868-3447.

In addition to the election of the leader, the convention will also elect members of Federal Council and vote on resolutions to change party policy.

The Green Party of Canada is Canada’s fourth largest national party. The party won the support of 700,000 Canadians in the 2006 General Election.

For more information:
Derek Pinto
Media Relations Officer

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Newfoundland and Labrador, green party, Green Party of Canada

My Final Thoughts on the Seal Hunt

2006-03-06T20:46:00.000-08:00

Because the issue has been resurfaced as of late, mostly due to it being close to the time of year when the hunt begins, I feel a need to post about the Seal Hunt. I think this'll be for the last time. Having the issue being brought up again brings back painful memories of the recent election where I was inundated with it. Now, I'm just exhausted with the very thought. Mainly because I sit on a very strange part of the fence when it comes to the hunt... and yes, that's just as uncomfortable as it sounds.

Of course, I say that I'll never speak of it again now, knowing full well that it's impossible to ignore the issue, being a Newfoundland and Labradorian. I do badly want to throw in the towel for the argument however. I'm just exhausted. I'm tired of saying the same things over and over again without it really being heard. So, for a while, this'll be it.

Friday, Mar 3rd 2006, Danny Williams was provided the opportunity to debate with Paul McCartney and his wife on Larry King Live. The topic, of course, was the Seal Hunt. I'm not going to bother talking about the events of this show because it's been talked to death. Also, the transcript is available online, which is a darn good thing because now there is no disputing what was said. Albeit, just the words alone cannot convey just how annoying Heather Mills really is... and that's all I say about that.

The Seal Hunt (and because I'm talking about this on the Green Party Blog, I have to reinterate that this party is against the hunt as it stands now) war has been going on for decades and I'm not exactly sure why. There are much more important things for us to be wasting our time doing. There are far worse things on this earth that we have to figure out, with regards to animals of all kinds, human and wild alike.

Yes, it's brutal. The killing of any living this is. Yes, the baby seals are defenseless and really darn cute. That's why they aren't killed. I understand these things that the activists are saying. What I don't understand is why they choose this one small industry in a world that kills I don't know how many cows a year to keep McDonalds operating and that's just one franchise.

Look humans are omnivorous. We live within a food chain. We eat meat, INCLUDING seal and therefore must kill these animals in order to consume them. It's not pretty but, it's life... and in Newfoundland and Labrador, it's a way of life...

... but sadly, here I halt my rant. Why? Because, in the end, I predict that those who want the hunt stopped will achieve their goal. Not because they convinced the world that it's wrong to do so but because they've completely changed the image of a seal to represent their needs and not the needs of basic human survival. Even if it's proven that a seal hunt is sustainable, nobody's going to want to purchase the product because of this manipulation. To me, that's truly sad. It's funny what the color of money can do to good people.

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Seal Hunt, Green Party of Canada, Green Party, Paul McCartney, Larry King

McCartney Protests Seal Hunt

2006-03-01T08:28:00.000-08:00

Because there has been so much discussion on the Seal Hunt in the past, I figure this article would be of interest.

Source: http://www.cbc.ca/nl/story/nf_mccartney_seal_20060301.html

McCartney, wife to make seal floe visit
Last updated Mar 1 2006 06:45 AM NST
CBC News

Rock legend Paul McCartney and his wife Heather are expected in the Maritimes later this week to observe harp seal pups before the start of the annual hunt.

The Humane Society of the United States, which has emerged as one of the sharpest critics of the hunt, announced the visit, details of which have not been disclosed for security reasons.

"They are coming later this week and they are going to observe the newborn harp seals on the ice floes off the east coast of Canada to draw attention to the fact that in just a few weeks the world's largest slaughter of marine mammals – Canada's seal hunt – is about to begin," said Rebecca Aldworth, director of Canadian wildlife issues for the society.

Aldworth said the couple will call on the federal government to end the seal hunt, which is expected to begin in late March this year.

The former Beatle and his wife, known for their animal-rights activism, are expected in Canada on Thursday and Friday.

Canadian officials haven't yet confirmed the date for this year's hunt in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, which is usually between mid-March and mid-April.

Indeed, ice conditions have been so poor in the gulf that authorities are considering cancelling it altogether.

The hunt off the northeast coast of Newfoundland generally follows, but is harder for observers to witness because of its remoteness.

Sealers in the Gulf of St. Lawrence are neither surprised nor concerned about the McCartneys' protest.

Jean Claude LaPierre, a spokesman with the Magdalen Islands seal hunters' association, said he does not expect the visit will influence the federal government at all.

He said protesters are using pop stars like McCartney to fill their coffers.

LaPierre said ice floes are forming off the Magdalen Islands. He said hunters will not stand for protesters getting in their way.

Last year, Paul McCartney – who has been engaged in animal-rights causes for decades – wrote an open letter to then prime minister Paul Martin that asked him to ban the hunt.

"We wanted to put you on notice that if Canada moves forward with another hunt next year, we will do all we can to focus attention on this unjustified, outdated and truly horrific practice, including, potentially, visiting the seals and the ice," the musician wrote.

The McCartneys are among a long list of celebrities, including Martin Sheen, Richard Dean Anderson, Mick Jagger and Pierce Brosnan, to publicly oppose the hunt.

Protests over the commercial hunt peaked during the 1970s when actress Brigitte Bardot hugged pups on the Maritime ice floes.

The United States banned the import of seal products in 1972 and the European Union implemented a partial ban in 1983. Canada banned the killing of harp pup seals – whitecoats – in 1987.

Ottawa estimates the harp-seal population is at 5.9 million, up from two million in the 1970s.

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Bush? Green Thinking? What?

2006-01-30T11:46:00.000-08:00

A buddy of mine sent me a link today that really shocked the poop outta me. I mean, I don't really want to judge a book by it's cover but, Bush? Bush promoting green technology? George Bush?

Something doesn't add up... but, it sure is great to read.

State of the Union to focus on energy
Bush to promote fuel-saving technologies in address

Monday, January 30, 2006 Posted: 0751 GMT (1551 HKT)

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Trying to calm anxieties about soaring energy costs, President Bush is using his State of the Union address this week to focus on a package of energy of proposals aimed at bringing fuel-saving technologies out of the lab and into use...

Yeah, George boy, I'm scratchin' my head on that one too.

Read the full story at CNN.com

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Petition: Fair Vote Canada

2006-01-27T13:47:00.000-08:00

Before you read this, a message to those who want real change in our government. Particularly when it comes to how we elect our MP's. If you, like millions of other Canadians, want a Proportional representation electoral system, speak up and Sign this Petition

ABOUT FAIR VOTE CANADA

Contact Information

To contact Fair Vote Canada, you can reach us by email at info@fairvotecanada.org, by phone at 416-410-4034, by fax at 416-686-4929, or by mail at Fair Vote Canada, 26 Maryland Blvd., Toronto, ON M4C 5C9.

Introduction to Fair Vote Canada

On August 1, 2000, a group of concerned citizens formed Fair Vote Canada (FVC) with the aim of building a nationwide campaign for voting system reform. We envisioned FVC as a multi-partisan, citizen-based campaign bringing together people from all parts of the country, all walks of life and all points on the political spectrum.
FVC members are active with community outreach

On March 30-31, 2001, Fair Vote Canada held its first national conference in the Parliament Buildings. Participants included a wide range of electoral reform experts, party activists, community leaders and others who shared the vision of launching a multi-partisan, citizen-based campaign. Speakers included leading academic experts, MPs from most major parties, Jean-Pierre Kingsley, the Chief Electoral Officer, and others. Participants engaged in discussions on campaign strategy and the structure and purpose of FVC.

FVC Purpose

The following Statement of Purpose was adopted by the FVC National Council on January 14, 2005, and ratified by members on June 11, 2005:

The purpose of Fair Vote Canada is to gain broad, multi-partisan support for an independent, citizen-driven process to allow Canadians to choose a fair voting system based on the principles that all voters are equal, and that every vote must count.

Fair Vote Canada believes that, in order to provide a fair and equal voice for every citizen, and to accurately reflect the will of the voters, our voting system must be designed to achieve the following objectives:

Proportional representation: The supporters of all political parties should be fairly represented in proportion to the votes they cast. Parties should have no more and no fewer seats than their popular support warrants. There should be no phony majority governments.

Fair representation for women, and for minorities and Aboriginals: Our legislatures should reflect the diversity of our society. To enable this, voting systems must be designed to remove barriers to the nomination and election of those who are under-represented.

Accountable government: Our voting system should give us governance which is stable but responsive, flexible but principled, which reflects the will of the majority, but which respects the rights of all.

Geographic representation: Rural and urban voters must be fairly represented. Provinces and regions must have effective and accountable representation in parliaments and governments, reflecting real geographic communities.

Real voter choice: Our voting system must promote real competition among candidates and political parties. No voter should be disenfranchised for living in a safe riding. No voter should feel compelled to vote strategically for the lesser of evils because the preferred candidate or party has no chance of winning the riding.

Also, check out this related Blog Post: A look at Proportional Representation

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This CANNOT go ahead!

2006-01-26T11:18:00.000-08:00

After one of the forums I attended while I was campaigning (my favorite one of them all, by the way)I was approached by a couple of students who were quite interested in our values. One of whom, was Tracy.

Tracy is a very Green young lady who has a deep concern for our environment. She's a member of MUN Project Green and a coalition called Trout Pond Action Group. The reason why their coalition was formed blows me away.
Read this article.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

New Mine Poses Contamination Risk of the Exploits River

January 16, 2006

St . John's - A proposed mining project at Trout Pond near the Exploits River poses severe risks for residents and industries located in that area, warns a local coalition of citizens and environmental groups. The chief concern is the proposed mining operations would unnecessarily set a national precedent by dumping toxic mine tailings into Trout Pond, a water body frequented by salmon, trout, and waterfowl.

The proposed Duck Pond mining project is slated to be opened by AUR Resources early this year. According to the Environmental Impact Statement approved by the provincial government, Trout Pond will be used as a tailings dump for the mine's waste. The proposal requires federal approval - an amendment to regulations under the Fisheries Act, prohibiting the use of live ponds as tailings impoundments.

Trout Pond Mine to set National Precedent for Toxic Dumping

"DFO plans to amend regulations under the Fisheries Act to allow destruction of fish habitat," said Chad Griffiths, spokesperson for the Trout Pond Action Group. "This will set a national precedent, turning lakes across Canada into dumps." He added, "Mining companies across Canada are lining up to destroy our waters and natural heritage, but Newfoundlanders have the chance to stop them."

Contamination could be severe in this large ecosystem - an aquatic habitat, about the size of Quidi Vidi Lake. "Risking the contamination of the Exploits River watershed is unacceptable," said Griffiths, pointing out that it is one of the most important recreational fishery destinations in the province. The environmental impact of this project will be severe, even if accidental contamination is prevented.

No environmental compensation plan exists. The Environmental Impact Statement claims the impact of this project will be minimal, but relies on an environmental compensation agreement, yet to be seen by the public, leaving no manner of public accountability to assess the overall environmental impact.

There has not been adequate public consultation. The public consultations regarding this project occurred several years ago and reached few people. They were conducted before mining regulations and standards were amended in 2002. Many affected parties (residents, recreational fishermen, tourism industry workers, aboriginal groups etc.) have yet to be informed about the potential environmental impact of this project.

"There are better options," said Griffiths. "Artificial impoundments are the norm now. Not ruining a live body of water". Seven mining projects across await this upcoming proposed amendment that, industry experts predict, will likely give them and future mines the legal right to pollute live ponds and lakes with tailings.

"It is vital to Newfoundland and Canada that actions be taken to ensure AUR Resource develops a more environmentally sustainable alternative which does not involve dumping mine wastes in Trout Pond," said Griffiths. "We can't afford to ignore the impact of this project until the damage has been done."

-30-

Released by the Trout Pond Action Group, a network of concerned individuals and environmental groups from all over the province including Sierra Club of Canada (Northeast Avalon Group), Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (Newfoundland and Labrador Chapter), MUN Project Green, Protected Areas Association, Humber Natural History Society, Natural History Society of Newfoundland and Labrador, Society for Corporate Environmental and Social Responsibility and Responsible Consumers NL.

For more information please contact:

Chad Griffiths, Spokesperson, chadgriffiths@mail.com, 709-691-1985
Stephen Mayor, Trout Pond Action Group, smayor@mun.ca, 709-579-4378
Jason Noble, Trout Pond Action Group, jdknoble@yahoo.com, 709-738-3879

For background on the Metal Mining Effluent Regulations under the
Fisheries Act, or the Duck Pond Project:
http://www.cen-rce.org/eng/caucuses/mining/index.html#activities

CESR -Society for Corporate Environmental and Social Responsibility Memorial University of Newfoundland Chapter
Website: http://www.ucs.mun.ca/~cesr/index.asp
Email: cesr@mun.ca

So, that confirms it, we are moving backwards in this province if people are actually talking about going ahead with this. Not only that, they're trying to change regulations that was put in place to prevent this from happening. What is wrong with this picture?

A LOT! I gotta go lay down.

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Newfoundland and Labrador, green party, environment

Inspiration for Canada

2006-01-25T16:30:00.000-08:00

Well, I really hoped Canada would be the first to do something like this but, when ever is Canada the first to do anything?

Sweden Raises The Renewable Energy Bar

January 24, 2006 09:17 AM - John Laumer, Philadelphia

Sweden has the reputation among the world's most regulated industries as being annoying. The Swedish government has for decades argued for international policies that discourage the use of toxic and bioaccumulative materials, which fed into EU-wide interest in the "precautionary principle". And, as the picture symbolizes, the Nobel prize has been given for "green chemistry". Even Sweden's well known industries, Volvo for instance, seem to share the forward-looking culture. Years ago Volvo produced internal "grey lists" of substances that should not be used during manufacture and eventually shared the same expectation with their suppliers. Now this is a worldwide trend. By the early 1990's it had become obvious that you could see a major environmental managment trend coming by watching what happens after Sweden. As soon as a US broadcaster says "In Sweden today..." you know it's coming to California,... and so on. So, it was with great interest that we read this recent headline: "Sweden Plans on Being the First Country in the World to Be Free From Oil in 2020". Need we say more? Of course.

"Minister for Sustainable Development Mona Sahlin has declared that Sweden is going to become the first country in the world to break the dependence on fossil energy. Sweden will stop using oil by 2020 and eventually the energy supply of the country will be based on renewable energy only. The goal is to gradually rid the country of gasoline-run cars and oil-heated homes"

Characteristically, they have actually thought this out and have some mechanisms in mind. Here's the list so far proposed or partially implemented.

*Large-scale investments in renewable energy and in research.

*Expansion of district heating initiatives (co-gen and use of waste industrial and utility heat for domestic needs) as was done famously in Denmark, and emulated in the US in a few rare instances.

*Not subjecting fuel that is free of carbon dioxide to the energy tax or the carbon dioxide emission tax.

*Exempting efficient vehicles from the congestion tax that will be introduced in Stockholm in January.

*Taxes on energy and on carbon dioxide emissions were raised, while other taxes, such as those on payroll were decreased by an equivalent amount.

*Municipalities receive grants to conduct long-term climate research and make investments in environment-friendly technology.

*There are interim objectives for each target, regional and local objectives to match, and an Environmental Objectives Council to monitor progress towards the goals.

*Progress is charted through 70 national indicators, which track results and verify whether the country is heading in the right direction.

Souce: http://www.treehugger.com/files/2006/01/sweden_raises_t.php

Hmm... sounds like someone got a hand of our 2006 Platform

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Newfoundland and Labrador, green party, canada, Renewable Energy

Hydro picks cleaner fuel for Holyrood station

2006-01-25T08:30:00.000-08:00

Yay for steps in the right direction!

Hydro picks cleaner fuel for Holyrood station
Last updated Jan 24 2006 01:31 PM NST
CBC News

A decision to burn cleaner fuel at the Holyrood generating station is being welcomed by people living near the plant.

Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro said last week it will start burning cleaner oil at the station by the summer.

Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro will start burning a cleaner fuel at its Holyrood generating plant this summer.

Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro will start burning a cleaner fuel at its Holyrood generating plant this summer.
Hydro says the cleaner fuel will cut sulphur dioxide emissions by about 50 per cent, and will reduce particulate emissions – which include materials such as ash – by 40 per cent.

The cleaner fuel also has half the sulphur content of what is currently being used.

"This is a big step," said Hydro spokeswoman Dawn Dalley.

"We're also cautioning that the impacts in the community will still be [there]," she said.

"[Area residents will] still see a visible plume from the smoke stacks, so it doesn't solve all the problems. But, it is a fabulous step."

People who live downwind of the station, in nearby Seal Cove, have complained for years about emissions from the plant.

"It's great if it's a step in the right direction," said resident Annette Stone, whose home is only a few hundred metres from the station's three large smoke stacks.

Stone says she often wonders if the plant has caused some of the health problems experience by her family and her neighbours.

"But if they are going to start improvements, hopefully the fuel will be the first one, and it will take care of some of my concerns."

Hydro says it will start burning the cleaner fuel after all the old fuel in its storage tanks is used.

Don't be fooled though; this is just one step and more is needed.

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Newfoundland and Labrador, green party, environment

A look at Proportional Representation

2006-01-24T12:21:00.000-08:00

Though the election section of the blog is located HERE I've decided to talk a little about the outcome in this section. Mainly because it's more about the future than the past.

There was an excellent post on NL-Outsidethebox's Blog today about Proportional representation and I wanted to add to that conversation by posting the following article.

After you've finished reading this, check out NL's blog where there are several links to information on a Pro Rep system. It's time for all Canadians to really be discussing this.

ELECTION 2006:

ANOTHER CASE OF ELECTORAL DYSFUNCTION

VOTING SYSTEM REWARDS SEPARATISTS,

PUNISHES WESTERN LIBERALS, URBAN CONSERVATIVES, NEW DEMOCRATS, AND GREENS

Once again, Canada's antiquated first-past-the-post system wasted millions of votes, distorted results, severely punished large blocks of voters, exaggerated regional differences, created an unrepresentative Parliament, and may possibly have even given us the wrong government.

The chief victims of the January 23 federal election were:

- Western Liberals: In the prairie provinces, Conservatives got three times as many votes as Liberals did, but won nearly ten times as many seats. In Alberta, the Conservative Party won 100% of the seats with 65% of the votes. The 500,000 Albertans who voted otherwise elected no one.

- Urban Conservatives: The 400,000-plus Conservative voters in Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver should have been able to elect about nine MPs, but instead elected no one. The three cities together will not have a single MP in the governing caucus, let alone the cabinet.

- New Democrats: The NDP attracted a million more votes than the Bloc, but the voting system gave the Bloc 51 seats, the NDP 29. Nearly 18% of Canadians voted NDP, but the party won less than 10% of the seats and does not hold the balance of power, unlike the Liberals and the Bloc.

- Green Party: More than 650,000 Green Party voters across the country elected no one, while 475,000 Liberal voters in Atlantic Canada elected 20 MPs.

- Federalists and nationalists: As usual, the voting system turned entire regions of Canada into partisan fiefdoms, rather than allowing the diversity of views in all regions to be fairly represented in Parliament and within each national party.

"How can anyone continue to think that this voting system gives us good geographic representation," said Wayne Smith, President of Fair Vote Canada, "when it fragments and divides our country like this?"

"Had results been fair, it is possible that we may have even seen a different government," said Smith. "The Liberals, NDP, and Greens represent a majority, and together they would have held a majority of seats."

Had the same votes been cast under a proportional voting system, Fair Vote Canada projected that the seats allocation would have been approximately as follows:

Conservatives - 36.3% of the popular vote: 113 seats (not 124)

Liberals - 30.1% of the popular vote: 93 seats (not 103)

NDP - 17.5% of the popular vote: 59 seats (not 29)

Bloc - 10.5% of the popular vote: 31 seats (not 51)

Greens - 4.5% of the popular vote: 12 seats (not 0)

However, Smith emphasized that speculation should be tempered.

"With a different voting system, people would have voted differently," he said. "There would have been no need for strategic voting. We would likely have seen higher voter turnout. We would have had different candidates - more women, and more diversity of all kinds. We would have had more real choices."

"The voting system really matters - a lot - and the system we have is simply not acceptable in a modern democracy."

- 30 -

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Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, green party, Proportional Representation

Canada's Largest Wind Farm to be Built in Labrador

2006-01-23T12:29:00.000-08:00

The release of this news today is quite inspiring for Greens like myself. It's fantastic that our province is pushing into the future with the creation of such industries. Finally, people are starting to realize the incredible benefit of these ideas.

It's too bad that Labrador Coastal wasn't involved, however. They are a local supplier of wind turbines and I would much rather see a local company get a project like this. I posted a blog entry on Labrador Coastal Ltd. recently. Check it out HERE.

Canadian Wind Energy Developer Announces Canada's Largest Wind Farm to be Built in Labrador

Source: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/January2006/17/c2909.html

ST. JOHN'S, Jan. 17 /CNW/ - Toronto-based wind energy developer, Ventus Energy Inc, and Metis Energy Corporation, a subsidiary of Metis Development Corporation, announced today plans to develop a $2.5 billion wind farm near Churchill Falls, Labrador.

Through a newly-created partnership, Labrador Ventus Limited Partnership (labradorventus.ca), the wind farm will be the largest in Canada with an installed nameplate capacity of 1,000 megawatts. This new generation facility, to be called "Height of Land Wind Park", is expected to produce over three terawatt hours of electricity per year. Development plans include a phased construction approach over a three-year period. Pending regulatory approval, construction could begin in 2007.

"We spent much of the last year carefully evaluating our potential partners for this innovative development opportunity," says John Douglas, President and Chief Executive Officer of Ventus Energy Inc. "Over time, the choice became obvious. Who better to proceed with than the people of Labrador?"

Ventus Energy forged a relationship with Metis Development Corporation, and had preliminary discussions with the Innu, Government of Newfoundland and Labrador and Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro. "We are very keen to ensure that the concerns of the Innu and Innu business community, and other residents of Labrador, are fully considered in this development," says Mr. Douglas. "We look forward to participating with the province in the evolution of its energy plan and firmly believe there is a viable role for an independent power producer."

Labrador Ventus Limited Partnership will conduct public consultations throughout the province beginning in February 2006.

"We agreed to partner with Ventus Energy because they have a strong wind energy development team and have been well capitalized by reputable institutional shareholders," says Jamie Snook, General Manager of MDC. "Development plans have been structured to ensure that every dollar possible is spent in the province and that maximum economic benefits accrue to the people of Labrador."

Labrador Metis Nation President Chris Montague says the development will advance Labrador into the 21st Century as a world leader in wind energy. "We are very impressed with Ventus as a developer, and we look forward to working with them in this exciting project," he says. "This is a sound environmentally-friendly project that will result in benefits for the people of Labrador, the province, and the entire country."

The Height of Land Wind Park will have the capacity to produce enough zero-emission electricity to power 500,000 homes and displace the equivalent of three million tonnes of carbon dioxide per year. Local, regional and provincial economic benefits will be significant, providing over 2,000 direct and indirect construction jobs and over 200 direct and indirect long-term operation and maintenance jobs in Labrador.

This private-sector solution to energy development will not require any provincial or federal grants or loans in order to proceed. Negotiations of a power purchase agreement to sell the expected annual production are currently under way with potential customers.

Development activities to date include:

-> The completion of a comprehensive wind prospecting field trip throughout Labrador and Newfoundland in the summer of 2005;
-> The installation of wind monitoring equipment in the project area, which included obtaining permits from Transport Canada, NAV CAN and Crown Lands (Newfoundland and Labrador Department of Environment and Conservation and the Department of Natural Resources);
-> The submission of an interconnection application to Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro in October 2005;
-> The filing of and Environmental Registration Document with the provincial Department of Environment and Conservation; and
-> The filing of a Project Description with the Canadian Environmental Assessment Authority.

Ventus Energy Inc:

Ventus Energy (ventusenergy.ca) is developing over 5,000 MW of potential wind power projects at 25 sites in Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland and Labrador.

The Company has secured rights to over 17 million acres of land to conduct wind energy developments, and believes this represents the largest portfolio of potential wind energy projects in Canada.

Ventus Energy has also secured partnerships with the Cree Nation of Chisasibi, along the La Grande River Hydro Complex in Northern Quebec; Kwesawek Energy Inc. in New Brunswick; and the Pays Plat First Nation on the north shore of Lake Superior. The partnerships make Ventus Energy the largest developer of wind energy projects with Aboriginal people in the world.

The Company expects to begin construction of three wind farms representing 160 MW of new generation throughout the Maritimes in the summer of 2006.

Metis Energy Corporation:

Metis Energy Corporation (metisenergy.ca) is a new entity established by the Metis Development Corporation to pursue energy development opportunities in the Labrador region. The Metis Development Corporation was incorporated on May 21, 2003 by the Labrador Metis Nation to pursue economic and business opportunities for the Labrador Metis.

For further information: Media Contacts: John Douglas, CA, CBV, President and CEO, Ventus Energy Inc., (416) 453-8290, jd@labradorventus.ca; Jamie Snook, General Manager, Metis Development Corporation, (709) 896-5722, (709) 897-4478, jamie@labradorventus.ca; Bert Pomeroy, Executive Director, Labrador Metis Nation, (709) 896-0592, bpomeroy@labmetis.org

Wow. This is exciting!

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Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, green party, wind power, wind power canada

Green Spotlight #1: Labrador Coastal Ltd.

2006-01-23T11:10:00.000-08:00

The Green Spotlight feature will be a regular addition to this blog as time moves on, even beyond the Jan 23rd election (where it will then be located at NLgreenparty.blogspot.com) As you may or may not know, the Green movement is ever going and our campaign will not end on election day.

This feature will focus on individuals and companies who promote a Green way of life in Newfoundland and Labrador. These people deserve acknowledgement for the values they keep and the work they put into not only being Green but spreadin' it as well.

Our first spotlight is focused on Labrador Coastal Ltd; a company based in St. Phillips, Newfoundland and Labrador which promotes wind and solar alternatives for energy.

"Around the Province or around the globe, we have your alternative energy solution. We offer a wide selection of alternative energy products along with complete system design and installation." (labradorcoastal.com)

Gerry Skinner is the owner of this company and I recently spoke with him about Labrador Coastal Ltd. and his aspirations to make it grow. It was quite a lengthy discussion actually and incredibly informative. I had no idea there was such a Green company locally, let alone one that has been around for 4 years.

Gerry spoke very passionately about a couple of projects that he'd like to see happen here in the Province and one that already has. Recently his company was awarded a contract to construct 132 wind towers here in Newfoundland and Labrador with the first 22 being built very soon; 16 in Labrador and 6 on the island. These primary ones are to replace some of the diesel generated power stations that many communities currently are using as primary energy sources.

This is great news, fantastic even, however there is much potential for this to be exponentially bigger and both Gerry and myself can see that. He spoke with me about a proposal that he has developed and submitted to our government which was in effort to construct a 5000 MW wind generated station here on the island portion of the province. Unfortunately, this proposal has been turned down with the major reason being the doubt behind the profit it could make. Personally, I think a lot of it has to do, at this point, with bright eyes for black gold. Nobody'll actually come out and say that though.

He also informs me that a German company is looking to build a manufacturing plant in Canada that will build huge wind towers and ship worldwide. He's currently rallying the people of this province to convince this company to build the plant here... and so it should be. Currently, they're looking to build it in Alberta which is poorly situated (not to mention rich enough!) considering these towers have to be shipped by boat. This should be here. Perhaps situated in Stephenville where it would create 4 times more work than Abatibi did... and they're looking to build now. Perfect! We're have space.

This should be here, in this province. Gerry knows it. I know it. What can't our government see it?

The beautiful thing about Gerry is that he sees the business side of promoting Green technology, not just the Green side. In fact, I'm pretty sure (but not positive), that he didn't really know how Green he was until speaking with us.

Why is that beautiful? Well, he has the ability to see the two benefits of going green; it's economically sound and environmentally friendly. What a package! It's people like Gerry who will help this industry grow while educating others on not only the importance of going Green but, also the value of doing so too.

Congrats Gerry! Welcome to the Green side.

Labrador Coastal Ltd can be found on the web at labradorcoastal.com) and is filled with information on Solar Panels and Wind Turbines and gives the people of Newfoundland and Labrador another option. Please, take a look at the site and be sure to check out the photo gallery.

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Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, green party, wind power

Petition: Implement laws restricting the use & type of traps allowed in residential & public places!

2006-01-23T10:56:00.000-08:00

Another petition that I've found and it's equally as important as the rest. Please, read the following and sign the line.

To: Government of Newfoundland & Labrador

In November of last year I lost my pet dog in a conibear type trap set for otters less than a kilometer from my home. This trap was set on land were it was accessible to children living in the area & could have easily caused severe injury, or worse, to a child who may have stumbled upon it. After contacting Wildlife I discovered that the Province of Newfoundland & Labrador has no regulations in respect to where or what type of trap can be used in residential areas. As long as it is within season & trapper is licensed it is perfectly acceptable. I believe it is time for the Government of Newfoundland & Labrador, in particular the Dept. of Environment and Conservation, Wildlife Ecosystem Management & Planning, Inland Fish & Wildlife Division, to take a serious look into this problem & have restrictions placed on where & what type of traps can be used near residential & public areas.

I keep being reminded that I should have had my dog on a leash! Amazing isn't it that someones pet has to be on a leash yet a body crushing trap can be set in residential & public areas & within' reach of children yet is acceptable!

Mr. Minister I urge you to take my request seriously. To date & to the best of my knowledge there have been no “human” physical injuries as a result of this type of trapping but there is a very real possibility that it could. Please act now, not later, and implement laws restricting the use & type of traps allowed in residential & public places!

Sign the petition here. Go on. Do it.

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Newfoundland, Newfoundland and Labrador, green party, environment canada, traps

Petition: Ban the Cosmetic use of Synthetic Pesticides in Newfoundland and Labrador

2006-01-23T10:52:00.000-08:00

I came across another petition today that calls FOR AN IMMEDIATE BAN OF THE COSMETIC USE OF SYNTHETIC PESTICIDES IN NEWFOUNDLAND and LABRADOR.

Of course, the Green Party of Canada agrees fully with the concerns raised in this petition and we agree that everyone should sign it, for the health of all those living in this beautiful province.

http://www.petitiononline.com/nise123/petition.html

Please take a minute and sign it.

Also, if anyone knows of any other petitions that speak directly to the Green movement in Newfoundland and Labrador, please email me or post a comment.

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Newfoundland, Newfoundland and Labrador, green party, environment canada

Petition: Improved Recycling Infrastructure in Newfoundland and Labrador

2006-01-23T10:44:00.000-08:00

I came across a petition that is important specifically to our Province. It calls for Improved Recycling Infrastructure in Newfoundland and Labrador and I encourage everyone visiting here to sign it. Every step you take to keeping Newfoundland and Labrador a beautiful province is well worth the effort. Plus, there is no reason why a place like St. John's does not have mantatory recycling with road side pick up. We're behind the times and it's time to catch up.

Please Sign the Petition now.

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Newfoundland and Labrador, green party, Recycling Canada

Make Poverty History

2006-01-23T10:17:00.000-08:00

75 residents of St. John's East contacted me (during the 2006 election campaign) about support for this organization and I'd like to take this time now to show my support for such a wonderful cause. Though I've already contacted each of those that emailed me and pledged my support and that of the Green Party, I feel it's necessary to raise further awareness by posting here about it. Please, take the time and visit their website and show you're own support.

Visit soon. Tell others. http://www.makepovertyhistory.org

In addition to me pledging my support, Jim Harris (Leader of the Green Party) has contacted the organizers of the Make Poverty History Campaign and pledged support on behalf of himself and all Candidates. This is his response.
To the organizers of the Make Poverty History Campaign,

On behalf of all Green Party of Canada candidates, I write to hereby endorse the principles and objectives of the Make Poverty History campaign.

Today, a staggering one billion people live on less than $US 1 a day and 40 per cent of the world's population some 2.8 billion people live on less than $US 2 a day. Yet in 2005, for the first time in the history of the world, global military spending exceeded one trillion dollars (US) in 2005. The US alone spent $500 billion half of the world's military spending in 2005. That is more than all the world's governments spent collectively on health care and education combined.

The Green Party asks different questions; we ask what is real defence?

Real defence is defence against the spread of AIDS 40 million people worldwide are living with AIDS Â over 25 million of them in Africa. Real defence would have been working to protect the citizens of New Orleans against the impact of Hurricane Katrina and real defence means working to reduce carbon emissions globally to prevent climate change.

Real defence is also providing meaningful support to Canadian families through Employment Insurance so that governments cannot hijack CanadaÂs social safety net. During the 12 years of Liberal rule, a staggering $48 billion surplus from the Employment Insurance program has been taken from the working poor and used to balance budgets and pay down debt. One of the reasons child poverty persists in Canada is because when parents loose their jobs, they can't receive the Employment Insurance benefits that they paid with their hard earned money when they were working.

The Green Party is fully committed to eradicating the root-causes of poverty through approaches that go beyond one-off solutions, ensuring that Canadians and citizens around the world enjoy a better quality of life by building stronger and healthier communities. Clean drinking water, safe food, health services and educational opportunities are basic human rights that the Green Party holds as fundamental to living in balance with each other and the environment.

To this end, the Green Party unequivocally supports the goals of the Make Poverty History Campaign by working to cancel long-standing debts of poor countries and increase foreign aid spending to 0.5 per cent of GDP by 2010, meeting Canada's commitment to spend at least 0.7 per cent by 2015. This timetable would set the stage for greater cooperation on humanitarian goals. Alternative measurements of progress will also help create new networks of cooperation and support that go beyond financial transactions. The Green Party is at the forefront of policy options that will enable socially and environmentally responsible activity through fair trade and local measures to meet and satisfy well-being.

Specifically, Green Party MPs would pressure Parliament to:

-> Propose a reform of the WTO, the IMF and the World Bank, placing these institutions under the authority of the UN General Assembly.
-> Shift the direction of international trade away from free trade to fair trade focusing on the global protection of human rights, labour standards, cultural diversity, and ecosystems.
-> Reform the regulatory environment of agriculture to challenge corporate concentration, eliminate international dumping and subsidies, and continue to allow seed saving by farmers.
-> Increase foreign aid spending to 0.5 per cent of GDP by 2010, and meet Canada's commitment to spend at least 0.7 per cent by 2015.
-> Erase debts with emerging countries that have been in default for over ten years to break the vicious cycle that has been hampering the allocation of resources to feed, nourish and sustain populations overseas.

Here in Canada, the Green Party would work to tackle poverty by:

-> Creating a "Comprehensive Anti-Poverty Strategy for Canada that would raise child benefit and employment insurance levels and expand eligibility, toughen regulations to ensure fair treatment and better wage standards for all working Canadians, and remove GST on education supplies and specific family products.
-> Adopting and funding a strategy to promote sustainable and affordable housing construction and renovation so that housing is not only affordable to rent, but also to heat and operate, as well as healthy to live in.
-> Supporting provinces that adopt a basic income strategy to ensure the benefits of a living wage are available to every citizen through existing federal programs.

By Jim Harris
Leader, Green Party of Canada

Please, again, visit the site. Show your support.

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Newfoundland and Labrador, canada, green party, green party of canada, make poverty history

Green Parties and their Achievements Worldwide

2006-01-23T08:38:00.000-08:00

The Green Party; the only Party that exists worldwide. That's kinda special ya know.

As the title states, here's a outlook on what some Green Parties across the world have achieved thus far.

<----Europe---->

Over the last 23 years, Green parties have participated in governing 15 European countries, including Finland, Italy, France, Germany and Belgium. There have been 44 cabinet-level Green government ministers across Europe during this time.

* In 1995, Finland became the first Western European country to have the Green party serve in government. With seven years in government, the party remains the longest serving Green party in government.

* Starting in 1996, Italy's Green Party participated in government for six years. Currently, the Green Party has nine senators.

* In 2002, the German Greens took 55 parliamentary seats, taking office in a coalition government with the Social Democrats. Hans-Christian Ströbele was elected to the Bundestag as a district representative for the Kreuzberg-Friedrichshain constituency in Berlin – the first-ever Green to achieve this in Germany.

* This coalition government ruled for three years, and the Green Party was instrumental in pushing to shut down nuclear energy reactors. The German Green Party's Jürgen Trittin, who was the country's environment minister, oversaw Germany's huge investments in renewable energy sources, primarily wind power. As Foreign minister, Joschka Fisher pushed for and insisted on Germany's disapproval of the war against Iraq.

* German Green legislation enshrined the protection of gay and lesbian couples. Greens have also given continued support to a bill for an Anti-Discrimination Law in the Bundestag and to Agenda 2010, a major reform of the German social security systems that was planned by former chancellor Schröder.

* Belgian Greens began governing in a three-way coalition with Socialists and Liberals in 1999 for five years. Currently, five ministers, four deputies and two senators are Green Party members, including the Vice Prime Minister, Minister of Transport and Mobility Isabelle Durant, and State Secretary for Energy and Sustainable Development Olivier Deleuze. As in Germany, the party has played a key role in the phase-out of nuclear energy.

* In 2004, Latvian Green Party co-chair Indulis Emsis served as Prime Minister of the country. The current Minister of Environment, Raimonds Vejonis, is a member of the Latvian Green Party.

* In Austria, the Green Party has elected representatives in almost all regional parliaments as well as in the European Parliament, and in national and city councils.

* In Spain, the Green Party on Barcelona's municipal council enacted the Barcelona Solar Thermal Ordinance, a far-reaching solar-thermal policy that has increased the city's use of renewable energy. By 2010, Barcelona aims to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 20 per cent from 1999 levels. The policy has since been adopted by Madrid, Valencia, Seville, Burgos, and Pamplona.

* In the United Kingdom, the Green Party has 63 Principal Authority Councillors and two members of the Greater London Assembly. The Greens represent the fourth largest political group in the European Parliament.

* As well, Greens are in power-sharing governments in Castle Morpeth, Kirklees, Leeds and Lancaster. Furthermore, there are Green MPs in Scotland, and the Republic of Ireland, on the House of Lords, London Assembly Members, and Green councillors in towns, parishes, counties, and boroughs across Britain, including Brighton and Hackney in London and Green councillors in Oxford.

* Switzerland has 15 Green Party members in parliament.

<----European Union---->

* The Green-European Free Alliance has 42 seats in the European Parliament. Green MEPs called for and achieved a resolution calling for the ban of radioactive warheads and cluster bombs.

* The International Criminal Court was founded on a model developed by the Green-European Free Alliance.

* Green Party MEP Dr. Caroline Lucas is an outspoken critic of the Common Agricultural Policy, and has campaigned for an organic, local and safe agricultural system. She has proposed ways of reducing the impact and buying power of large supermarket chains, and has lobbied the UK government to use EU money to help farmers promote local food initiatives.

* Green MEPs have campaigned for a binding legal framework for corporate social responsibility; Green MEP Jean Lambert has pushed for EU legislation extending full-time employment rights to temporary staff.

* Thanks in large part to the efforts of Green MEPs, there is a substantial push for cuts in aircraft noise and for the airlines to pay for damaging the environment.

* Green MEPs have also pushed for bans on the use of carcinogenic, mutagenic or toxic substances in the production of cosmetics.

* EU Greens have lobbied for proper and precise food and consumer products' labeling, and are behind numerous air quality, water and nutrition initiatives. They introduced the "polluter pays" principle and succeeded in improving laws on issues such as animal welfare and GMOs.

* German Green minister Renate Künast lobbied the WTO for the right to sufficient and safe food and the access to global markets for a fair global economy.

<----New Zealand---->

* There are currently six Green Party members in the New Zealand Parliament, who effectively hold the balance of power in a weak Labour Party government. Thanks to the Greens, the country New Zealand is officially a nuclear free country, and is free of genetic engineering.

* The Green Party developed and helped pass the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Bill, New Zealand's first-ever piece of legislation designed specifically to address climate change.

* The New Zealand Green Party has led the way on issues of peak oil production and of contingency plans to cope with eventual oil shortages, higher prices and international turmoil.

* The party has been instrumental in the establishment of an Independent Prison Inspectorate, as well as launching a jointly developed first national walking and cycling strategy.

* It has called for complementary health practitioners to be integrated into the health system, and in the 2002-03 budget negotiated $3.2 million towards cleaning up and recording highly contaminated sites.

<----Australia---->

* The Australian Green Party started in 1992. Today, it has five senators, 15 state legislators, and 80 members of local government.

* In Melbourne, Green city councillors have enacted Nuclear-Free Melbourne, making the city nuclear-free. They've adopted and promoted The Earth Charter, and pushed for equal justice for refugees. They further developed a 20 Year Water Management Plan, as well as a blueprint for a 30 percent increase in green power.

<----Mexico---->

* The Mexican Green Party has four federal deputies and five senators.

<----United States---->

* 213 Greens in 27 states and the District of Columbia hold elected office as of November 2005. This includes city councillors, mayors, boards of supervisors, school boards, constables, commissioners and others. Some of their achievements include the pioneering Living Wage ordinance in Santa Monica, California.

<----Canada---->

* 15 members of the Green Party of BC were elected in B.C. in 2005, on November 19, 2005 including Sonya Chandler of Victoria, Lisa Barrett of Bowen Island, Garmen Gustafson of Golden, Janice Harris of North Vancouver District, Jane Sterk of Esquimalt, Peter Waterman of Summerland City, and Lee Ann Johnson of Gibsons.

<----Other countries---->

* Today, the Mongolian Greens have 3,000 members nationwide, and has six seats on the municipal and provincial level.

* Brazilian Greens now have 54 mayors and seven MPs.

* In Japan there are 19 Green city councillors.

Pretty interesting isn't it?

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Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, green party,

Green Party Media Releases (Pre Election)

2006-01-22T20:30:00.000-08:00

A list of Green Party media releases (Pre January 23rd Election), as the title states. I've organized them by topic mainly so that you can see for yourselves that our Party is not just about the environment. It's just where we start, mainly due to our belief that if we start respecting our environment, a lot of our other problems will cease to exist.

I've also included the start of each article to get a better sense of what it's about. Enjoy!

<----Environmental---->

Opposition MPs took wind out of Kyoto sails
- 12/06/2005 02:38 PM

(Quebec City, December 4, 2005) - By forcing a January election, opposition parties have committed a grave disservice to the Canadians and members of the international community who expected a firm commitment from Canada as host of the first meeting of the parties of the Kyoto Protocol, said Green Party of Canada leader Jim Harris today...

Green Party launches Kyoto plan in Iqaluit
-12/09/2005 02:55 PM

(Iqaluit, Friday, 9 December 2005) - "Kyoto and Beyond" will help Canada reach and surpass its Kyoto targets effectively and affordably, said Green Party of Canada leader Jim Harris today in Iqaluit, where he launched the Green Party's plan to meet and surpass Kyoto targets by cutting emissions, improving air quality and boosting the economy...

Green Party proposes Charter amendment
- 12/12/2005 12:12 PM

(Vancouver, 12 December 2005) - The Green Party of Canada is proposing an amendment to Canada's Charter of Rights and Freedoms to enshrine basic environmental rights including the right to clean air, soil and water, said leader Jim Harris today while campaigning in Vancouver...

Dirty water on Canadian reserves: the real scandal
- 12/17/2005 09:32 PM

(LONDON, Saturday, December 17, 2005) - For nearly four decades, the federal government has sat idly by as the conditions on Canadian reserves have deteriorated to the point where there are currently 34 boil water orders in Ontario alone. The situation has become so bad that young children are washing themselves in water that amounts to, in the words of one Kashechewan doctor, "sewage coming out of their taps," said Green Party of Canada leader Jim Harris today...

Harris calls for tougher waste-water treatment standards
- 12/22/2005 02:00 PM

(Victoria, Thursday, 22 December 2005) - Past governments failed Canadians by not implementing strict national waste-water standards or building a sewage-treatment plant in Victoria when they had the chance, said Green Party of Canada leader Jim Harris today...

B.C. uranium mining: a step in the wrong direction
- 01/05/2006 12:33 PM

(Nelson, B.C., Thursday, 5 January 2006) - The likely exploration and extraction of uranium in the Southern Interior of British Columbia is not only a bad idea environmentally and geopolitically; it is quite simply bad for business," says Green Party leader Jim Harris...

Green Party: New Brunswick nuclear power has run its course
- 01/10/2006 10:06 AM

(Charlottetown, Tuesday, 10 January 2006) - The New Brunswick government is spending $1.4 billion to refurbish an energy facility that produces waste that Canadians will be forced to live with for generations, said Green Party Environment advocate Sharon Labchuk today...

Green Party calls for protection of Canada's urban green spaces
- 01/11/2006 12:02 PM

(Montreal, Wednesday, 11 January 2006) - As one of Montreal's most important green spaces, the Meadowbrook Public Golf Course is a prime example of the threat to green spaces across Canada and it must be saved from the developer's plow at all costs, said Green Party of Canada leader Jim Harris while visiting Meadowbrook with Côte Saint-Luc Councillors Dida Berku and Mike Cohen...

Green Party Endorses Bold Fishery Preservation Plan
-01/13/2006 01:01 PM

(Moncton, Friday, 13 January 2006) - The Green Party of Canada firmly believes in the protection and sustainability of the Maritimes inshore fishery, and therefore endorses the bold plan of the Maritimes Fishermen's Union's that will help ensure its survival, said leader Jim Harris today.

Green Party denounces Mackenzie Gas Project
- 01/15/2006 12:32 PM

(Montreal, Saturday, 14 January 2006) - The Mackenzie Gas Project (MGP) will accelerate global warming and destroy natural habitats and livelihoods while failing to create long-term energy security, said Green Party of Canada leader Jim Harris today...

<----Fiscal---->

Harper, Martin miss the point on GST
- 12/03/2005 01:16 PM

(Montreal, Saturday, 3 December 2005) - By staking out the pro and con sides over GST cuts, the Conservatives and Liberals have forgotten that the GST is one tool available to the federal government to improve the overall health and direction of society, said Green Party of Canada leader Jim Harris today in Montreal...

Green Party calls on Canada Pension Plan to sell Wal-Mart shares
- 12/06/2005 10:55 AM

(Jonquière, Tuesday, 6 December 2005) - As a symbolic gesture in solidarity with the workers of Jonquière and all unionized workers across Canada, the Green Party is calling on the Canada Pension Plan (CPP) to sell any shares it may still own in Wal-Mart," said Green Party of Canada leader Jim Harris today in front of the abandoned Wal-Mart outlet in Jonquière...

GST 'scheme' may have cost government millions
- 12/10/2005 03:05 PM

(Toronto, Saturday, 10 December 2005) - It's time to plug loopholes in our tax system which favour well-connected corporations over working Canadians, said Green Party of Canada leader Jim Harris today while campaigning in Toronto...

Corporate pensions - ticking fiscal time bomb of this election
- 12/13/2005 10:38 AM

(Toronto, Ontario, Tuesday, 13 December 2005) - When Paul Martin and the Liberals promised more corporate tax cuts in last month's mini-budget, they failed to notice the gigantic elephant in the boardroom, specifically the skyrocketing pension liabilities faced by Canadian corporations which should have been the first priority of the government, said Green Party of Canada leader Jim Harris today...

Green Party opposes Martin's corporate tax cut
- 12/14/2005 11:22 AM

(Toronto, Wednesday, 14 December 2005) - When Canadian corporations are flush with cash and close to one in two Canadian families are spending more than their pre-tax income, across the board corporate tax cuts must be postponed in favour of more extensive fiscal reform and targeted tax relief, said Green Party of Canada leader Jim Harris today...

Keep Saskatchewan revenues in Saskatchewan: Green Party
- 12/20/2005 11:33 AM

(Regina, Tuesday, 20 December 2005) - With the increasing market price of oil and gas, the people of Saskatchewan shouldn't be punished for higher energy revenue, Green Party leader Jim Harris said today in Regina...

Green Party Energy Platform: Good for the economy, good for Canada
- 12/21/2005 12:53 PM

(Calgary, Wednesday, 21 December 2005) - In one of the most vibrant and forward-thinking housing projects in Canada the Green Party today unveiled its national energy platform, which reflects the very ideals of Calgary's Prairie Sky co-housing project: environmental awareness, renewable energy, and economic efficiency...

Conservatives no more trusted guardians of public purse than Liberals
- 01/05/2006 03:37 PM

When Canadians consider the issue of accountability in this election, they will be well-served by recalling the record of the last Conservative government before they cast their ballot on January 23, said Green Party of Canada leader Jim Harris today in the B.C. riding of Southern Interior...

Canadian investors shortchanged by lax rules
- 01/06/2006 03:27 PM

(Toronto, Friday, 6 January 2006) - Canadian investors deserve stronger protection and a more transparent investment market, said Green Party of Canada leader Jim Harris as he called both for a National Securities Regulator and tougher whistle-blower protection in Toronto...

Ethical investing starts with the Canada Pension Plan
- 01/10/2006 08:39 PM

(Ottawa, Tuesday, 10 January 2006) - Green Party MPs would push to ensure that ethics and accountability in government don't stop with advertising and polling contracts, but apply to all government operations and decisions, said Green Party of Canada leader Jim Harris today in Ottawa...

<----Social---->

International Day of the Disabled: VIA RAIL rolls backwards
- 12/03/2005 01:16 PM

(Ottawa, Saturday, 3 December 2005) - Canada still has a long way to go to have a fully inclusive and accessible society for the 4 million disabled Canadians that continue to face barriers to basic needs and services, said Green Party of Canada advocate for Persons with Disabilities Joe Foster today...

Green Party calls for remembrance and action
- 12/06/2005 12:57 PM

(Ottawa, Tuesday, 6 December 2005) - All Canadians should take a moment to pause and reflect on the anniversary of the École Polytechnique massacre when 14 women were brutally killed and another 13 wounded by a crazed gunman in Montreal on this date in 1989, said Green Party of Canada leader Jim Harris today...

Green Party call for improving elder care
- 12/11/2005 03:46 PM

(Edmonton, Sunday, 11 December 2005) - The Alberta government must act to improve the deplorable state of long-term care services in the province, said Green Party of Canada leader Jim Harris in Edmonton today...

The daycare debate: more dollars, more broken promises
- 12/15/2005 03:05 PM

(Brampton, Thursday, 13 December 2005) - Last week, Paul Martin's Liberals pledged an astonishing $10 billion to a national daycare program, saying his party child-care program would be "a lasting addition to our social foundation."...

Green Party - Seniors deserve better
- 01/09/2006 04:44 PM

(Victoria, Monday, 9 January 2006) - Canadian seniors deserve far more respect from the federal and provincial governments for their significant contribution to building the Canada that we now enjoy, said Green Party of Canada leader Jim Harris today as he called for increased support for seniors at the Silver Threads Association in Victoria, B.C...

Green Party calls for protection of live-in caregivers
- 01/17/2006 04:08 PM

(Toronto, Tuesday, 17 January 2006) – Canada's current Live-in Caregiver Program is a shameful violation of human rights, said Green Party leader Jim Harris today.

Getting tough on crime means getting tougher on poverty
- 01/19/2006 03:31 PM

(Toronto, Thursday, 18 January 2006) – Gang violence and other violent crime is a reflection of deteriorating social conditions and governments must confront the root-causes of these problems with preventative solutions, said Green Party of Canada leader Jim Harris today.

<----Health Talk---->

Green Party calls for action on World AIDS Day
- 12/01/2005 12:50 PM

(Ottawa, Thursday, 1 December 2005) - Federal and provincial governments must address the serious outstanding issues still affecting those who are HIV positive or living with AIDS, said Green Party of Canada leader Jim Harris today on World AIDS Day...

Compensate Agent Orange victims, Green Party says.
- 12/05/2005 02:45 PM

(MONTREAL, Monday, 5 December 2005) - It is a national disgrace that the Liberal government has continued to drag its feet on the issue of compensation for Canadian soldiers exposed to Agent Orange and Agent Purple in the 1960s at CFB Gagetown, said Green Party of Canada leader Jim Harris today after a meeting with veterans in Oromocto, New Brunswick...

Green Party calls for end to private health care
- 12/07/2005 03:03 PM

(MONTREAL, December 6, 2005) - Quebec is home to the largest number of private medical clinics in Canada, a troubling trend that threatens the very existence of public health care in the country, said Green Party of Canada leader Jim Harris today in Montreal...

Harris calls for national cancer strategy
- 12/18/2005 01:25 PM

(Windsor, Sunday, 18 December 2005) - The Liberal government has continually failed Canadians by refusing to implement a comprehensive national action strategy to reduce cancer risks in our communities, said Green Party of Canada leader Jim Harris today as he released his party's policies to fight cancer...

Take the sound bites out of health care planning
- 01/03/2006 01:10 PM

(Edmonton, Tuesday, 3 January 2006) - Though he boldly promised in the last federal election to resolve the ever-lingering crisis in Canada's health care system, Prime Minister Paul Martin and his government broke that promise only three months after the 2004 federal election, said Green Party leader Jim Harris today...

Green Party calls for accurate labeling on food products
- 01/07/2006 02:22 PM

(Winnipeg, Saturday, 7 January 2005) - Green Party of Canada MPs would introduce a law requiring food manufacturers to accurately label all their products, spelling out explicitly which contain genetically modified ingredients and any other ingredients that may affect their health, said Green Party of Canada leader Jim Harris in Winnipeg today...

Harris demands public inquiry into toxic military spray program
- 01/13/2006 02:41 PM

(Moncton, Friday, 13 January 2005) - The federal government must immediately come clean about its role in exposing soldiers and their families to known toxins at CFB Gagetown and follow through with compensation and adequate regulatory measures to ban the use of chemical pesticides, said Green Party of Canada leader Jim Harris today...

<----Democracy Debates---->

Green Party pledge to restore dignity to democracy
- 12/02/2005 11:25 AM

(Charlottetown, Friday, 2 December 2005) - It's time to clean up Canadian election campaigns and return them to a debate over ideas and policies, said Green Party of Canada leader Jim Harris today at a news conference in Charlottetown, PEI...

Green Party takes its message to all Canadians
- 12/09/2005 09:37 AM

(Ottawa, Friday, 9 December 2005) - When Conservative party candidates in Quebec start grumbling that their national campaign has virtually abandoned their local candidacies one can only surmise that the fix is already in 46 days before anyone actually votes, said Green Party of Canada leader Jim Harris today before boarding a plane for Iqaluit to unveil his party's plan for implementing Kyoto...

Green Party reacts to Democracy Project Survey
- 12/13/2005 10:01 AM

(Montreal, 13 December 2005) - "The Democracy Project survey released this morning clearly shows that there is a thirst among young Canadians for a real exchange of ideas during the upcoming leaders' debates," said Green Party of Canada leader Jim Harris today...

Local B.C. Chamber of Commerce shuts out democracy
- 12/28/2005 12:30 PM

(Ottawa, Wednesday, 28 December 2005) - The Port Moody-Westwood-Port Coquitlam Chamber of Commerce has torn a page out of the broadcast consortium's democracy playbook by limiting their upcoming all-candidates meeting to only three out of the eight potential candidates, said Green Party of Canada campaign manager George Read today...

Green Party MPs will push for Citizens' Assembly to renew democracy
- 01/04/2006 02:26 PM

(Vancouver, Wednesday, 4 January 2006) - A citizens' assembly modeled on the recent B.C. approach is the best way to achieve the reforms necessary to address the growing democratic deficit within Canada's federal electoral system and engage Canadians, particularly young voters, said Green Party of Canada leader Jim Harris today...

Green Party Supports Fair Vote Canada: Calls for Electoral Reform
- 01/11/2006 01:36 PM

(Victoria, Wednesday, 11 January 2006) – This week's nationally televised debates are symptomatic of a serious and deep problem facing democracy in Canada. "When national parties with over 2 per cent of the popular vote are excluded from participating in nationally televised debates it is no wonder that Canadians feel left out of Canada's political system", said George Read, national campaign manager for the Green Party of Canada...

Green Party calls for National Teach-in Day on Electoral Reform
- 01/11/2006 06:45 PM

(Victoria, Wednesday 11 January 2006) - Victoria Candidate Ariel Lade announced today an ambitious Green Party initiative for Canadians across the country to organize town hall meetings, hold office parties and gather in their homes to discuss alternatives to our current electoral system on January 18...

<----Foreign Affairs---->

Green Party calls for halt to "Deep Integration"
- 12/09/2005 09:37 AM

(Fort Henry, Kingston, Thursday, 8 December 2005) - Paul Martin should not have signed an agreement that commits Canada to a process of deep continental integration with the United States and Mexico without having first obtained an electoral mandate from the Canadian people to do so, said Green Party of Canada leader Jim Harris today in Kingston...

Green Party considers Tibet negotiations major opportunity
- 01/03/2006 10:57 AM

(Kingston, Tuesday, 3 January 2006) - The strategic political connection between the status of Tibet and the future status of Taiwan presents China with an exceptional foreign policy opportunity. Rather than an "Olympic" headache, Tibet could well be the key to a sequence of opportunities to defuse very real and present dangers for China, Taiwan and the rest of the world, said Green Party Foreign Affairs Critic Eric Walton today...

Green Party calls for emergency review of Haiti policy
- 01/08/2006 03:10 PM

(Ottawa, January 8, 2006) - The Canadian government must put an end to its unconstitutional actions in Haiti, said Green Party leader Jim Harris. "Canada must respect the inherent right of the Haitian people to self-determination and democratic processes," Harris added...

Stronger laws needed to protect mail-order brides in Canada
- 01/17/2006 11:34 AM

(Toronto, Tuesday, 17 January 2006) – The Canadian government must do far more to protect foreign women who emigrate from countries such as the Phillipines to marry Canadian men, said Green Party of Canada leader Jim Harris today.

<----Campaign Goodies---->

Green Party reacts to election call
- 11/29/2005 02:38 PM
(Ottawa, Tuesday, 29 November 2005) -- The Green Party of Canada regrets that Canadians are being forced into a needless Christmas election for purely partisan reasons, said leader Jim Harris today. But he says the Green Party is nonetheless ready to fight for what Canadians want in every riding across the country...

Leaders' Debate: Green Party has earned its spot
- 11/30/2005 02:49 PM

(Toronto, Wednesday, 30 November 2005) - The Green Party of Canada again finds itself stymied by the opaque and seemingly arbitrary rules governing participation in the Leaders’ Debates, said Green Party of Canada leader Jim Harris today in Toronto as he released a backgrounder advocating for the party’s inclusion...

Green Party calls for non-partisan group to organize debates
- 12/04/2005 01:58 PM

(Ottawa, 4 December 2005) - It's time to take the responsibility for the federal leaders' debate out of the hands of five unaccountable broadcast executives and turn it over to a suitable public, non-partisan agency such as Elections Canada, said Green Party of Canada leader Jim Harris today in Halifax...

Green Party thanks tireless volunteers across Canada
- 12/05/2005 10:32 AM

(Montreal, Monday, 5 December 2005) - As this long campaign election kicks off across Canada, the Green Party of Canada would like to pay tribute to the tens of thousands of volunteers who volunteer their time and energy for what they believe in and to help make Canada a better place...

More sign Green Party petition than submit debate questions
- 12/11/2005 12:37 PM

(Ottawa, Sunday, 11 December 2005) - If the Green Party's on-line petition is any indication, more Canadians want the Green Party to be included in the upcoming leaders' debates than have sent questions to the broadcast consortium for the actual debates, said Green Party of Canada leader Jim Harris today...

London Greens Organizing "Real Leaders Debate"
- 12/12/2005 01:05 PM

(London, ON, 12 December 2005) - London West Green Party Candidate Monica Jarabek called on Canada's party leaders today to take part in a "Real Leaders' Debate." The London Greens have invited the leaders from all of Canada's registered parties to participate in a debate to be held in London, Ontario...

Green Party sends $70,175.54 to local EDAs and provincial organizations
- 12/20/2005 11:13 AM

(Ottawa, Tuesday, 20 December 2005) - The Green Party of Canada reached a milestone in the implementation of its internal revenue sharing program today...

Green Party leader first to visit all provinces and regions
- 12/20/2005 12:26 PM

(Ottawa, Tuesday, 20 December 2005) - Green Party of Canada leader Jim Harris today became the first party leader to visit all 10 provinces and the north in the 2006 federal election campaign with his visit to Saskatchewan...

Green Party launches election platform
- 01/02/2006 12:31 PM

(Ottawa, Monday, 2 January 2006) – Restoring and strengthening Canada's fundamental values of fairness, equality and justice are at the core of the Green Party's 2006 election platform, said Green Party of Canada leader Jim Harris as he launched the party's platform today in Ottawa...

Green Party announces Youth Voter Day
- 01/04/2006 11:37 AM

(Calgary, Wednesday, 4 January 2006) - Superstitious or not, Friday the 13th may spell doom for the current political status quo as the Green Party of Canada announces its initiative to make the first day of advance polling Youth Voter Day, said party leader Jim Harris today...

Green Party to youth: show us your vote
- 01/08/2006 03:10 PM

(Calgary, Sunday 8 January 2006) - The Green Party of Canada is calling on young voters to help make their voices heard by signing up online when they vote at the first advance poll on January 13, said party leader Jim Harris...

Jim Harris runs campaign on "fair miles"
- 01/15/2006 04:19 PM

(Ottawa, Sunday 15 January, 2005) - The Green Party will completely offset the greenhouse gas pollution produced by the leader's tour by planting enough trees to absorb all of these emissions, said Green Party of Canada leader Jim Harris today...

Green Party supports Go Vote campaign
- 01/16/2006 12:41 PM

(Ottawa, Monday, 16 January 2006) - Following its Youth Voter Day initiative, the Green Party of Canada is encouraging young people to get involved in politics by supporting the Go Vote coalition and its campaign to rally the youth vote, said party leader Jim Harris today.

Vote with certainty, not out of fear says Greens
- 01/18/2006 11:39 AM

(Montreal, Wednesday, 18 January 2006) - On January 23rd, Canadians should choose the political party that best represents their hopes and beliefs, said Green Party of Canada leader Jim Harris today who in a bold move called on voters to visit the websites of each party to read their platforms and news releases unfiltered by outside political spin and tactics.

Deputy Green Party Leader appeals to young voters in final days of campaign
- 01/20/2006 10:22 AM

Deputy Green Party Leader and Ottawa Centre candidate David Chernushenko is appealing to young voters, in support of his Party’s bid to elect its first Members of Parliament.

<----And MORE!!!---->

Research & Development: Liberals long on words, short on results
- 12/16/2005 01:33 PM

(Kitchener, Friday, 16 December 2005) - Thanks to the Blackberry, the communications tool invented right here in Kitchener-Waterloo that has revolutionized the way people conduct business around the world, Research In Motion has shown what a success story Canada can be in the field of technology, Green Party leader Jim Harris said...

Green Party says no to fresh water exports
- 12/19/2005 12:28 PM

(Winnipeg, Monday, 19 December 2005) - Canadians don't want Americans draining their fresh water basins to meet U.S. demand for water, said Green Party of Canada leader Jim Harris today while campaigning in Winnipeg...

Gomery exchange points to pattern of abuse dating to 1986
- 01/09/2006 02:30 PM

(Vancouver, Monday, 9 January 2006) - It's a bit rich for the Conservative party to try and paint themselves as Mr. Clean in this election when the sad reality is that the major old-line parties have little interest in cleaning-up what they have too long benefited from, said Green Party of Canada leader Jim Harris today as he announced his party's plans to end political corruption in Ottawa...

Safeguarding the privacy of Canadians: a national priority
- 01/12/2006 12:19 PM

(Toronto, Thursday, 12 January 2006) – Green Party MPs would introduce legislation to compel banks, credit agencies and other institutions to disclose when the privacy and security of their customers personal information has been compromised, said Green Party leader Jim Harris today...

So, you see, we're much more than meets the eye and even this only tips the iceberg... as they say.

Technorati Tags.
Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, green party

Green Party of Canada's 2006 Platform

2006-01-22T20:21:00.000-08:00

Below is the key topics found in the Green Party of Canada's 2006 Platform

The Green Party vision

We can build a sustainable Canada

We can build an inclusive Canada

We can build a healthy Canada

We can renew our democracy

We can build a sustainable fiscal framework

The Future Home

2006-01-14T13:48:00.000-08:00

This is the future home of the Newfoundland and Labrador Green Party Blog which is currently located HERE.

NLGreenParty is far more appropriate as it's includes the bigger portion of the province. Something I call home.

Join us here after the 23rd!