A Party Growing Up
Our reporter attended the 2010 Green Party Convention.
The Green Party of Canada must improve its economic policies and make inroads with ethnic communities if it seeks to elect its first MP to the House of Commons.
While the Green Party of Canada (GPC) Convention held this August confirmed the party's unity and saw the approval of progressive environmental and social policy motions, such as prioritizing high-speed rail or green bonds to accelerate renewable energy production. Speculation of a potential leadership race were laid to rest at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre event, as Leader Elizabeth May received an 85 per cent approval rating from party members.
Don Drummond sees room for improvement
TD Bank Chief Economist and Senior Vice-President Don Drummond reviewed the GPC's Vision Green policy document. He observed that the party faces a “huge communication challenge” in conveying the document's comprehensiveness to all Canadians. He gave the review a "B+” grade, but pulled no punches in criticizing its economic policies.
Mr. Drummond was wary of Vision Green explicitly placing limits on economic growth, saying, "Growth doesn't need to be in violation of the environment." He urged that the document lose its implicit "hostility towards large corporations" as "they have the funds and resources to do the environmentally-correct things."
He questioned the GPC's specific environmental and social policies, asking it to consider how carbon tax and cap-and-trade systems could fund the "massive subsidies" required for prioritizing high-speed rail. Education and job creation for Aboriginals, economic productivity, and control rising healthcare costs were issues that Drummond also felt that the Greens should address more thoroughly.
The decision to invite the former Associate Deputy Minister of Finance to criticize their policy document raised a few eyebrows. However, most members seemed to welcome the review, likely realizing how important having comprehensive economic policies are to becoming a credible political force.
Appealing to mainstream Canadians
When asked during a press conference how the GPC's economic policies could persuade mainstream Canadians that it is more than a 'one-issue' party, May listed numerous policies.
First, the GPC is calling for cuts to Employment Insurance (EI) premiums and for the Canadian Pension Plan (CPP) to be compensated by a carbon tax. She stated that the intention of such a policy is to tax pollution and "reduce the burden on middle-income and the poor."
