Introduction

Honest. Ethical. Caring. Leadership.

These are unprecedented times.

If the world is to avoid climate breakdown, scientists are warning we must move to a renewable energy economy - starting now and achieved by 2050. At the same time, as Canadians, we have a growing sense of insecurity about the future for ourselves and our children. Yet those in power seem disconnected from scientists’ warnings, unaware of our worries, and uninterested in our dreams.

The decisions to be made by the next government of Canada will shape our future as a nation. Will we hunker down to defend the status quo, leaving Canada behind as the world moves on? Or will we embrace the dual challenge of responding to the climate emergency and strengthening the social contract with all citizens?

The Green Party of Canada chooses the challenge.

To succeed, we need honest, ethical, compassionate leadership. Leaders who are honest about what we are facing and the changes we need to make.

Leaders who are grounded in principles, not self-interest, and committed to the public good, not driven by power or greed.

Leaders who care about everyone’s ability to live a fulfilling life, including future generations.

Leaders who are prepared to make the decisions needed to transition to a sustainable, caring society. The Green Party is offering Canadians this leadership. Elizabeth May has proven over and over that she has these qualities. Green candidates from sea to sea to sea are equally committed to ethical leadership and Green Party values: Ecological Wisdom

Sustainability

Social Justice.

Respect for Diversity.

Non-Violence.

Participatory Democracy.

We are at a turning point. Politics-as-usual is leading us down a path we simply cannot survive. The Green Party is proposing a course change. And we are ready to take the lead.

This is our platform. It is not a conventional set of political promises. It represents a vision for Canada in 2030, which has been sorely missing in public discourse. Our platform commitments represent the types of policy changes needed to make this vision a reality.

Why 2030?

The world’s climate scientists say that by 2030 we must be halfway towards the goal of virtually eliminating climate-changing pollution – primarily carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide – by 2050. If we miss the 2030 target, we risk triggering runaway global warming.

2030 is also the deadline for the reaching the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. These are a set of 17 goals designed to lift people out of poverty, provide everyone with clean water and air, food security and education, and ensure a livable climate. Canada is committed to these goals, but has no plan to get there. The Green Party endorses these goals and has a plan. Throughout the platform, you will see icons beside those policies that align with the 17 SDGs.

The climate emergency must be the lens through which every policy envelope is viewed – the economy, health, education, foreign affairs, immigration, public safety, defence, social welfare, transportation.

Let’s get started

Imagine you have a brand-new jigsaw puzzle. All the pieces are on the table in front of you. They are right-side up, brightly coloured, but the top of the box – the completed picture – is missing.

Putting the pieces together will be nearly impossible because you don’t know what picture you are trying to assemble. Our vision for Canada’s future paints that picture.

The Green Vision: Canada in 2030

Thanks to visionary leadership and courageous policy decisions, Canada ends this decade having made significant restitution for centuries of gross injustices against the Indigenous Peoples of this territory. Most First Nations are now self-governing and treaty negotiations have concluded. For First Nations, Métis and Inuit, the reconciliation process is ongoing – the devastation of colonialism cannot be undone in a decade – but principles of reconciliation and restoration of rights have been entrenched at all levels of decision-making.

With First Nations, Métis and Inuit fully engaged, Canada has managed an economic and social transition that puts the country on track to meet our obligations in the global effort to limit climate change, while leaving nobody behind.

Homes and businesses are powered by 100 per cent renewable energy thanks to a national electrical grid that enables abundant hydro, wind and solar resources to be shared right across the country.

It only costs pocket change to heat houses and buildings because they have been retrofitted to high standards of energy efficiency. Building codes require all new construction to meet net-zero energy standards: buildings produce their own energy.

All new vehicles on the market are electric, as are public transit buses and trains. It is easy and safe to bike and walk around our cities, thanks to programs that fund municipal active transportation networks.

Beyond cities, efficient bus and rail service has been restored. Rural and remote communities no longer feel abandoned by government. New regional rail networks provide an attractive alternative to travelling by car. High speed rail service linking regions provides a convenient alternative to air travel.

Much of the food we eat is sourced locally and produced organically, thanks to import replacement policies that enabled young people to take up farming. Urban agriculture is thriving, including community and school gardens, and urban farms.

As with farming, the shift to renewable energy and public transportation created meaningful work in a wide variety of fields such as manufacturing, construction and renovations, renewable energy development, and the information technology sectors. These new opportunities more than compensated for jobs lost in the fossil fuel sector.

Due to past governments’ failure to prevent global warming in the 1990s, the consequences of climate change have increased. But major investments in infrastructure and restored natural areas are protecting families, communities and transportation links from flooding, fires, sea level rise and extreme storms.

A new social contract has been forged between Canadians and their government.

Prescription medicines and dental care have been added to the universal public health care system that has defined this social contract for over 50 years. Now people do not have to choose between medicine and food, and healthy teeth and gums are no longer a privilege afforded only to those who can pay.

Post-secondary tuition is now free and student debt relief has allowed young people to launch their adult lives without a debt load as high as their parents’ first mortgage.

Poverty rates have plummeted now that everyone receives a guaranteed livable income. This has helped buffer the job losses caused by automation and allowed many people to expand their education and upgrade their job skills, while supporting family caregivers.

All in all, Canadians enjoy a high quality of life and communities are becoming more resilient and self-reliant. These are the measures of progress that the government tracks in its “wellbeing budgets,” not GDP growth.

The challenges in the coming decades remain daunting, but Canada is well-placed to face them, and to contribute positively to the world community’s efforts to manage global change.

How do we get there from here?

What follows is a policy framework designed to meet the linked challenges of reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples, climate stability, economic and social justice, and real democracy.

It is not a wish list. It is grounded in science and expert analysis. Throughout the platform, we have used endnotes to direct you to studies and further information that support our planks.

It is not a prescription. We need to be flexible to adapt to rapid changes in technology, support grassroots initiatives as they arise, and respond to evolving scientific knowledge.

Our window of opportunity is small – 2030 will be upon us before we know it. We have to start the course change now, with this election.

On October 21, you can put your little boat in the water. Choose the Green candidate on your ballot and start the journey towards the Canada we want in 2030.

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