With the election right around the corner, and so many choices this year, we here at The Other Press debate which
party is best

 

Crossing the river to Greener Pastures » sisi:

S o you’re tired of the same old guard on the political
scene: one uninspiring leader after another, fielding the
Blue, Red and Orange vest. You’re tired of the same
old left/right diatribe that spews out of their mouths.

If nothing else, the Green Party’s emergence on to

the mainstream radars of political media and regular
Canadians is wholeheartedly refreshing and that is
something that all political stripes should be able to
agree on. Red and blue are tired. Orange? Maybe in
royal Holland, but not here.

May, and indeed Canadians ,have scored a victory
for democracy with her inclusion in the televised
debates, so why stop there? The Greens will begin
using a system of proportional representation if
elected. Think about it: in the current system the Bloc
in Quebec has 9% popular support nationwide while
the Greens have 11%, but due to the faultiness of this current system the Bloc wins 40 MPs
and the Greens win zero. Does that make any sense? The old guard thinks so, but Prop Rep
would make your vote worth so much more.

The Green platform holds its basis on sustainability. It should be common sense to
believe that the planet as a whole is the single most important resource that humans possess
and its management should be taken into consideration when setting policy. That’s why the
Greens hold the environment near and dear. That doesn’t mean they’re a one-issue party

 

though. The Greens see great economic potential in an environmentally sound economy.
Think about it—those economies like Russia’s, for example, that stuck to out of date
agrarian practices during the industrial revolution had to race to play catch up with the more
industrialized countries of the world. The Greens are promising to foster brand new clean
industries, and to get on board with alternative fuels immediately that would yield huge
benefits for years to come. Under the Greens, corporations will be held accountable for
wasteful habits, leaving the people to live healthier physical and fiscal lives.

That sounds like a great long-term plan, but what about you directly and immediately?
If you hold a job or ever intend to, or if you go to school at any point in your life the Greens
are on your side. If given half a chance, they would increase minimum wage to $10 an hour,
and reduce the standard work week to 35 hours—that means you make more money in a
week while working five hours less. You would make $320 under the $8/40hrs system, but
$350 under the Green’s $10/35hrs.

If you’re in school then there is good news for you too. The Greens would forgive
50% of students’ loans upon graduation from an accredited program. After all, why should
something so essential to society like education cost as much as a mortgage on a house?
Especially when some European countries offer it for free!

This is just a miniscule part of what the Greens are offering this election, none of the
archaic dual choice “tax cuts or social programs” conundrum you find with the Reds and
Blues—the Greens promise just straight goods based on a shift in taxes away from you
and onto the wasteful; it amounts to fiscal and environmental responsibility and socially
progressive, future-focused ideas.

Hunting for a fearless leader? Look no further
than your neighbourhood Liberal candidate .., ....::4.«:.

O, October 14", the future is truly in your hands—so what are you going to do about it?
If you’re hopeful (or even hopeless), set your sights on Liberal leader Stéphane Dion. As
head of the Liberal party, Dion’s platform centres on economic prosperity, social justice, and
environmental sustainability. What more could a disillusioned Canadian voter ask for? The
Liberals are the party to vote for because they have a definite plan of action.

According to Greenpeace Canada, an environmental questionnaire was sent out to all
the political parties during this crucial pre-election time. Questions were based on issues
such as climate and energy, food and agriculture, oceans, water, biodiversity, toxic pollution,
democracy, and sustainable economy.

One of the Liberal party’s notable responses revealed its commitment to reducing
greenhouse gas emissions in Canada to 20 percent below 1990 levels by 2020. Contrary

to his Conservative competitor, who helped earn Canada its two “fossil” awards due to its
failure to come even close to achieving its intended goals set out in the Kyoto Protocol,
Dion has signed the KYOTOplus pledge, and countless members of the Liberal Caucus have
followed suit.

In response to the inadequate protection provided to endangered species and species
at risk in Canada, the Liberal party has promised to “rigorously enforce the science-based
system for the management of species at risk and will ensure that recovery strategies and
action plans are quickly put into place.” This is significantly more than Mr. Harper and his
Conservative government can say, having defied the Species at Risk Act for more than two
long and drawn out years.

Dion also maintains that the Liberals will make real and significant changes to the
current tax system, making it better for hard-working Canadians. The Liberals plan to do this

 

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