THE THREE DEFICITS: FISCAL, SOCIAL, ENVIRONMENTAL:    The Terra Nova Greens recognize three provincial deficits: the fiscaldeficit, the social deficit and the environmental deficit.  It is relatively easy to pay down the fiscal deficit by increasing either of the other two deficits. For example, video lottery terminals can increase provincial revenue, but at a great social cost. Or social service programs can be slashed to make way for tax cuts, thereby increasing Newfoundland and Labrador's social problems. Or environmental regulations can bewatered down to encourage business investment.

Just as downloading provincial expenses onto municipalities fails to bring any tax relief to Newfoundlanders, exchanging one form ofprovincial deficit for another leaves us no wealthier. The Terra Nova Greens believe the fiscal deficit must be reduced without increasing other deficits. The Terra Nova Greens want an end to deficit financing.

TAXES TO ENCOURAGE EFFICIENCY:    Taxes on income, payrolls and sales actively discourage economic activity by making employment expensive,  Government encourages businesses to become capital intensive, replacing people withmachines.The Terra Nova Greens propose:
    * a gradual and partial shift of taxes away from income and onto  emissions, waste, landfill use, fossil fuel consumption, resource depletion, and pollution, while enhancing tax relief measures for low-income households.
    * a tax on mechanization to counter federal tax breaks which subsidize job-killing technologies.

Much of Newfoundland and Labrador's wealth depends on our abundant resources. However, our failure to manage our mineral resources, forests, farms, and energy sources has resulted in unemployment and pollution of water, air and land. Greens believe that it is possible to use our resources wisely without plundering the earth and threatening the province's future.

MINERALS, A NON-RENEWABLE RESOURCE:    Since minerals are non-renewable, continuous mining and manufacturing is unsustainable. The Terra Nova Greens recommend:
    * a tax on mining production to more accurately reflect the costs to the public and to the environment.
    * heavy taxes on toxic emissions from mines.
    * the prohibition of mine activities in wilderness areas, parks and sensitive areas.

POWER UNDER CONTROL:    How we consume energy is fundamental to our long-term prosperity. The Green Party supports:
    * removing all taxes on `soft-energy' systems such as solar, wind and biomass energy.
    * establishing a minimum quota of 'soft-energy' electricity by energy providers.
    * introducing a carbon tax to encourage cleaner energy use.
    * providing tax relief for manufacturers who switch to zero-discharge production systems.
 

SMART FORESTRY:    Wise forest management preserves our forest resources for future generations and maintains species diversity while at the same time providing timber products for our present needs.Green initiatives include:
  * reserving 20% of public land in Newfoundland and Labrador as fully protected provincial forest.
    * replacing clear-cut forestry practices with selective cutting.
    * promoting made-in-Newfoundland and Labrador industry over exporting raw timber to
other countries.
    * curbing clearcutting in southern Labrador.
    * encouraging the use of hemp and other crops for pulp and paper.

AGRICULTURE: MEETING OUR FOOD NEEDS:    Newfoundland and Labrador's agriculture is underdeveloped. Today, thequality of our food is decreasing due to heavily-subsidized chemical farming, over-processing, and long-distance transportation. Across Canada, fertile topsoil, our most important agricultural asset, is eroding due to poor conservation practices.

The Terra Nova Greens propose:
   * removing government subsidies on pesticides and chemicalfertilizers.
    * providing assistance to farmers who convert to more chemical-free farming.
    * increasing labeling requirements so that consumers will know about the content and origin of the food they buy.
    * protecting farmers from unfair international trade deals that put them at a disadvantage.

TRANSPORTATION, "ROADS TO NOWHERE":    The current government policy on transportation is to cut public services and build more roads. But it also means higher taxes, because gas taxes and license fees only cover a portion of road maintenance costs.The practical solution is to offer drivers a number of workablealternatives to road travel.

The Greens propose:
    * Introducing a transportation service to serve a the north-east Avalon and provide rapid, efficient service at a low cost.
    * halting expensive mega-road projects
    * eventually reducing greenhouse car emissions by over fifty percent by supporting a long term goal of a shift to clean-fuel systems.

WORK:     "Sharing the Wealth -- The Reduced Work Week": The Terra Nova Greens believe that meaningful work is essential for human dignity. But since there is no longer enough to go around, only the privileged have full-time employment.The truth is that as a result of technology we can now produceenough goods and services for all our needs with 10 to 20% of ourpopulation unemployed. Election campaigns promising `Jobs, jobs,
jobs' fail to acknowledge this change.

Over the past century, we have reduced the work week several times to deal with technological unemployment. We now propose moving to a 32-hour work week. This will allow both the unemployed and young people entering the job market to haveaccess to employment. While wages and salaries will fall to 80 percent, taxes will drop also, for there will be significantly less need for welfare and unemployment claims. It is estimated that the average worker will bring home 95% of his or her current wage, while enjoying a three-day weekend every week.

GUARANTEED ANNUAL INCOME: Welfare was originally meant to be a temporary relief program for unemployed workers between jobs. But now most entry-level jobs are too low-paying to support a family. Few parents on social assistance can afford to take a job that promises a lowerstandard of living for their children, as well as the loss of health benefits.

The Terra Nova Greens understand that the welfare system needs to be reformed so that unemployed people can have the freedom to work.Greens propose:    *that a Guaranteed Annual Income supplement be introduced to replace welfare. The "G.A.I." is essentially a top-up program, so that low-paid workers can still achieve a certain minimum standard of living, including health benefits. It allows the unemployed to take part-time  work and work their way out of assistance programs.

WE CAN AFFORD TO CARE:    Caring is part of what it means to be a Newfoundlander or a Labradorian. Yet in the past few years, the Newfoundland and Labrador government has shown a markedmean-spiritedness in their policies, a lack of compassion which they too easily blame on hard times.Greens don't advocate fiscal irresponsibility or deficit financing to pay for social services. We believe that more efficient use of our tax money would allow for adequate budgetsfor quality social programs.

HEALTHCARE:    The Green Party believes that the best way to create a healthy society is through a healthy lifestyle. This would include a good diet, exercise, stress reduction, and avoidance of tobacco, illicit drugs and alcohol abuse. This philosophy reduces the need for costly treatments of preventable diseases. The Greens propose:
   * educating the public on lifestyle changes and choices that contribute to disease prevention.
    * funding research into causes of illness, and into complementary medical disciplines (acupuncture, herbology, etc.) so that we have MCP-covered alternatives to drug therapies.
    * funding small community-based hospitals that emphasize and promote health maintenance.
    * providing accurate information on the advantages of breast-feeding and giving adequate post-natal support.
    * taxing goods that cause poor health such as tobacco and alcohol.
    * including dentistry under MCP
    * offering nicotine replacement products such as patches, gum, nasal sprays and inhalers so smokers avoid the adverse effects of inhaling tobacco.
    * shifting treatment to the home wherever possible with adequate support of health care professionals.

Many diseases occur because of unclean or poisoned habitats. Inrecent decades, North Americans have seen an increase in many formerly rare diseases, especially immunological diseases such as allergies and asthma. Ozone damage is causing an increase in skin cancers. And various environmental toxins are causing increasesin cancer.

Greens believe that by making our environment and communitieshealthier places in which to live and work, we can reduce many ofthese illnesses. The Terra Nova Greens propose:
* ensuring access to pesticide-free, non-irradiated,non-genetically engineered food, and clean air, water and land through sound resource management policies.
    * educating the public about environmentally-induced disease resulting from poor air, water and soil quality.

EDUCATION, "Targeting the Real Problems":The Green Party believes that the current education reforms are causing a serious crisis of morale in our schools. Market-driven politicians want to measure the educational output of each classroom with standardized tests and believe the results will improve overall achievement.

The Greens recognize that the real problems in our classrooms --lack of motivation, truancy, substance abuse, loneliness,malnutrition and physical unfitness -- need to be solved, not tested. The Terra Nova Greens support:
   * keeping schools small, especially high schools, so that students can feel part of a community.
    * decreasing class sizes, since class size has been proven a major factor for educational success.
    * supporting the maintinence and development of private schools and giving more local authority over present schools. This may involve changing the structure of school board such that individual schools may hire their own teachers, choose their own methods, and purchase their own materials.
    * increasing physical education and health education requirements.
    * increasing arts programs, which inspire creative thinking and improve math ability.

The Terra Nova Greens recognize that children all learn differently. And they each achieve their best in very different learning environmentswith different teaching methods. Government policies that push single-method educational philosophies create barriers to earning. Green educational philosophy includes a wide variety of teaching methods and settings and considers them all useful and important. Terra Nova Greens believe in:
    * letting teachers and schools choose their own teaching methods, according to the needs of their students.
    * increasing the number of experimental or non-traditionalschools and programs.
    * making a place for specialized teaching programs within our publicly funded system.
    * maintaining a commitment to self-directed learning while maintaining high curriculum standards.
    * using standardized tests only as a self-diagnosis tool for schools so that they can target their teaching better to their particular population.
    * supporting home schooling initiatives with co-operatives, programming and supplies.

The Terra Nova Greens believe in affordable Higher Education. A well-educated society is a concern to all, not just to parents or students. Yet we are making post-secondary educationincreasingly inaccessible. The Terra Nova Greens propose:
   * reducing tuitions to affordable levels.
    * allowing students the option of repaying their student loans through community work, thereby reducing the number of graduate bankruptcies.
    * replacing the current student loan system with the Guaranteed Annual Income, "G.A.I.".
    * expanding post-secondary options to include more work terms and formal apprenticeship programs.

STRENGTHENING COMMUNITIES:     The Terra Nova Greens believe that single-parent families, the mentally ill, battered women, and the socio-economically deprivedare undeserving targets for government cuts. Communities need to be strengthened through well-developed community and social programs. The Greens support:
  * providing adequate funding for community social programs.
  * expanding provincial programs for co-operative housing projects.
  * encouraging local economy initiatives, such as a series of Local Economic Trading Systems, "LETS".

Parenting is Not a Hobby. Parenting is the most valuable investment in our collective future. The Terra Nova Greens are committed to providing real support for parenting, instead of simply encouraging parents to seek work outside the home. Too much outside work can create enormous stress on families, which spills over into our communities and workplaces and strains our social resources. The Terra Nova Greens believe in paying parents who elect to stay at home with young children a Guaranteed Annual Income "G.A.I." to help relieve the financial hardship of the single-income family, while leaving vacancies in the workforce for others.

The Terra Nova Greens support:
   * extending parental leave so that parents' jobs and careers are protected.
    * encouraging job-sharing and part-time jobs with benefits.
    * legislating personal days for sick children.
    * creating a high-quality, provincial daycare program for all who need it.
    * reforming tax laws that make single income families pay higher taxes than double income families.

MODERNIZING NEWFOUNDLAND'S POLITICS:    Proportional Representation: "Every Vote Counts" Democracy is defined as government chosen by the majority of the people. This assumes that all votes count equally. Yet because Canada still uses the antiquated first-past-the-post system, a minority of voters can elect a majority government. In Canada, provincial majority governments have been elected with as little as 36% of
the popular vote.

The Terra Nova Greens support Proportional Representation as a more fair way to elect a government. In a proportional representation election, parties are elected to power by the percentage of the total vote they receive. Majority governments, which are profoundly undemocratic, would become rare. And there would be no such thing as a wasted vote. The Greens call for:
    * a referendum on proportional representation.
    * an end to corporate or large-group donations to political parties, since "whoever pays the piper calls the tune".
    * more limits to advertising and election spending.

UNSUSTAINABLE ECONOMIC GROWTH:     The Greens are sometimes called a 'single issue party' by other parties, for whom environmentalism is simply an issue.
These parties all claim to be green because they have bolted afew green policies to the side of their platforms.But the environment is not "an issue". Sustainable economic growth,' one of the favourite green policies of many parties, is a contradiction of terms. Perpetual growth is not sustainable.

GREEN ECONOMICS, THE G.D.P. LIES:    Politicians get the economy into trouble when they use the so-called 'economic indicators' -- including the G.D.P. -- to measure economic health. But the GDP is a Mad Hatter's accounting system: it adds but never subtracts. It doesn't take into consideration losses such as depleted fisheries, stripped forests, polluted air, high crime rates, or even damage from natural disasters. At best, these losses are deemed valueless and are ignored. At worst, they are counted as gains, since they cause more money to exchange hands, and are added back in. If a business were to use such an accounting system, they would find themselves bankrupt in a month! The Terra Nova Greens supports:
   * replacing the GDP and other unbalanced accounting systems with more accurate indicators of genuine progress, which can alert us to economic problems and allow us to steer away from them.
    * striving for stable-state economics, in which the economyneither grows nor shrinks.

FULL-COST ACCOUNTING:    Greens believe that manufacturers must bear the full cost of any product they create, and that the full cost must be reflected in the price. The real cost of a product includes the producer's expenses and profit, plus all the costs related to the extraction, manufacturing, packaging, or transporting: lost resources (forests, fisheries, minerals, etc.); air, water or land pollution from extraction, manufacturing or transportation;health costs associated with this pollution; recycling or waste disposal costs for packaging; etc. Currently many of these costs are not paid at all, leaving us with an environmental and health debt. Others are covered by taxes. The Terra Nova Greens support:
    * making industry responsible for full-cost accounting of their products.
    * ending the practice of subsidizing irresponsible production with tax dollars.

Voting Green means you support taxing "bads" not "goods". Greens suggest a revenue-neutral tax shift away from incomes and onto resources and land. This shift will stimulate the provincial economy rather than hurt it. Industry, which always follows the
path of least tax resistance, will quickly retool to reduceresource and energy use since these will become more expensive,and increase employment since people will become cheaper to hire.

Reduced resource use means less pollution while more employmentmeans less government costs for welfare and EI.Join us in shifting Newfoundland and Labrador's industries from ecologicallydamaging to sustainable. Join us in restoring our citizens, communities and economy back to health.
 
 

TERRA  NOVA  GREENS

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