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Policies
green policies provide a simple path to a
sustainable future.
The Green Party of Canada 2004 election platform
Angela Reid has a Burlington specific plan for the next term of parliament. While the Green Party of Canada has a wider platform, Angela’s plan focuses on 3 policy areas that will have the biggest positive impacts - tax shifts, healthcare and accountability. Policy specifics will be posted here as they are announced during the campaign.
Accountability and Integrity
Angela's Plan for her First Term in Burlington
When discussing politics, Canadians react with a mixture of disgust and mistrust. Voter turn out during elections has reached all-time lows. What has led to this ‘democratic deficit’? Angela Reid proposes a solution that just might restore your faith in the political process.
Governments claim to have a mandate of the majority but are often elected by less than 20% of the electorate. They are elected on vague promises leaving too much wriggle room. When key political issues are raised, public consultation is minimal at best. No wonder people throw up there arms in despair. "If you count the votes not cast in an election, ‘None of the Above’ wins the most votes. And it’s no wonder. When the person I vote for doesn’t get the most votes, my voice is ignored. That situation is intolerable" Says Reid
Instead Reid proposes three goals to address our democratic deficit:
- Ongoing two-way communications including a report card and performance to date on goals and informal polling on important and upcoming issues
- Local candidates must provide specific, measurable goals
- Introduce a more fair and equitable electoral system
Ongoing Two Way Communication
Ms. Reid will send a mailer to each resident on a quarterly basis. In the mailer will be a return envelope and a questionnaire requesting your input on key current and upcoming issues. There will be analysis by Reid as well as by other parties. "I will use your responses as guidance in the house." Says Reid.
In addition the mailer will include progress to date on the deliverables that Reid has promised. Her targets and actual progress will be reported so you can tell how well your voice is being presented. You can also make a more informed decision for the next election. "Information is power and it’s high time voters had the power back." Reid comments.
Specific, Measurable Goals
Angela's plan as MP for the next 2 quarters, the remainder of the 1st year business plan will be defined during the first quarter. Annual business plan will be developed during the second quarter of each year and will be sent out in the quarterly mailer, then confirmed in the third quarter mailer.
Click here to see her plan.
A Greener, Healthier Burlington
Angela Reid’s Plan to Move to Health Care from Sick Care in Burlington
Angela Reid has a plan for the next term of parliament. While the Green Party of Canada has a wider platform, Angela’s plan focuses on 3 policy areas that will have the biggest positive impacts. Her health care priorities are simple, achievable shifts in our approach to health care. Angela’s health care priorities are tightly integrated with her priorities for taxes. "The other parties approach health care as if it were a stand alone issue. We all know this is not the case." She says
Keep people healthy in the first place. As granny said "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." This simple axiom is being ignored in Canada resulting in a bloated, inefficient sick care system with far too many users. Instead of continually throwing money at the problem the Greens propose a shift in thinking.
Let’s reduce the number of people that are sick. To do this we focus on keeping people healthy through:
- Working for a healthy environment
- Encouraging healthy dietary choices
- Encouraging physical fitness
Then, in the event that one is sick they should have a basic expectation of service levels across the country. Reid believes this can be achieved via a "Health Care Users’ Bill of Rights"
Working for a Healthy Environment
"Our health is dependent on the air we breathe, the food we eat and the water we drink. Health and the environment are inextricably linked" says Reid.
Canadians like to think of ourselves as the conscientious caretakers of the environment. This is not borne out in fact. Canada finished 28th out of the 29 developed nations in an extensive Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) study that examined 25 key indicators.
According to the Suzuki Institute, air pollution prematurely kills at least 16,000 Canadians each year. Recent studies show that close to eight per cent of all non-traumatic mortality in Canadian cities is attributable to air pollution.
"While we will discourage the consumption of fossil fuel by raising gas taxes by 10 cents per litre over the next three years, we will reduce tax on income proportionately, reduce taxes on fuel-efficient technologies, and help big-business reduce their dependency on fossil fuels."
Encouraging healthy dietary choices
"Taxes on healthy staples will be shifted to unhealthy junk and processed foods. Food producers will be motivated to use healthier ingredients…just look how quickly every fast food joint on the street delivered a low-carb menu to hungry customers demanding a change." Says Reid
The tax revenues would pay for improved food labeling, education on nutrition, healthy diets and lifestyles, and a nation-wide "healthy lunch and snacks" program from Kindergarten to Grade 12.
According to Statistics Canada, obesity cost taxpayers an estimated $1.8 billion dollars in 1997. And that is only the direct cost to the healthcare system, about 2.4 per cent of the total health care budget. The three top contributors where hypertension, type 2 diabetes, mellitus, and coronary artier disease.
Encouraging physical fitness
Angela will lobby to have funding for proactive health care initiatives increased. These initiatives include restored funding for Participaction to get our youth fit and to educate them on healthy life styles.
Allopathic health care resources such as chiropractic and holistic health care will be integrated into Canadian healthcare. According to the Frasier Institute "almost three-quarters of respondents (73%) had used at least one alternative therapy sometime in their lives, most often to prevent future illness from occurring, or to maintain health and vitality. Approximately 88% of alternative therapy users found the medical care they received to be either 'very' or 'somewhat' helpful."
Health Care Users’ Bill of Rights
Even the healthiest individuals will at some point need to use health care in Canada. Canadians pay a high premium for health care and should have guarantees of the level of service they receive. Angela Reid will work to introduce legislation that contains a Health Care User’s Bill of Rights. Certain measures such as waiting times for procedures and CAT Scans will be guaranteed in the Bill.
A Greener, Healthier Burlington
Angela Reid’s Plan to Improve the Quality of Life in Burlington Through Tax Shifts
Taxes alter consumer behaviour. They are negative incentives. The Burlington Greens want to leverage the power of taxes to make healthy and sustainable choices more attractive to consumers. "The Burlington Green Party wants to tax the "bads" and encourage Canadians to choose the "goods", says Reid.
Reid has 3 Priorities for Tax Reform – these are pragmatic steps that have direct cost savings and long term health benefits. Her priorities are 1) to shift taxes away from income tax and increase gas taxes, 2) shift taxes from healthy staples to unhealthy foods and 3) introduce legalized marijuana as a new tax revenue stream that will pay for improved health care and drug treatment programs.
Gas Tax
"While we will discourage the consumption of fossil fuel by raising gas taxes by 10 cents per litre over the next three years, we will reduce tax on income proportionately, reduce taxes on fuel-efficient technologies, and help big-business reduce their dependency on fossil fuels."
As granny said "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure". Burlington residents and all Canadians want to stay out of hospital in the first place. Car accident victims account for approximately half of all emergency room admittances. Tens of thousands of Canadians are admitted to hospitals each year for respiratory ailments as a result of automobile pollution. The costs to the healthcare system are immense, and no other party is taking this connection seriously.
Angela Reid, Burlington Green Party candidate thinks the issue really stinks. "Already we can see taste and smell what a car based society has resulted in. Superficial treatments for Canadians who are getting sick are just a big, expensive band-aid that only perpetuate the problem. We need to stop Canadians from getting sick in the first place, and air quality and the toxins in our environment have a huge impact on our health. The Green Party puts an emphasis on prevention."
Healthy Nutrition
"Taxes on healthy staples will be shifted to unhealthy junk and processed foods. Food producers will be motivated to use healthier ingredients…just look how quickly every fast food joint on the street delivered a low-carb menu to hungry customers demanding a change."
The tax revenues would pay for improved food labeling, education on nutrition, healthy diets and lifestyles, and a nation-wide "healthy lunch and snacks" program from Kindergarten to Grade 12.
According to Statistics Canada, obesity cost taxpayers an estimated $1.8 billion dollars in 1997. And that is only the direct cost to the healthcare system, about 2.4 per cent of the total health care budget. The three top contributors where hypertension, type 2 diabetes, mellitus, and coronary artier disease.
Legalized Marijuana
If the Canadian pot grown in BC alone were taxed only 10%, an extra $200 million to $1 billion would be generated to lower income tax and fund health care initiatives.
Current legislation forces this commercial activity underground. Black market sales of marijuana cost taxpayers a fortune in enforcement and judicial costs. The Canadian government spends more than $500 million each year enforcing drug laws. Approximately $400 million is spent by the criminal justice system on cannabis-related offenses. This doesn’t include the lost potential of thousands of youth who are slapped with possession related criminal records.
"I think Canadians have made their point. Statistics show that over 2.5 million Canadians smoke marijuana. Studies show that pot use does not lead to harder drugs. I know a lot of people who use marijuana, and not one of them would ever even consider the harder counterparts," says Angela Reid, Burlington’s Green Party candidate. "If we can generate revenues, decrease criminal activity and save money, legalizing and taxing marijuana is only common business sense."
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