2006.1 Be
it resolved that all proceedings within the party and all actions
that the party takes will reflect gender equity.
2006.2 Be
it resolved that a tenth core principle on gender equity be added
to the
party's core principle list as follows:
Core principle #10: Gender equity
We value women and men equally. We therefore support active
and equal involvement of women in politics and encourage women
in politics to assume positions of power.
2006.3 Be it resolved that this annual convention create a Green
Party of Saskatchewan Platform Committee:
2022.3.1 to consist of the GPS Leader and no fewer than three additional GPS
members to be selected by a separate resolution at this convention.
2022.3.2 to review all resolutions adopted by the GPS since its
founding as the New Green Alliance in 1998 and to determine the
core positions of the GPS as expressed in those resolutions as
they apply to the Platform Issues to be identified by a separate
resolution at this convention.
2022.3.3 to create a draft of both concise and more detailed
statements articulating these GPS positions for presentation to
the Saskatchewan electorate as the GPS Platform for the next general
election.
2022.3.4 to present these draft platform statements for ratification
by the membership of the GPS at a special General Membership Platform
Ratification Meeting, or by some other democratic process to be
determined by the GPS executive if an early election call makes
a general membership meeting impractical.
2006.4 Be it resolved that this convention authorize the GPS executive
to appoint an Election Campaign Readiness Committee consisting
of representation from the GPS Executive, the GPS Platform Committee
and other GPS members or GPS supporters with recognized competence
to plan and execute a pre-election readiness process, and who would
also co-ordinate the provincial campaign during a general election.
2006.5 Be it resolved that the primary objective of the new executive
elected at Convention 2006 be to recruit 58 GPS candidates as soon
as possible, for the next general election, and to involve these
candidates in pre-election formation experiences using the experience
and support of former GPS and GPC candidates.
2006.6 Be it resolved that the GPS positions on the following issues
constitute the GPS Election Platform for the next general election:
2022.6.1 A fair-living-wage plan
2022.6.2 A Saskatchewan-owned sustainable energy plan
2022.6.3 Taxation Reform
2022.6.4 Agriculture, land use, food production and food processing
2022.6.5 Food security strategies for all citizens
2022.6.6 Abolish poverty and establish economic and social justice
for all
2022.6.7 Promote treaty education for all citizens and actively
ensure the respect for both the letter and spirit of treaties with
Aboriginal Peoples
2022.6.8 Actively engage Aboriginal communities in planning strategies
to ensure that Aboriginal Peoples receive the full benefits of
being Saskatchewan citizens
2022.6.9 Promote an addictions-free and healthy living strategy
2022.6.10 Support a preventative health model and educate health
professionals according to this model
2022.6.11 Reform Crown Corporations structures and strategies to
ensure they serve Saskatchewan people and support a sound and sustainable
environment
2022.6.12 Electoral Reforms, especially to establish a proportional
representation system
2022.6.13 Expand support for early childhood education and better
support for post-secondary education and training
2022.6.14 Limit and phase out the nuclear industry in Saskatchewan
2022.6.15 Create a comprehensive natural resources strategy for
the whole province to focus on healthy land in forest, parkland
and grassland areas, ground and surface water systems and clean
air.
2022.6.16 Promote arts, culture and tourism as
important aspects of Saskatchewan life and Saskatchewan’s
economy.
2022.6.17 Support and improve the quality of life of Saskatchewan
citizens who are affected by mental or physical difficulties and
provide better support for in home and in-community living options
2022.6.18 Recognize the contributions of Seniors and provide the
supports that will enable them to continue to be valued and contributing
members of the community.
2022.6.19 Re-evaluate social and justice practices to ensure that
children and youth are able to develop their full potentials in
safe and emotionally supportive environments
2022.6.20 Promote gender equity measures in all areas of Saskatchewan
life
2022.6.21 Reform the Saskatchewan Justice system
in both civil and criminal areas introducing a “Restorative Justice” model
and provide education in this model to people working in prevention,
enforcement and rehabilitation, and bring necessary reforms to
the areas of child protection and family law.
2022.6.22 Revise legislation to ensure that private and corporate
ownership rights do not infringe on the common good and long-term
health of the environment
2022.6.23 Immediately limit the spread of Intensive Livestock operations
and enforce effective safeguards for the quality of life of people
and the health of the environment.
Be
it further resolved that the list may be refined by
additions or deletions as suggested by the platform committee,
to be ratified
by convention or special general meeting of the members.
2006.7 Be it resolved that
the GPS supports “Getting the
Balance Right: Saskatchewan Alternative Budget, 2006 - 07",
prepared by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, Saskatchewan
Office,
and that a GPS government would introduce such a budget and enact
other legislation to advance the social and economic and environmental
goals contained in the Alternative Budget document.
(See background Information of Alternative Budget Highlights provided
below)
From the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives- Saskatchewan
Getting the Balance Right:
2006 Alternative Provincial Budget Highlights
Total new spending: $957 million
Increased revenue from resource royalties: $1.04 billion
Projected Budget Surplus: $833 million
No more corporate tax give-aways
Reconsider the findings of the Business Tax Review Commission;
Undergo a comprehensive review of resource royalties with view to substantially
increasing these rates.
Progressive tax relief
• New tax credit program for people who, after gaining employment,
are in a transition period between social assistance and total
independence;
• Additional resources to municipalities to offset regressive education
property taxes.
Measures to Address Poverty
-- Increase Social Assistance rates by $70 to a total of $275/month
and disability allowance by $50/month to $100/month;
- Eliminating the Transition to Employment Assistance (TEA) program and
the Call Centre;
End National Child Benefit clawback and redistribute to Social Assistance recipients
-- Increase quantity and quality of government social housing units;
--Increase funding to Community-Based Organizations;
Money for a collaborative research project to investigate Basic Income Program
for unconditional and universal assurance of an adequate income to every adult
person.New focus and re-investment in Health Care
Increase total Health budget by 10% for investments in primary
health care and health prevention;
Address fee-for-service system that provides incentives for high-volume
turnaround instead of health promotion and disease prevention by:
-- Expanding number of community health centres that employ salaried
doctors;
-- Revising payment schedule for fee-for-service schedules to increase
fees for services needed in the primary care model which emphasizes
health
promotion and prevention; and reducing some specialist fees;
Increased
funding for the promotion of healthy living and preventing chronic
disease including more money for mental health services,
programs to increase physical
activity and access to nutritious food, and decrease substance
abuse;
Implement Healthy Workplaces Strategy to address conditions in
the workplace before they create chronic health problems;
Increase the number of full-time health care positions.
Re-investment in Education
Early Childhood Education
• Increase to Provincial Day care subsidies
• Investment in day care training and education
• Additional resources for special needs grants for day cares, day
care equipment
• Increased funding for nutrition Programs and Staffing in the Community
Schools
Kindergarten
to Grade 12
Education
property tax offset to bring provincial funding of education
up to
60%
Increase in Foundation Operating Grants of $39 million
Increase of $36.9 million for additional capital expenditures
$9.2 million to community schools, plus an additional $600,000 for adequate
nutrition costs; for a total of $9.8 million
$4.8 million for curriculum development
Post-Secondary Education
Tuition fees at universities, regional colleges and SIAST be cut in half over
five years, beginning this year with a reduction of ten per cent;
Grants to defray cost of living expenses for low-income students and for rural
post-secondary students who must live away from home are introduced;
Co-op and other employment opportunities for students are expanded;
Funding for significantly more students to enroll in targeted SIAST programs
is planned over the next five years;
Increase the maximum loan amount from $9,350 to $14,000 and reduce parental
contributions to more realistic levels and have options to meet
contribution expectations from future income;
Increase the funding to the Apprenticeship and Trade Certificate Program.
Other important initiatives
Support for local food systems, organic agriculture and environmental stewardship;
Strategies to address gender inequality and violence against women;
Initiatives that address problems in our Justice system;
Measures to address inequality faced by Aboriginal people and people with disabilities;
Important initiatives in the cultural sector.
2006.8 Be
it resolved that plants that have the genetically engineered
terminator gene be banned from Saskatchewan.
2006.9 Be
it resolved that before the release or introduction of any nano-particles
into consumer products or nature, a full
environmental
/ health impact assessment be conducted on each nanotechnology
creation to determine if it could have negative impacts.
2006.10 Be it resolved that the “Policy Proposal:
A Geen Energy Program for Saskatchewan” prepared by John
Warnock be adopted in principle as a general GPS policy paper:
(Draft Policy follows)
Draft Policy Proposal: A Green Energy Program for Saskatchewan
Background:
While the New
Green Alliance/Green Party of Saskatchewan has developed an alternative
energy proposal for the province, there is a need
for a broad overall strategy. With the rise in gasoline prices
and natural gas for home heating, the general public is finally
becoming aware of some of the issues. Given that the three major
political parties are stuck in the business as usual strategy,
this is a good time for the Greens to set forth a real alternative.
It will allow the Greens to establish a policy position that is
clearly different from the so-called “green” NDP government
in the next provincial election.
Why should we be concerned about energy in energy-rich Saskatchewan?
The extraction of conventional oil in the Western Canada Sedimentary
Basin (WCSB) peaked in 1971 and is in decline. This is very evident
in Saskatchewan.
Natural gas
reserves peaked in 1984 in the WCSB, and the production “treadmill” has
set in. More wells have to be drilled every year just to maintain
a steady production.The Shackleton basin in Saskatchewan is only
a small blip in this general trend.
Under the Canada-U.S.
Free Trade Agreement (1989) and NAFTA (1994), the United States
has guaranteed access to a fixed share of Canada’s
oil and gas resources.
Since Brian
Mulroney’s government deregulated the National
Energy Board, private corporations in the oil and gas industry
have been shipping these non-renewable resources to the United
States as fast as they can. At the Western Premiers conference
in 2003, the four western premiers (including Lorne Calvert) endorsed
George W. Bush’s call for a new continental energy pact to
increase Canadian energy exports to the United States. Recently
Lorne Calvert and Eric Cline went to Washington to promote greater
exports.
Global warming and climate change are a reality, and scientists
predict that the North American plains area will be one of the
hardest hit. This is already evident in Saskatchewan. .
The Kyoto Accord on Climate Change was strongly opposed by the
NDP government in Saskatchewan and the two opposition political
parties. Since 1990 the province has produced the highest increase
in greenhouse gas emissions in Canada.
Since 1982
Saskatchewan governments have been steadily reducing the royalties
and taxes
paid by the corporations for the extraction
and sale of the province’s oil and natural gas.
The present
Saskatchewan NDP government’s policy is to assist
the owners of the oil and gas corporations in their quest to maximize
profits. This policy is supported by the two main opposition parties.
There is no policy in place to protect the energy needs of the
present Saskatchewan population, let alone future generations.
There is no planning for the end of affordable natural gas for
heating homes.
An Alternate Green Policy
All the following
proposals for a new direction in energy policy would be implemented
within
the context of the broad Green principles
of open decision making, government transparency, participatory
democracy, democratization of public enterprises, and decentralization
where feasible. All citizens have a right to a direct involvement
in decision making. Green principles reject the dominant government
view that only “stakeholders” have any right to participate
in decision making. Greens are also committed to full cost pricing
of all energy sources and ending all subsidies to the fossil fuel
and nuclear industries.
(1) Policy on oil and natural gas.
The government must strive to gain control over these industries
in order to put a priority on the needs of present and future generations
of Saskatchewan citizens.
As a first step, the government would create a provincial energy
conservation board to cover these industries. All corporate sales
would have to be made to the government agency, which would control
further sales, prices, profits and resource rents going to the
provincial government. Alberta has such a board at presented, and
B.C. has had one to control the natural gas industry. We have the
model of Canpotex in Saskatchewan, which markets all potash sales.
The government would re-establish Sask Oil as a Crown corporation.
The long term goal would be to gain ownership and control over
the provincial oil and gas resources.
The general principles which were in the Saskatchewan Mining and
Development Corporation Act would be re-installed: all new oil
and gas developments in the province would be open to 50% ownership
by Sask Oil. This policy works well in the oil and gas industry
in Norway.
The province would raise the royalty rates on oil up to the average
level that they were during the government of Allan Blakeney (1971-82),
or 50% of sales. With the dramatic increase in the world price
of oil, unrelated to costs of extraction, this is a reasonable
royalty rate.
The province would raise the royalty rates on natural gas up to
the levels that existed in Saskatchewan in the past. Royalties
should rise with the price of natural gas so that windfall economic
rents (excess profits) go to the general public.
The Saskatchewan government would phase out the export of oil
and natural gas to the United States and retain our rapidly dwindling
resources for the use of the province and its population.
The province would re-establish the Saskatchewan Heritage Fund
to capture some (perhaps one-half) of the royalties from the depletion
of oil and natural gas for future Saskatchewan generations. This
policy works well today in Alaska and Norway. Capital collected
in this fund would be invested in renewable energy development,
as in Norway.
The province would merge Sask Power and Sask Energy and give the
Crown corporation control over natural gas development and distribution
within the province. Priority would be to conserve natural gas
for home heating and local business needs, and this would require
the phasing out of exports to the United States.
(2) Electrical power.
The province would progressively move to reduce the use of coal
for the generation of electricity. This would involve a broad and
diversified approach which would include those alternatives that
have been identified by the Saskatchewan Energy Conservation and
Development Agency (SECDA), abolished by the NDP government. Whereas
the oil and gas industries are highly capital intensive and employ
relatively few, the alternate energy industries are highly labour
intensive. A shift from the fossil fuel industries would result
in a major increase in employment.
Conservation would be a first priority, including the retrofitting
of residences and businesses, financed by borrowing by Sask Power.
This would include retrofitting all older housing in the inner
cities as well as good appropriate housing in Northern and rural
Saskatchewan. New housing standards would require R-2000 levels
of insulation.
Greens would greatly expand wind power, at least up to the level
of 1500 megawatts as proposed by SECDA. Decentralization and private
wind generators would be encouraged.
The province would actively promote a major investment in passive
and active solar energy, one of the major Saskatchewan advantages
that remains undeveloped by the business-as-usual approach of recent
provincial governments.
Biomass energy must be developed. SECDA identified a potential
of 850 MW from crop residues and 1600 MW from forest product wastes.
Fast growing trees and switchgrass can be developed for substitution
for coal.
Given the threat of climate change, and the need to shift to alternative
energy sources, the present system operated by Sask Power would
have to be decentralized.
Demand management programs, in existence across North America,
would be implemented to encourage energy conservation, including
progressively pricing consumption.
The Green approach would reject nuclear power as too dangerous
and too expensive. It cannot exist without major government subsidies.
(3) Transportation alternatives.
The province would actively promote good, affordable public transportation,
in urban and in rural areas. Using full cost pricing, the province
would encourage people to reduce their reliance on private automobiles
for personal transportation and pleasure. The province would actively
encourage the re-development of a railway system.
The province would provide major incentives to end urban sprawl
development and shift to Smart Growth strategies. This would require
some re-development in many suburban areas.
Drafted by John W.
Warnock
2006.11 Be
it resolved that the GPS executive prepare and issue a press
release
reaffirming
our position to strongly oppose the development of the uranium
mining and nuclear industry in Saskatchewan.
2006.12 Be
it resolved that the executive of the GPS form a communiction
team
at this
convention to be in charge of drafting and putting out press
releases in accordance with GPS policy
2006.13 Be
it resolved that the GPS make a serious effort to achieve gender
parity among candidates
for political office.
2006.14 AND
just as Greens around the world have adopted dual leadership
as a fair and democratic way to govern,
Be it resolved that the GPS will engage in a period of research (from October
14, 2006 to the date of the 2007 AGM) to review the practice of dual leadership
and to present an in depth report to be published in the Weaver within 30 days
of the 2007 AGM. The report will provide the necessary background information
for members to make an informed decision at the 2007 AGM. This engagement will
include the commitment to vote without further delay on the practice of dual
leadership at this same AGM. The resolution to be voted on subject to amendments
by the research committee is presently the following:
" Be it resolved that the GPS will elect dual leaders (one man and one woman)
as a first step in the practice of gender parity. If passed, this amendment will
go into effect immediately, initiating the party's first election of dual leaders.
In the event that two candidates cannot be found, the party will attempt to fill
the vacant position at the next general meeting. "