Economy Policies

Economy Policy

Economy policy from the 2007 Green Book:

  • Move to implement true or full-cost accounting, whereby products and services are priced according to the positive or negative impacts they cause throughout their lifecycle. This will allow our society to make rational market choices that will guide the economy toward environmental sustainability.
  • End subsidies to highly profitable industries such as oil and gas, and shift funding to encourage the creation and growth of small businesses and rural value adding industries.
  • Place an emphasis on local and Canadian ownership and control.
  • Provide start up loans to stimulate the creation and support of new consumer co-ops.
  • Encourage the growing and processing of hemp products such as rope, paper and cloth to create new rural investment opportunities.
  • Work to re-establish efficient railways in order to reduce the wear and tear on our road system caused by oversized trucks using under-engineered roads.

Economy Resolutions 1998-2011:

2011.3  Economic Indicators: Gross Domestic Product (GDP) as an indicator of progress

Be it resolved that the Green Party of Saskatchewan work on draft legislation that will require Saskatchewan to abandon misleading economic indicators and implement the use of beneficial indicators.

2011.48  Revitalizing Rail Transportation

Be it Resolved that, Green MLAs will immediately call for a moratorium on any pending rail line abandonment applications until a comprehensive railway network plan is developed. This would protect the portion of rail line between Regina and Saskatoon from being removed. The existing railway infrastructure will be maintained and possibly expanded where deemed to be feasible, in terms of system efficiencies and energy conservation. A study will be undertaken to examine the use of short?line railway(s) to move goods and passengers throughout the province and interlining with the national rail carriers.

Note: This resolution explicitly replaces 2007.17 Rail Transport, which has accordingly been removed.

2007.12  TILMA

Be it resolved that the green party oppose the adoption of the TILMA agreement and do everything in its power to educate the public about its danger to democracy.

2004.7  Ensure corporate rights do not violate common good

Be it resolved that a Green Party of Saskatchewan government, while respecting the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, will review and modify past legislation so that private or corporate ownership power does not violate the common good.

2003.1  Support for a Quality Saskatchewan Program

BE IT RESOLVED that the Green Party of Saskatchewan supports a series of initiatives which would result in the creation of a Quality Saskatchewan program which would promote Saskatchewan agriculture, industry, products, institutions and communities nationally and internationally as being certified high quality, environmentally responsible and economically sustainable products, institutions and communities.

2003.4  Creating a sustainable economic policy for Saskatchewan

BE IT RESOLVED that a Green Party of Saskatchewan Government will create a special task force to establish a participatory process for developing a sustainable economic policy for Saskatchewan. The goal of a new policy is to cease treating Saskatchewan’s unique ecosystem and communities as commodities for the use and exploitation by both trans and multi-national corporations.

2003.8  Support for crown corporations

BE IT RESOLVED that a Green Party of Saskatchewan Government strongly supports the role of Crown Corporations where appropriate in the development of Saskatchewan and in providing essential services to Saskatchewan people, but will prohibit Saskatchewan Crown Corporations from investing their profits in out-of-Saskatchewan ventures unless it is in partnership with a Canadian firm whose primary role and operation is in Saskatchewan,

And furthermore, a Green Party of Saskatchewan government will oppose the private corporate ownership and control of natural resources now held by the Crown for the people of Saskatchewan.

2003.14  Support for changed role for Bank of Canada

BE IT RESOLVED that the Green Party of Saskatchewan will be a voice advocating the utilization of the Bank of Canada to create new money for low or zero-interest loans for indebted federal, provincial, and municipal governments,

AND will advocate the gradual return of full reserve lending for private banks to prevent inflation and to reduce private influence on the Canadian monetary system.

2002.2  Controlling multinational corporations

BE IT RESOLVED that All multinational corporations operating within the borders of Saskatchewan be required to meet standards and obligations which include benefits for Saskatchewan and its people and the environment, as well as be shown, that multinational corporation, not to be operating anywhere else in the world causing suffering or exploitation of people as well as be shown not to be damaging the environment.

This act would be known as the Responsible Corporate Citizen Act. Those multinational corporations shown not to be meeting the requirements of the Act would be forbidden from operating within the borders of Saskatchewan.

2002.3  Opposition to free trade agreements and WTO/IMF/IBRD

BE IT RESOLVED that a Green Party of Saskatchewan government actively work against the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) and the World Trade Organization (WTO), World Bank (IBRD) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which are contributing to many of the problems of poverty and degradation of the world’s environment.

2002.5  Promoting Local Economies

BE IT RESOLVED that A Green Party of Saskatchewan government would promote policies that favour local communities and their economies. Part of this policy would be promoting decentralization of such things as food production and energy. This policy would also favour family farms over corporate style farms which cause damage to the environment. Green Party of Saskatchewan policy would empower local communities so they could protect their wooden grain elevators and say no to giant hog barns.

2002.6  Crown corporation policy

BE IT RESOLVED that a Green Party of Saskatchewan government would reverse the piecemeal privatization of the Crown public utilities by the Tory and NDP governments; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a Green Party of Saskatchewan government would pass legislation restricting investment of the Crown utilities to the province of Saskatchewan; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Green Party of Saskatchewan will continue to support the export and sale of Crown corporation technology and expertise.

2000.2  Crown Corporations

RESOLVED that the Green Party of Saskatchewan will work for the adoption of legislation that will allow the sale of a crown corporation only after such a decision has been approved by Saskatchewan residents through a provincial referendum.

2000.9  Northern Employment Strategy

RESOLVED that the Green Party of Saskatchewan work to move Saskatchewan towards supporting self-reliance of northern residents through ecotourism, housing and low technology sustainable resource use.

1998.3  Clearcut logging

Be it resolved that the Green Party of Saskatchewan oppose clearcut logging.

Be it further resolved that the Green Party of Saskatchewan work to preserve the Dore Smoothstone area.

Be it further resolved that the Green Party of Saskatchewan work to create jobs for the unemployed forestry workers and others in the commercial forest region of Saskatchewan through the development of value-added businesses.

1998.4  Capitalism

Be it resolved that the Green Party of Saskatchewan oppose the current capitalistic system and paradigm which exploits workers, and

Be it further resolved that the Green Party of Saskatchewan support alternative economic systems that benefit all humanity and explore the potential option of worker-owned industries and businesses as one possible solution to the present economic dilemma.

1998.12  Free trade agreements

Be it resolved that the Green Party of Saskatchewan steadfastly oppose the Multilateral Agreement on Investment and work with their allies to stop or undo similar trade and investment agreements, including the North American Free Trade Agreement, that puts profits of transnational corporations above the interests of the people.

Platform 2007: Economy

A New Approach to Resource Development

A GPS government will place an emphasis on local and Canadian ownership and control, sustainable development, sharing with Aboriginal communities, and ending subsidies to large trans-national corporations.

Platform 2003: Economy

A Community-based Economic Policy:

A Green Party of Saskatchewan government will create a special task force to establish a participatory process for developing a sustainable economic policy for Saskatchewan. The goal of a new policy is to cease treating Saskatchewan’s unique ecosystem and communities as commodities for the use and exploitation by both trans and multi-national corporations. The NGA supports local economic control and opposes globalization. (e.g. international trade organizations and agreements such as NAFTA and the WTO which reduce local sovereignty).

Fair Trade:

A Green Party of Saskatchewan government will require that all multinational corporations permitted to operate within the borders of Saskatchewan be required to meet standards and obligations which benefit Saskatchewan people and the Saskatchewan environment, and require that they be shown to not be operating elsewhere in the world in a manner causing suffering or exploitation of people or damage to the environment.

A Green Party of Saskatchewan government will work against the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA), the World Trade Organization (WTO), the World Bank (IBRD), and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) which contribute to many of the problems of poverty and degradation of the world’s environment.

Crown Corporations:

A Green Party of Saskatchewan government strongly supports the role of Crown Corporations where appropriate in the development of Saskatchewan and in providing essential services to Saskatchewan people, but will prohibit Saskatchewan Crown Corporations from investing their profits in out-of-Saskatchewan ventures unless it is in partnership with a Canadian firm whose primary role and operation is in Saskatchewan.

A Green Party of Saskatchewan government will oppose the private corporate ownership and control of natural resources now held by the Crown for the people of Saskatchewan.

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