LIBERAL PARTY: Thank you for your interest. The Liberal Party platform focuses on the need for reducing our carbon emissions and our overall levels of energy consumption through the Green Shift policy. This will create consistent tax incentives to ensure large and small emitters decrease their carbon footprints. At the same time, we will provide tax breaks on income, investment, and for the development and application of greener technologies. We have paid close attention for the need to assist those on the lowest incomes to cope with the new carbon taxes and to access the new greener technologies. The Liberal Party is making an inviolable commitment that these changes, necessary to creating real declines in carbon emissions, will be made revenue neutral.
At the same time, the Liberal party is committed to a $70 billion dollar infrastructure program. An important element of this plan, we will ensure that all infrastructure projects supported by these funds work to reduce carbon emissions. Our party is committed to the goals of placing the Canadian economy at the forefront of the developing green technologies, and making us a leader, rather than a straggler, in carbon emissions reductions. Ensuring that Canadians have maximum access to Canadian oil products, so that these do not have to be imported from faraway countries, and that Canadian oil production is itself as environmentally benign as possible will be important elements of this approach. We must cut back on our bloated fossil fuel diet, and that will greatly assist us to move toward energy self-sufficiency.
For further details of the Green Shift and Infrastructure policies, please consult a=our party platform, A Richer, Fairer, Greener Canada, available on our website at www.liberal.ca.
Sincerely
Carolyn Bennett,Liberal Party Candidate for St Paul’s Riding
GREEN PARTY: Thank you for your interest in the Green Party of Canada's vision for Canada's energy infrastructure and our need to diversify to gain energy security. Please find our reponse below.
Best,
Justin
What would your party do to erase these infrastructure (having to import oil when we can generate it ourselves) deficits and ensure Canadian energy security?
Our energy program is multifaceted and does not focus on one aspect individually, but instead looks at the need for energy efficiency, conservation, diversification and decentralization. Essentially, we will ensure Canada's energy security by easing off oil and instead concentrate on non-polluting, job creating industries that will make Canadian energy production one of the cleanest and most sustainable in the world.
Energy efficiency is a central part of our vision for a greener, more secure Canada. The Green Party will improve energy efficiency in Canada by ensuring that all appliances sold in Canada will meet or exceed the Energy Star rating by 2015. Non-rated appliances will be eliminated from the market by 2010 along with energy wasting light bulbs that can be replaced with longer lasting and more efficient halogen bulbs.
Our buildings must also become more efficient. Today, buildings account for as much as 33% of Canada's GHG emissions when heat and power are combined. A Green government will set a goal to retrofit 100% of Canada's buildings to a high level of energy efficiency by 2025. We will promote building efficiency by giving refundable tax credits for all energy retrofit costs; by providing tax-deductible Green Mortgages which will allow homeowners and business to invest in their buildings; and by establishing a national program to retrofit public sector buildings such as universities, schools, museums and hospitals. Improving the efficiency of how Canadians live will allow us to use less energy, making Canada a more energy secured country.
The Green Party firmly believes that we must concentrate our resources towards the development of new and substantial renewable energy sources. The Green Party would work to replace all the coal, oil, natural gas and nuclear power plants with renewable sources by 2040. By making substantial investments in wind, solar, tidal/wave and other technologies we can ease off our dependence on foreign oil and develop a truly Canadian approach to energy development. Producing energy using renewable sources would be good for our economy, our energy security and our environment because we would be tapping into renewable resources commonly available throughout our country.
The Green Party would achieve these goals and advance Canada's capacity for renewable energy sources through substantially increased funding for research and development into ocean energy technologies and the storage of energy generated through renewable sources. We will meet our energy demands through innovation and diversification, not through dependence on a non-renewable resource that is high polluting and unsustainable in the long term.
We would look to decentralize our energy production so that events such as the 2003 blackout would not threaten the lives and security of Canadians. By relying on various types of energy coming from all parts of the country and from various sources, we would know that if something fails in one region or with one type of generator the entire country or region would not be affected. This provides Canadians with an enhanced degree of energy security and diminishes our dependence for oil.
When it comes to our infrastructure deficit, we need to invest in the critical infrastructure of transport and water works to modernize and reduce energy demand. The Green Party Government will continue the gas tax commitment as envisioned by the previous government to allow for stable and predictable funding. As well the Green Party Government will liberate billions of dollars a year through RRSP deductions for municipal bonds.
Municipalities need stable and predictable funding so that they can invest in critical infrastructure such as mass transit, sewage treatment, energy efficiency improvements, better water systems to reduce waste and cope with erratic precipitation patterns of a changing global climate, as well as community amenities like sports fields, arts and cultural opportunities.
The Green Party will create a new pool of municipal infrastructure funding by changing tax rules to create a Municipal Registered Retirement Savings Plans (RRSPs) bond that can be held in RRSPs and self-directed RRSPs. In February 2006 alone, Canadians bought $8 billion in mutual funds. Imagine if even half of that was available to our communities.
This would be in addition to allocating an additional portion of the federal gasoline tax directly to the provinces for transfer to municipalities. The Green Party supports the Federation of Canadian Municipalities Large Cities Caucus request for a commitment of one cent from GST as a reasonable approach to stable financing. This is made possible through carbon tax revenue. Municipal governments must enter into agreements to ensure that sprawl is not permitted through extensive infrastructure funding. Densification, speedy, safe and pleasant mass transit, safe cycling paths and other investments to conserve electricity and water will all merit stable GST-sourced financing.
The Green Party has put forward a progressive and ambitious plan to help Canada move forward in energy production. A Green government will make Canada a much more self-reliant nation that can meet its own energy needs without the significant importation of foreign supplies. This will not only help secure our energy needs but will provide thousands of new jobs and create a cleaner and healthier environment in which we can all live.
NEW DEMOCRATIC PARTY: I've actually been a member of the post-carbon Toronto facebook group for a while now myself. I've attended several lectures and events hosted by the group as well.
At the NDP we completely recognize the harsh reality that Canada under Stephen Harper (and formerly under the Liberals) is increasingly becoming an "Energy colony" of the US. This leaves us at risk in terms of environmental devastation, economic and consumer vulnerability.
I believe I can address this question in terms of two areas of our platform that factor into this scenario:
1) Consumer protection:
Create an investigation and prosecution office to deal with gas gouging. Investigate consumer complaints, collusion and gouging by gas companies. Prosecute and fine offenders where there is clear evidence of price gouging or collusion.
2) SPP, NAFTA and Energy Security:
- We are the ONLY party that has discussed or even brought up the issues of deep integration in parliament. While such issues are shrouded in secrecy behind closed doors we have been actively pressing for recognition and disclosure by the governments of Canada and the US.
We already secured the first-ever parliamentary hearings on the Security and Prosperity Partnership—ensuring an official record of testimony on the deal’s threats to sovereignty in key areas such as agriculture, the environment, health care, energy and income security.
- We have already begun the process of developing a NAFTA task-force with Mexican and US leaders. We Co-launched a tri-national Task Force on Renegotiating NAFTA alongside US Democrats and Mexican legislators to promote changes to the trade deal to protect national sovereignty, labour rights, the environment and the public interest.
- On NAFTA we plan to continue working towards renegotiations, especially in the following areas:
Renegotiating NAFTA chapter 6- which right now limits Canada’s control over our own energy resources; and NAFTA chapter 11- which currently allows foreign investors to challenge Canada’s right to make laws to protect our interests.
Correcting NAFTA’s deeply flawed dispute resolution mechanisms.
Requiring strong labour and environmental standards in every trade deal Canada signs.
Exploring opportunities for a model fair-trade deal with the European Union.
- We pushed for Canadian energy self-sufficiency by promoting proposals for an east-west power grid that will reduce or end reliance on American power from coast to coast to coast.
You may find more information on our website www.ndp.ca
Thank you
-Anita Agrawal
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