by Karina Thygesen | Jul 19, 2015 | News and Events, Social Justice
Elizabeth May, Leader of the Green Party of Canada and MP (Saanich – Gulf Islands) today released the Green Party’s plan to make a Guaranteed Livable Income (GLI) a reality for all Canadians. “We believe that a Guaranteed Livable Income plan will help the steadily increasing numbers of people trapped in the low-wage economy and especially Canadian youth, who struggle to survive with part-time employment,” said Ms. May. The Green Party’s plan would consolidate various federal tax credits and transfers for all Canadians. (See Backgrounder). The GLI would not impact Employment Insurance, Canada Pension Plan, childcare subsidies, or social housing drug benefits. Mary Lou Babineau, Green Party Labour and Employment Critic and candidate (Fredericton), added: “In a country as wealthy as Canada, people should not be living in poverty; yet many do, especially here in New Brunswick as a result of high unemployment rates, recent reductions in EI benefits and cuts to social programs. The GLI will ensure that poverty is eliminated in our communities and that everyone – seniors, those unable to find permanent work, and people living with disabilities – can live secure and stable lives.” “Poverty has costly impacts on many of our taxpayer’s services including health care, mental health crisis response, policing and the courts. We must be serious in ending poverty,” said David Weber, Green Party Poverty Elimination Critic and candidate (Kitchener South – Hespeler). Elizabeth May concluded, “GLI is about more than reducing poverty – it will reduce the crime rate, improve educational opportunities, and increase access to healthcare, to name a few benefits to Canadians. A Guaranteed Livable Income makes sense for all Canadians and...
by Karina Thygesen | Jun 12, 2015 | Member Submitted Articles, Social Justice
This article was written and submitted by Alert Bay resident and Green Party member David Faren. The views expressed in this article are his own. Recently, the Prime Minister of Canada, in an act demonstrative of his disdain for democracy, declared he would not participate in the televised leadership debate. Democracy is, however, alive and well in Canada as the acts of many of us demonstrate. And I am not just talking about getting involved during elections or going to the polling station on election day. Democracy, for me, is about having a voice and a hand in building our communities and this country. Anybody giving time to make their community a better place is demonstrating their love for democracy. It could be organizing a community garden, coaching a community soccer team, volunteering at a library, or helping raise awareness of an important issue. Recently, it occurred to me that one of those activities was doing volunteer science work. These unpaid, amateur scientists engage in a variety of activities such as recording bird sightings, collecting water samples, or monitoring cetaceans. Frequently participants in these activities are referred to as citizen scientists. There is a growing trend for more volunteers and volunteer groups to be engaged in citizen science and the nature of the work is shifting. More citizen scientists are doing more than just collecting samples at the request of a professional scientist in an institutional lab. Increasingly, citizen scientists are designing their own research and seeing the research through to the dissemination of what was learned. [i], [ii] Citizen science is an apt name. A...
by Pieter Vorster | Feb 6, 2015 | News and Events, Political Activity, Social Justice
Elizabeth May: Supreme Court Decision on end-of-life debate restores dignity to terminally ill Canadians OTTAWA – Elizabeth May, Leader of the Green Party of Canada and Member of Parliament for Saanich – Gulf Islands, said today’s unanimous Supreme Court decision respects an adult’s ability to decide about their end-of-life care when they suffer from terminal medical conditions. “Today’s decision to respect the wishes of Canadians who live in unimaginable agony was a relief to patients and their families,” Ms. May said. “The Supreme Court affirmed that Canadians must be free to make important decisions about what kind of end-of-life care they receive. Parliament should take immediate action to legislate new rules that respect the Supreme Court’s ruling.” In its ruling, the Supreme Court of Canada stated that the provision in the Criminal Code against helping an adult with a severe medical condition to commit suicide, deprives the afflicted individual of their right to life, liberty, and security. Section 7 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms guarantees this right for all Canadians. Bruce Hyer, Deputy Leader of the Green Party of Canada and Member of Parliament for Thunder Bay – Superior North, added that the Supreme Court’s decision is a well-balanced and reasonable decision that finally addresses the needs of terminally ill patients. “The last time the Supreme Court considered the debate on end-of-life care was over 20 years ago,” Mr. Hyer concluded. “The Court’s decision finally restores dignity to Canadians who have endured unimaginable...
