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Green Party of Ontario holds annual general meeting in Muskoka
Read the original article at CottageCountryNow
HUNTSVILLE – Even a power outage did not stop Green Party of Ontario Leader Mike Schreiner from receiving a standing ovation at the party’s annual general meeting Saturday.
The general meeting and policy conference, held at Delta Grandview Resort from April 15 to 17, saw over 100 Green party members and candidates attend campaign workshops, policy seminars and gala dinners.
After lunch on Saturday, Schreiner took the podium to address everyone, giving an overview of the party’s policies and emphasizing the need for action from party members.
“It’s time to ramp it up in Ontario. We’re going to ramp it up starting this weekend with our deliberations and strategizing here,” he said, then urged members to support the federal election.
“This is a perfect opportunity for our provincial party to work with our federal cousins to identify supporters, recruit volunteers and build successful winning teams, not only for the spring election but also the fall election.”
Schreiner said action was important because the province is in desperate need of a Green vision.
“We need to boldly step forward to tackle the critical issues of our generation – resource depletion, rising energy prices, climate change – a host of challenges that this party has the vision to tackle,” he said.
Ontarians are ready to go Green, he said, referencing expanding composting bin programs and the shift of large corporations such as Walmart toward green marketing initiatives.
“I don’t think the old parties understand that our generation is the most educated, connected and (interested) generation we’ve ever had and we’ve got to remove the barriers to allow them to be involved,” he said.
As Schreiner was stating that his party’s focus on promoting policies that benefit communities separated the Greens from the others who focus solely on winning votes, a storm knocked the power out. The crowd filled the void with hoots and applause, and when the backup power kicked in Schreiner took the opportunity to give a shout out to harnessing local energy.
However, he continued with his speech, saying, “It’s time for a government that works for people,” by promoting transparency and creating socially conscious legislation. He also spoke about the importance of realizing that the “era of cheap energy” has ended.
“I’m tired of politicians pandering to people, suggesting that somehow, magically, we’re going to change global energy trends and we can somehow re-invest in our electricity sector without there being costs associated with it,” he said. “It’s time to put forward a bold vision that says this province can transition to a low-carbon economy. We’re going to have to transition to it … if we’re going to maintain our prosperity in the 21st century, maintain the quality of life for our children and communities.”
Sustainable local jobs, investing in youth training such as co-op programs and adjusting the tax structure are ways of implementing that vision, he said.
“We have to start reducing taxes on the things that we want, such as jobs and employment by reducing business and income taxes, and we need to shift those taxes to the things we don’t want, such as waste, pollution, unsustainable resource use and carbon emissions,” he said.
Schreiner said the province is on “the cusp of a completely new way of thinking about energy” and the energy decisions made now could affect the next 50 years.
New nuclear plants, he said, would lock the province into an “expensive, inflexible” energy source that would negatively affect businesses, communities and families.
He also referenced an energy-related $30-billion debt left by the Progressive Conservative government, which was largely due to nuclear energy cost overruns.
The debt has ballooned, he said, and although over $33 billion has been paid, more than $27.5 billion is still owed.
“We have a provincial government that says, ‘More of the same,’ and the Conservative opposition’s only criticism is, ‘We’ve got to do it faster,’” said Schreiner. “There is one party that has not only criticized that approach but is offering safe, affordable and responsible alternatives. That’s the Green Party of Ontario.”
He also spoke about the importance of preventative measures in creating sustainable health care, which takes up 46 per cent of the provincial budget.
Improving people’s health happens through reducing toxins, improving air and water quality and increasing access to healthy food through supporting local production, he said.
And, he said, access to family doctors and a wide range of services such as chiropractors and nurse practitioners are key to quality preventative health care.
He also said Ontario’s aging population needs to be kept out of hospitals by focusing on home, transitional and long-term care programs. Otherwise, he said, seniors will be “warehoused” in hospitals and the province will never get health-care costs under control.
Earlier in his speech, he said he did not want to detract from the accomplishments of the party over the last two decades, but said, “The reality is that, until we elect an MP or MPP, we’re shut out of Queen’s Park, we’re shut out of the media studios, we’re shut out of the debates.”
Schreiner concluded by saying the province needs a strong Green voice to help build a sustainable future, and received