I simply cannot let this pass without republishing it here in full, it simply says all that needs to be said on the subject of where we need to go as a country and as an electorate, which is of course in exactly the opposite direction that the Harper Regime is taking us.......
A Green Speech From The Throne
Honourable Senators, Members of the House of Commons, Ladies and
gentlemen,
A Speech from the Throne – in our Westminster parliamentary
democracy – should bear fidelity to all our traditions. Canada is a
Constitutional monarchy. Canada is a Westminster Parliamentary
democracy and that is why I, as Governor General, read a speech
filling the role of stand-in monarch. The Speech from the Throne,
prepared by those in majority in the House of Commons, despite its
quaint rituals, represents the underscoring of the fundamental
principles of legitimate governance, going back to 1215 and Magna
Carta. Government is only legitimate by consent of the governed.
We meet in the Senate chambers, the Canadian version of the House
of Lords and purview of monarchy, following the ritual lone walk by
the Senate’s Usher of the Black Rod to visit the House of Commons.
The slamming of the Commons door in the face of the visiting royal
representative is more than a peculiar anachronism. It is the
on-going recognition of the fundamental principle of the supremacy of
Parliament – and, in particular, of the Commoners as supreme over
the monarch. Our traditions, observed more often as bizarre rituals
of dwindling consequence, are actually important.
They express the reality that our living, breathing democracy
shares the air of those fields at Runnymede in 1215 when the king had
to accept that even a king cannot ignore the people. Magna Carta came
from that commitment – a king must consult the commoners. And that
is why, lined up behind that small barrier at the doors of this
chamber, stand the commoners – the legitimate representatives of
the people of Canada – the House of Commons. I am mindful, as the
prime minister has asked me to mention, that she is not seated here
to my right, as previous prime ministers have been, but standing with
the other Members of Parliament. This tradition is practiced in the
UK. It is somewhat odd that it had slipped away in Canada. Members of
Parliament, commoners all – equal in theory – represent the
people of Canada.
It is important that the roles be respected. Democracy in the 21st
Century hangs in a vulnerable place – between corporate rule,
totalitarianism and hyper-partisan manipulation. If a prime minister
sits with royalty in ceremony, it won’t be long before conventions
are violated. The early decisions by a previous prime minister to
shut down the House, prorogation of parliament, in 2008 and 2009,
were essentially unconstitutional. If we are to preserve a real
democracy, we need to remember that our somewhat colourful customs
are symbolic reminders of fundamental principles:
To be legitimate, government must exist by consent of the
governed;
Parliament is supreme;
The prime minister reports to parliament and not the other way
around.
In that context, I am reading the planned direction of my
government. I represent here Her Majesty the Queen, and I represent a
government comprised of the members of the party with a majority in
Parliament, as well as Her Majesty’s Loyal Opposition. It is
understood that this “loyalty” is not to the prime minister, but
to Canada. All MPs are equal, for all stand as representatives of the
people of the communities found in their electoral districts. Even
the prime minister is, in theory, “first among equals” -- a
commoner and never the King.
For too long, we have operated as though the “government”
could be labeled the purview of any one party; or worse, any one
prime minister. It is Her Majesty’s government, meaning it is
Canada’s government, the peoples’ government.
Restoring a Healthy Democracy
In 2017, we will celebrate the 150th anniversary of Confederation,
and it is our goal that we restore the health of Canadian democracy
to mark that celebration. We will entertain ideas for reforms from
Canadians from coast to coast to coast. The evidence suggests that
voter turn-out will rise once we have a healthy voting system, but my
government particularly wants to find ways to engage Canadian youth
in the life of our nation and in decisions about their future.
This parliament will make its top priority a number of steps to
protect the essence of democracy. It is a Citizens First Agenda.
The Parliament will be asked to address the dysfunctionality of
our electoral system. We will hold hearings across Canada to assess
how Canadians feel about the “winner take all” or “First Past
the Post” system. There are a range of options to reform the voting
system. Most modern democracies use some form of proportional
representation, and we need to explore which one of those systems
best work for Canada.
It is our intention to see one of them put into effect prior to
the next election. However, we want to ensure Canadians are engaged
and supportive of the change. Certainly, few will argue that a system
of voting that allows total control to a party whose candidates
receive a minority of the vote is not healthy. While one political
party may enjoy its access to total majority power with a minority of
the vote, its supporters will not be happy when the tide turns and
another party gains the same “false majority.”
Our government will also propose some over-due changes to the
Elections Act. We will repeal changes brought in by the previous
government that have been shown to disadvantage voters without a
driver’s license and a stable address. Populations disadvantaged
include First Nations, students, the homeless, and seniors who have
given up driving. We need better prior enumeration of eligible
voters, and we need to reduce to zero the risk of citizens entitled
to vote being turned away from their polling place due to a
technicality.
The Elections Act also need to be amended to place advertising
limits on political parties outside of writ periods. As well, our
government will propose changes to prohibit use of the airwaves for
paid political advertising, as is the case in the United Kingdom,
Belgium, Brazil and a number of other modern democracies. Instead,
television and radio networks will be required to broadcast public
interest messages focusing on advancing understanding of the various
parties’ positions on issues, not on ad hominem attacks on other
party leaders, contrived by professional advertisers.
The requirement for the leader’s signature on the nomination
papers of candidates will be replaced with the signatures of local
executives, where an Electoral District Association exists, and where
one does not, the signatures of other local members will suffice. We
also will introduce provisions to the Elections Act to allow members
of an elected caucus of any parliamentary party to initiate a
leadership review. These changes are intended to rebalance the powers
of leaders of political parties in Canada with the systems in use in
all other Commonwealth nations. Over time, leaders of Canadian
political parties have gained powers, more akin to those of a
presidential nominee in the United States – but without any of the
checks and balances that exist in the very different system found
south of the border.
We will also cut the budget for the operation of the Prime
Minister’s Office in half and ensure that it be controlled over
time as a fixed proportion of GDP.
It is long overdue, but to restore Canadians’ confidence in
full, free and fair elections, we will hold a Royal Commission of
Inquiry to investigate the election irregularities of the 2011
election (the so-called “robocalls” scandal) and we will ask the
Royal Commission to investigate the actions of the RCMP Commissioner
in 2005-2006 election to see if anything inappropriate or illegal
occurred in that instance.
Senate reform is also a critical issue for many Canadians, but
requires opening the Constitution in order to make significant
changes. None of the changes proposed in this agenda require
Constitutional changes. We propose that all former prime ministers be
convened as a small working group to provide advice as to how the
Senate can be reformed. This will, by definition, be a pan-partisan
group. All have appointed senators and all are familiar with the
reasons Canadians have lost faith in the institution.
Justice for First Nations, Inuit and Metis
One key priority is to revisit the recommendations of the 1996
Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples and work together, on a nation
to nation basis, to enact its recommendations. First Nations
education, housing and provision of clean water remain unfinished
priorities. The rights and responsibilities to respect indigenous
peoples’ decision-making on their traditional territories requires
a serious review. True and meaningful consultation is required.
Tackling the Climate Crisis
Well before we celebrate our 150th birthday we need to tackle the
single biggest threat to our collective future – the climate
crisis. The U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
Fifth Assessment Report confirms what we have known for decades –
human activity is changing the world’s climate in ways that will be
increasingly dangerous.
We know we have time to act, but we have very little time. A
window of opportunity for a sensible transition to reduce dependence
on fossil fuels is barely open. We will enter into a process of
federal, provincial and territorial discussions to ensure a
comprehensive plan that covers all economic sectors. We will end the
sloppy and perverse practice of subsidizing fossil fuels and we will
place a price on carbon. The climate agenda of this government will
ensure coordinated and aggressive action to diversify the Canadian
economy, through more value chains and more value added in relation
to all natural resource exports. We will set shared goals for energy
security, maximizing jobs, and the transition to a low-carbon
economy. We will accelerate action in relation to coal-fired power
plants with a goal of phasing them out entirely by 2020.
An adaptation plan will also be a priority, dovetailing it to the
massive agenda to upgrade critical infrastructure. We pledge to work
creatively with partners at the municipal level of government to ease
the unfair burden they face. The changing climate will require
significant improvements in transportation, waterworks, and other key
infrastructure. Preventative action now will save lives later.
Restoring Environmental Laws
Recognizing that the strongest economies are those with the
strongest environmental laws, we will restore the Canadian
Environmental Assessment Act to its pre-2012 status, as well as
repairing the damage done by the 2012 omnibus bills to the Fisheries
Act and the Navigable Water Protection Act. The National Round Table
on Environment and Economy Act will be tabled for First Reading with
a change that places the Minister of Finance as chair of the effort
to integrate sound environmental policy in all levels of government
decision-making.
Rights to Information
Effective citizens require sound information. This means that
citizens have a right to know what is in their foods. Full
information includes where the food has been produced and how it was
produced. Labelling to identify genetically modified foods will allow
those who wish to eat GMO foods to locate them on their supermarket
shelves and those who want to avoid them to do so.
Citizens have the right to review any scientific research
conducted by independent government scientists. All such research
should be in the public domain.
Members of Parliament require better information as well. We need
to restore evidence-based decision-making. This includes fiscal
decisions for which MPs in recent years have received a paucity of
information. We will propose legislation to make the Parliamentary
Budget Office a stand-alone and properly funded operation, separate
from the Library of Parliament. The Parliamentary Budget Officer will
be an Officer of Parliament. All government operations should be made
transparent. This includes all spending by MPs and Senators.
Better information also requires returning to the tradition of an
independent, professional, non-partisan public service – free of
partisan interference. No public servant should fear being pressed to
assemble “facts” in support of a previously set course. In recent
years we have seen a rise in “decision-based evidence making.”
This must end before it corrupts the very essence of responsible
governance.
Growing a Healthy Economy
Critical in the next few years is to ensure the Canadian economy
is healthy. We have been missing critical opportunities in the
cleantech sector, as well as in enhanced demand side management to
reduce waste of energy. We have the opportunity to grow sectors of
our economy in many different regions of Canada, while maintaining
resource-based activity in Alberta.
Canada is not a zero-sum game. All parts of the country benefit
from policies that encourage entrepreneurial spirit and assist the
commercialization of new technologies. Support for Small and Medium
Enterprises (SMEs) and small business, the major employers in our
economy, is central to our government’s economic strategy. We will
introduce legislation to ensure all government bills are assessed for
their impact on small business and SMEs.
We need to make a major effort to reduce the persistent
unemployment rate among Canadian youth. We will also reverse the
punitive Employment Insurance changes that make life more difficult
for those in seasonal industries.
Trade and investment
This government will clarify the muddy waters around foreign
direct investment. We will include a definition of “national
security” in the Investment Canada Act. And we will hold a full
review, with exacting cost-benefit analysis of the class of
agreements called Foreign Investment Protection and Promotion
Agreements (FIPAs). We will not ratify or negotiate any investment
agreements until we have assessed their impacts. Our government will
respectfully engage with the Peoples’ Republic of China as the FIPA
with China was signed in September 2012, has not yet been ratified,
and must not be ratified in the absence of a clear review of its
impacts. We will work to ensure a clear communication of Canada’s
interests without slamming the door on investment that meets Canada’s
needs. Just as other nations have done, we will pursue trade, without
sacrificing sovereignty through flawed FIPAs.
A Fairer Society
In recognition of the failure of mandatory minimums as a criminal
justice strategy, we will review all legislation and particularly the
Criminal Code to remove mandatory minimums. We will enhance law
enforcement resources, freeing up limited time and money by
legalizing, regulating and taxing cannabis. We will restore the Law
Reform Commission and ask for a review of the recent changes in
criminal law as well as immigration and refugee law to ensure they
are charter compliant.
We will work with the national Ombudsman for Victims of Crime to
improve supports for victims of violent crime and we will improve the
rigour of laws to protect investors from white-collar crime. It will
be a priority of this government to bring to justice those who set
out to cheat seniors of their savings.
We will launch a national inquiry into the missing and murdered
aboriginal women of Canada. Without waiting for the results of that
investigation we will create better tools for law enforcement, such
as a national DNA data bank for victims of crime, to be
cross-referenced with data banks of the missing.
Protecting Canadian Health Care
The health care agenda also needs attention. We will initiate
talks with the provincial and territorial governments on the next
phase of the Health Accord. It is our goal that we find ways to
reduce rising costs, particularly through controlling the price of
pharmaceutical drugs. A national pharmacare programme, and the
creation of a federal unit to provide advice modelled on the British
Columbia Therapeutics Initiative will be a top priority for the
Minister of Health.
Restoring our global reputation
My government is also committed to restoring Canada’s once
strong international reputation. We need to return to
multilateralism, engaging, rather than shunning the world. Our new
focus on addressing climate change will help, but so too must we
re-invest in diplomacy, peace-keeping and human rights around the
world. The elimination of poverty is critical. We will work to meet
the goal set by Lester Pearson of 0.7% GDP to Official Development
Assistance by 2020.
Putting Citizens First
A Citizens First agenda means that we take seriously our
obligations as government to the on-going relationship with those who
elect their representatives. The reality is that Members of
Parliament work for their constituents and not for their political
parties. Reducing partisanship and competition in political discourse
and finding ways to work together for the betterment of all is
central.
This is an ambitious agenda. There is much more that needs to be
done, but if we all pull together,
As published at
http://www.greenparty.ca/green-speech-throne
