Green Party Has Best Economic Policy for Financial Meltdown

Harper has made the economy his number one issue, but his Neo-con Bushite remedies are just more of the same crap that has led to the crisis. At the same time Harper claims the crisis in the U.S. will not affect Canada. Since about 75% of our exports go to the U.S., this is like the ostrich who sticks his head in the sand to avoid seeing reality. The following comments by Marc Lee in the Tyee reveal that the Green party has the best economic policies to deal with an economic downturn (or crisis). Marc Lee is a Senior Economist with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, and chairs the Progressive Economics Forum: "Most good fiscal policy recommendations have started with the notion of getting money quickly into the hands of those who will spend all of it. In the short-run it would primarily work through EI, but one could also imagine souping up the GST credit, the Canada Child Tax Benefit and Old Age Pensions, not to mention provincial welfare systems.

In addition to this, a timely intervention would be to fund a major public works campaign for climate-change-related infrastructure. Huge public transit investments. Energy efficiency retrofits. Alternative power. These are all things we need to be doing anyway, given the climate challenge. As employment drops, these projects could be brought on line quickly if the pre-planning was already in place.

As John Kenneth Galbraith famously noted, bubbles do not burst in an orderly manner. This ride is far from over, and more than any time in recent decades we need an activist government to make sure that families are not wiped out".

Green Party Policies would act quickly to renew our economy in a downturn. We support a National Housing Program. Green Party MPs will work to fund a national housing program in order to build energy-efficient co-ops and affordable green housing units, and reorient Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation programs in order to provide credit and loan guarantees to non-profit housing organizations and cooperatives for building and restoring quality, energy-efficient housing for seniors, special needs, and low income families. A green National Housing Program is a win-win-win solution providing sorely need new social housing that is energy efficient and green, jobs that will launch a new local and bioregional economic renewal, and allow the homeless and under and inadequately housed to have more space and time to participate more fully in the democratic process. The Green Party commitment to provide massive funds to build public transit and bikeways will have a similar economic effect, a renewal of the economy, jobs, and real change to address climate change seriously. Another win-win-win solution! Another Green Party solution to an economic downturn is our Guaranteed Livable Income (GLI) Policy. Poor people, homeless people can not participate in democratic decision making or economic activity when they have to worry where they will sleep at night or where their next meal will come from. The GLI would be set regionally above the poverty line. Combined with free public transit passes, it could eliminate poverty and allow social services to concentrate on problems of mental health and addiction. People would be much better equipped and mobile to participate in the economy and in their democratic responsibilities as citizens. Our flexible federally funded universal childcare program including workplace child care will also contribute to democratic and economic renewal, making it easier for many working Canadians to use mass transit. These policies demonstrate the comprehensive and ecological (integrated and relational) approach of the Green Party to both economic and democratic renewal.