Living Policy: Economy

At the Green Party, we believe that innovation, job creation, Canadian competitiveness, and productivity are pillars of a strong economy. While these are important pillars, two very important aspects of the economy are left out: its health and environmental effects. Many people assume that environmental sustainability and economic growth do not go hand in hand, but the Green Party has a plan to prove that it is a possible and very attainable goal. While a strong economy is desirable, we feel that the current measure of Canadian standard of living, Gross Domestic Product, does not reflect realities on the ground. Factors such as job satisfaction, quality of life, and health ought to be included into measures of Canadian standard of living. The Green Party of Canada will re-invigorate our economy by: • Passing the Canada Well-Being Measurement Act and implement the Canadian Index of Well-being. • Beginning a partial, gradual, revenue neutral tax shift from income, consumption and business taxes to resource use taxes, pollution taxes and land value levies reflecting corporate profits. • Reviewing the Green tax shift every 3 years in order to monitor progress and readjust fiscal imbalances. • Creating thousands of new "Green collar jobs" by encouraging the development of low-emission industries in areas most affected by the shift away from natural resource sectors. • Stronger, more effective antitrust laws in concentrated industry sectors. • Reducing taxes for small and medium sized businesses in their first 5 years of existence. • Providing higher risk financial support networks that will encourage people to invest in innovative businesses.