Green Party takes root at UofT
By Ryan Maclean
Issue date: 2/15/07 Section: News
The Green Party of Canada now has representation at the University of Toronto. Before UTSU's recognition of the club in December, every other national political party, short of the Green Party, had a campus affiliate. The group plans to enhance students' understanding of the party's platform, foster sustainable culture, and encourage political participation. These goals are being pursued ambitiously by the three co-founders, Karen Cao, Claire Salloum and Polina Osmerkina.
The co-founders noted that "despite such vast amounts of environmentally conscious student groups on campus, and despite the fact that UofT is also very politically active, there for some reason [was] no representation of the Green Party of Canada." The development coincides with a recent, dramatic increase in national support. According to Angus-Reid polls from January, Green Party support is at 11% - while the Bloc and NDP are at 8% and 14% respectively.
Although support for the party is increasing, the co-founders find there are great misconceptions regarding the party's purpose, a frustration that partially inspired the GPC at UofT's inception. The co-founders mentioned one widespread misunderstanding is that their policies conflict with economic development. The "people who hold these views have essentially not read the platform of the Green Party of Canada," says Cao.
When asked how the Green Party of Canada makes environmental policy practical, Salloum explained that they operate principally on revenue-neutral tax shifts. For example, no-cost improvements to the environment can be made by proportionally increasing taxes on pollution, while decreasing taxes on income for workers in environmental industries. Cao added, "We have to evolve our tax system and reveal the true costs of our investments. Our taxes subsidize alot of oil production…Oil companies have lots of tax exemptions, too…" She also remarked that "environmentalism is popular today, but we are an avenue to stop talking and move towards real political action."
The co-founders noted that "despite such vast amounts of environmentally conscious student groups on campus, and despite the fact that UofT is also very politically active, there for some reason [was] no representation of the Green Party of Canada." The development coincides with a recent, dramatic increase in national support. According to Angus-Reid polls from January, Green Party support is at 11% - while the Bloc and NDP are at 8% and 14% respectively.
Although support for the party is increasing, the co-founders find there are great misconceptions regarding the party's purpose, a frustration that partially inspired the GPC at UofT's inception. The co-founders mentioned one widespread misunderstanding is that their policies conflict with economic development. The "people who hold these views have essentially not read the platform of the Green Party of Canada," says Cao.
When asked how the Green Party of Canada makes environmental policy practical, Salloum explained that they operate principally on revenue-neutral tax shifts. For example, no-cost improvements to the environment can be made by proportionally increasing taxes on pollution, while decreasing taxes on income for workers in environmental industries. Cao added, "We have to evolve our tax system and reveal the true costs of our investments. Our taxes subsidize alot of oil production…Oil companies have lots of tax exemptions, too…" She also remarked that "environmentalism is popular today, but we are an avenue to stop talking and move towards real political action."
Be the first to comment on this story