The Green Party of Canada has an extensive platform that covers everything from same-sex marriage to waste management. One of its key values is sustainability, both environmentally and fiscally. Like many of the other parties, it places a heavy emphasis on health and education. But the platform also includes policies on crime and foreign policy.

Based on the official 2006 Green Party platform.

Health care

• Oppose any steps that open the way to two-tier health care system
• Co-ordinate a national pharmacare plan with the provinces
• Include coverage for health care treatments such as chiropractic, acupuncture or herbal medicines
• Support a public health framework to reduce the use of psychoactive drugs through rehabilitation and prevention, especially for children
• Involve mental health clients and psychiatric survivors in research planning, policy development, program evaluation and other decisions that affect their lives and communities
• Help provinces increase the number of detox and treatment beds for drug and alcohol rehabilitation, create safe injection clinics, needle exchange programs and access for certified addicts to prescriptions for safe doses
• Explain licensing requirements for health professionals being considered for immigration before their entry
• Provide incentives to companies to reduce workplace stress and promote emotional health
• Increase taxes on tobacco products, alcohol and junk food
• Introduce mandatory labelling of all foods containing genetically modified organisms
• Ban the sub-therapeutic use of agricultural antibiotics and hormones
• Help provinces and municipalities implement urban agriculture and food share programs to reduce the cost of healthy food
• Target programs to reduce and eliminate systematic health inequities facing
• First Nation communities, new Canadians and other marginalized populations
• Commission Health Canada to do a nationwide study identifying the presence of carcinogens, neurotoxins, hormone disruptors, and the toxicity levels of Canadians
• Ensure clean drinking water for all Canadian communities by 2008
• Initiate consultations with Canadians about end-of-life and quality-of-life issues
• Support the Children's Clean Air Act
• Prohibit reproductive cloning and require a Health Canada license for any organization or institution that performs genetic manipulation for commercial or scientific purposes.
• Ban all non-natural pesticides and insecticides by the year 2010 and provide alternatives for farmers
• Prohibit reproductive cloning and require a Health Canada licence for any organization or institution that performs genetic manipulation for commercial or scientific purposes
• Implement goal of increasing physical activity by 10 per cent over five years
• Invest $500 million over five years to address inactivity and obesity
• Introduce a national standard of daily participation in sport and physical activity in schools
• Support high-performance athletes by encouraging participation in sport, and by contributing to the provision of essential facilities, coaching and medical support
• Endorse and promote the Olympic Movement's Agenda 21 for Sport, which advocates sustainable sport and recreation management practices
• Support a nation-wide healthy lunch and snacks program from kindergarten through to Grade 12

Same-sex marriage

• The Green party supports same-sex marriage

Defence

• Declare Canada a military nuclear-free zone and abstain from participating in the development or use of space-based weapons
• Work to establish a standing international peacekeeping force under UN control
• Create an International Affairs and Comprehensive Security Agency to coordinate activities between Foreign Affairs, National Defence and CIDA
• Create a rapid response force with a mandate for peacekeeping and environmental restoration in both international crisis situations and domestic catastrophes

Marijuana

• Regulate marijuana under federal legislation as a product similar to alcohol and tobacco

Child Care

• Create tax incentives for businesses to implement flexible schedules and on-site childcare
• Boost funding for early childhood education
• Link local childcare and education centres into a national network

Crime

• Use restorative justice, rather than prison for first time non-violent offenders
• Strengthen measures to combat gun smuggling and the possession of banned weapons
• Upgrade penalties for those convicted of crime involving a firearm
• Regulate marijuana under federal legislation as a product similar to alcohol and tobacco
• Support Bill C-50 to "consolidate animal cruelty offences and increase the maximum penalties”
• Establish a federal program to end "roadside zoos," reduce the number of animals held in captivity, and create enforceable standards for zoos across the country

Gun registry

• Decriminalize non-compliance and eliminate registration fees with the national firearms registry

Democratic reform

• Create public consultation process to determine form of proportional representation, where the percentage of party seats won equal the party's percentage of the popular vote, that would best serve Canadians for the next federal election
• Support the legislative changes required to introduce the proportional representation system recommended by the public consultation
• Greens want Elections Canada, or another independent agency, to take control of a mandatory series of open leaders’ debates
• Introduce fixed election dates
• Move from the current partial ban on corporate and union donations to political parties to a full ban on such donations
• Lower the voting age to seventeen
• Reduce the mandatory $1,000 candidate deposit to encourage more
• Canadians to participate in the democratic system
• Introduce laws guaranteeing a proportion of seats for women in government appointed bodies

Government accountability

• Create Government Accountability Act to ensure those who monitor government are selected at arms length from those they monitor, and to guarantee transparency and openness for all government activities
• Strengthen mandates of Independent Officers of Parliament, including the Auditor General and the Information Commissioner
• Replace the current Ethics Commissioner with an independent Ethics Commission who would report to Parliament, appointed through a merit-based process
• Support effective whistleblower protection for public and private sector employees
• Institute code of conduct and independent complaints process to ensure that tax dollars are not used for pre-election partisan purposes
• Limit the amount of donations to candidates to no more than $1,000 annually from any donor, with the full identity of donors clearly disclosed
• Provide parliamentarians with independent regulatory audits on the effectiveness of government regulations in meeting their stated public purposes
• Institute mandatory training in ethics for MPs and their staff
• Make service improvements a priority for all agencies and departments, with systematic citizen feedback and a schedule for review
• Reinforce the political independence of public sector employees
• Reform the appointments system to discourage patronage
• Strengthen the rules of conduct for lobbying

Taxes

• During the 2006 election campaign, the Green Party pledged to eliminate tax breaks to all fossil fuel sectors.
• Lower taxes for Canadians earning less than $45,000 per year
• Establish all-party task force to study corporate tax rates between Canada and the United States
• Close loopholes that permit the establishment of offshore tax havens by Canadian companies
• Establish new Parliamentary Budget Office to provide independent public estimates of government revenues and expenditures
• Transfer federal tax points to sustain specific social services such as health care on strict provincial guarantees that these funds will be allocated to such services and that such funds will be used to reduce the dependency provincial governments have developed to revenue from gambling
• Remove GST on education supplies and specific family products
• Expand child tax credits and benefits
• Create tax incentives for businesses to implement flexible schedules and on-site childcare
• Increase taxes on tobacco products, alcohol and junk food
• Develop tax incentives for companies to meet the standards of gender and pay equity
• Recognize and value the unpaid work of women through reforms to our tax system
• Reduce taxes for small and medium sized businesses in their first 5 years of existence
• Impose significant pollution taxes on harmful chemicals until they can be eliminated

Foreign policy

• Declare Canada a military nuclear-free zone and abstain from participating in the development or usage of space-based weapons
• Work to establish a standing international peacekeeping force under UN control
• Create an International Affairs and Comprehensive Security Agency to coordinate activities between Foreign Affairs, National Defence and CIDA
• Create a rapid response force with a mandate for peacekeeping and environmental restoration in both international crisis situations and domestic catastrophes
• Propose reform of the UN Security Council, eliminating vetoes and expanding membership
• Support the provision of royalty-free and low-cost AIDS medicines for Africa, Asia and South America
• Work with other nations to eliminate unsustainable fishing in international waters and create a system of marine sanctuaries
• Press for custodial management of fish stocks on the Grand Banks
• Increase foreign aid spending to 0.5 per cent of GDP by 2010, and meet Canada's commitment to spend at least 0.7 per cent by 2015
• Work to increase the influence of the International Court of Justice
• Advocate a viable and secure state for Palestine and a secure state for Israel
• Actively engage with the Chinese government to advance a federal model "Middle Path" approach, to the Tibet issue
• Initiate a review of Canada's current international security alliances
• Erase debts with emerging countries that have been in default for over 10 years
• Sign the UN's global initiative for the elimination of discrimination and violence against women

Immigration

• Remove barriers for reinstating professional credentials
• Improve cultural and business links with the home countries of new Canadians
• Work with municipalities and provinces to improve the integration of new
• Canadians into the multicultural fabric of our country
• Toughen regulations governing practices of "immigration consultants," and increase penalties for illegal smugglers
• Explain licensing requirements for health professionals being considered for immigration before their entry
• Give landed immigrants with professional qualifications the opportunity to obtain Canadian licences
• Help cultural organizations to obtain charitable status
• Conduct review of the Anti-Terrorism Act and the Public Safety Act to eliminate security certificates
• Release people detained under security certificates unless formal charges brought against them
• Regularize the estimated 200,000 people living in Canada without official status
• Open an investigation into allegations by the United Nations Human Rights
• Committee of Canadian officials cooperating with foreign agencies known to use torture

Environment

• Eliminate the use of the most dangerous toxic chemicals by 2008
• Amend Charter of Rights and Freedoms to enshrine the right of future Canadians to an ecological heritage that includes breathable air and drinkable water
• Prohibit the use of pesticides for cosmetic purposes
• Regulate chemicals in consumer products through the Canadian Environmental Protection Act
• Mandate a CEPA taskforce to focus on pollution reduction in the Great Lakes basin
• Create a Clean Canada Fund to clean up toxic sites
• Ban the incineration of imported toxic waste
• Enact product stewardship legislation that would require wood producers to increase the life span of their products and to assume the full recycling and disposal costs of products
• Work with provinces, First Nations and the logging industry to create federal standards and best practices that ensure the sustainability of our forests
• Replace clear-cutting with selection logging and conserve old growth forest ecosystems
• Pursue Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification of all forestry conditional upon compliance to its 10 principles on crown lands and encourage the same on private lands
• Promote alternatives to wood as sources of paper fibre
• Renegotiate trade agreements to restrict the export of raw logs
• Promote use of wood waste to produce bio-fuels and co-generated steam and electricity
• Stop all bulk water exports by renegotiating or rejecting trade deals that allow corporations to strip watersheds of freshwater and disrupt ecosystems
• Rescind uranium-mining permits and prohibit export of fissionable nuclear material
• Promote life-cycle product stewardship of metals to ensure that once mined, remain in economic service for generations
• Ensure all mining operations are insured for environmental liabilities and have an adequate pre-funded plan for remediation when mine closes
• Introduce and regulate the mining industry under an International Corporate
• Social Responsibility Act
• End all federal subsidies to fossil fuel sectors and discontinue exploration, drilling and extraction in ecologically sensitive areas
• Coordinate with the provinces a $1.5 billion investment to build 10,000 MW of renewable energy capacity by 2010
• Redirect research and development programs towards renewable, alternative, and soft energy technologies that will reduce fossil fuel consumption and phase out nuclear power
• Expand existing and institute new energy conservation strategies as a cheaper alternative to new power plants
• Assist provinces to design and implement improved energy efficiency programs
• Implement plan to address the economic consequences of higher oil prices
• Work with the provinces and municipalities to promote and support alternative energy initiatives such as sewage co-generation
• Shift taxes on fossil fuels to earlier stages in the production cycle to encourage competition among companies to lower operating costs while reducing emissions
• Increase emission reduction targets for large industrial emitters to at least 55 megatons above and beyond other policies
• Use revenue from tradable pollution permits to offset tax breaks for increasing energy efficiency and industry initiatives that reduce fuel consumption
• Pass the Canada Well-Being Measurement Act and implement the Canadian Index of Well-being
• Create thousands of "Green collar jobs" by encouraging the development of low-emission industries
• Impose significant taxes on harmful chemicals until they can be eliminated
• Sign and implement the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety
• Strengthen and enforce Canada's Species at Risk Act in partnership with the provinces and territories
• Provide Parks Canada with the funding necessary to protect the ecological integrity of Canada's National Parks and, working with provinces, establish compatible-use buffer zones around national parks
• Fast track the establishment of marine protected areas
• End federal assistance to the commercial seal hunt and encourage more sustainable economic alternatives for sealers
• Expand network of land, freshwater and marine protected areas
• Ban bottom dragging and lead efforts for a global ban on harmful fishing practices
• Support local, provincial and territorial genetically engineered free zones and pass legislation requiring labeling of genetically engineered foods
• Ensure that supply management systems provide stable domestic markets, viable farm income, and easier market access for specialty and organic producers
• Permit continued unregulated production by smaller and mixed family farms that sell to local markets
• Adapt food safety and other regulations and work with provincial governments to provide area exemptions with locally adopted regulations to support small and medium size farmers and food processors to build and strengthen local food economies
• Shift government-supported research away from biotechnology and energy-intensive farming and toward organic food production
• Redefine the Department of Fisheries and Ocean's mandate to protect and conserve wild fisheries
• Work with provinces to re-establish a wild fish economy with primary concern going to rehabilitating fish stocks, protecting fish habitats and phasing-out fish farms
• Protect animal welfare by phasing out factory farming, reducing distances live animals can be transported, improving conditions of animals in slaughterhouses, auctions, entertainment, and prohibiting trade in exotic animals
• Ensure that 100 per cent of livestock waste is recycled safely and no animal by-products are used in animal feed
• Pass a law that forbids the patenting of life forms and makes biotech developers of genetically engineered crops liable for damage such crops might cause
• Create a national clean freight initiative that uses both regulatory means and financial incentives to improve fleet efficiency and safety
• Enforce a mandatory target of 25 per cent better fuel efficiency for the automobile industry and increase standards over the next five years
• Employ incentives to increase the percentage of ethanol content in gasoline and the availability of other biofuels
• Subsidize alternative heating systems including solar, geothermal, and high efficiency wood stoves

Aboriginals

• Legislate "first use" fishing, hunting, trapping and logging rights to aboriginal and Metis people on traditional lands, especially those under federal jurisdiction
• Launch and maintain new processes driven by Aboriginal priorities and legal entitlements, to address governance issues, a just and fair share of lands and resources, legislative inconsistencies, policy inequities, reconciliation and -- in accordance with the wishes of First Nations -- the phased-out elimination of the Indian Act
• Honour Canada's fiduciary responsibility to Aboriginal peoples, including their right of self-government
• Implement the recommendations of the 1996 Report of the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples
• Establish a federal-provincial task force to address and investigate the disappearance of Aboriginal women
• Make aboriginal culture and history a mandatory component of Canadian history
• Deliver health care, education and other services in a way that incorporates traditional practices
• Target programs to reduce and eliminate systematic health inequities facing
• First Nation communities, new Canadians and other marginalized populations

Trade

• Renegotiate multilateral trade agreements to include "fair trade" tariffs that protect human rights and our ecosystems
• Propose reform of the WTO, the IMF and the World Bank, having them placed under the authority of the UN general assembly
• Shift direction of international trade away from "free trade" to "fair trade" focusing on the global protection of human rights, labour standards, cultural diversity, and ecosystems

Education

• Work with provinces and higher learning institutions to reduce post-secondary tuition
• Boost participation in co-operative education programs and apprenticeships
• Encourage more hands-on learning in our post-secondary education system
• Harmonize government programs such as the Millennium Scholarship Fund to provide a single need-based grant program to reduce student debt
• Increase investments in post-secondary education and ensure that public funding plays a major role in research and development initiatives
• Increase the availability of full-time employment positions and quality of life by implementing a gradual reduction in the standard work week to thirty-five work hours per week
• Establish a mentorship network that will enable seniors to connect with youth, to share the benefit of their experiences
• Remove GST on education supplies and specific family products
• Boost funding for early childhood education
• Link local childcare and education centres into a national network