Peter Bevan-Baker Releases 2023 Green Party Platform
Clyde River, PE - The Green Party released its fully costed 2023 election platform today.
The Green Plan outlines a thoughtful, comprehensive plan to improve healthcare, increase housing affordability and options, strengthen the economy by strengthening workers, put more money in the pockets of Islanders, and protect our beautiful, natural environment.
Highlights from the Green platform include:
Strong Public Healthcare
Amend the Health Services Act to take political interference out of healthcare;
Hire and allow nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and other frontline workers to do the work they trained to do;
Immediately invest $37 million directly into wage increases and benefits for frontline healthcare staff at Health PEI;
Provide Islanders with comprehensive and timely mental health and addiction services, including by finally starting construction of the new mental health hospital, reopening the Psychiatric Urgent Care Clinic (PUCC), and establishing PUCCs outside of Charlottetown.
Addressing the Housing Crisis
Invest $485 million to build more affordable and public housing and expand our public housing portfolio over the next five years;
Establish a rental registry to protect tenants from illegal rents;
Amend the Planning Act and work with municipalities to improve development processes, promote density, encourage development in transit corridors, and reduce the loss of farmland to development.
Workers and a Fair Economy
Legislate 10 paid sick days for Island workers;
Create a refundable tax credit for workers earning between $30,000 and $50,000;
Immediately increase the minimum wage to $15.20 and increase by $1 every year until we reach a living wage.
Making Life More Affordable
Boost funding to provincial pharmacare by $18 million to match the Canadian average per capita investment in pharmacare;
Index tax brackets to ensure our tax system reflects increases to the cost of living;
Implement a Basic Income pilot and work with the federal government to make a full universal basic income permanent.
Supporting the Next Generation
Create a capital fund to build new childcare centres, expand existing ones, and keep centres from closing. Immediately increase wages for early childhood educators to at least a living wage, so childcare centres can better attract and retain staff;
Increase funding to allow more teachers and educational assistants to work directly with students and hire more school counsellors to address the mental health needs of students;
Cover student debt payments for graduates with PEI student loans for the 2023/24 year, and in subsequent years no longer require student loan payments from graduates earning less than $40K per year.
Land, Water, and the New Climate Reality
Maintain the shoreline development moratorium until we’ve introduced new and improved shoreline protection legislation;
Bring in Island-wide land-use planning with a strong focus on making communities more sustainable, reducing emissions, protecting the shoreline and forests, and moving development away from areas prone to flooding or erosion;
Make land ownership and purchases more transparent to make sure the Lands Protection Act can be properly enforced;
Increase the amount of clean renewable energy generated on the Island.
Diverse and Inclusive Island
Review progress and accelerate the implementation of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s calls to action and the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls’ calls for justice;
Legislate proportional representation, based on the recommendations of a Citizens’ Assembly tasked with determining the model of proportional representation;
Develop an anti-racism strategy in partnership with community members and equity-seeking groups.
The Green Party estimates the cost of its platform will be $151,296,000 in 2023-24, offset by $48,000,000 in new federal transfers for a total net new cost of $103,296,000.
Quotes:
“This election offers a choice between distinct visions for PEI.
The PCs are banking on their record over the last four years where the only real growth was to the cost of living, the number of people waiting for healthcare, the number of Islanders experiencing homelessness, the number of acres of farmland being lost, and the number of developers destroying our shorelines.
The Liberals are saying Islanders need to go back to the old way of doing things that has brought Prince Edward Island face to face with the crises we have today in healthcare, housing, affordability, and the protection of our shorelines.
The Green Party is offering a clearly defined plan that will put Islanders and their families on a path to better health, increased prosperity, and a solid foundation. Our plan shows it can be done and how much it will cost to make it happen. On April 3, the clear choice for government is a Green government. Make a difference. Vote Green.”
Peter Bevan-Baker, Leader of the Green Party of PEI
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For media inquiries, please contact:
Jonathan Hamel
Director of Communications, Green Party of PEI
Tel: (902) 916-7816
Email: jonathan.hamel@greenparty.pe.ca
