NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Green Party of Ontario

The Green Party of Ontario (GPO) is a political party in Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's second-largest provincial Green Party after the Green Party of British Columbia. The party is led by Frank de Jong with deputy leaders Dr. Sanjeev Goel and Victoria Serda. The party has never held any seats in the Ontario Legislative Assembly; however, the party did see significant gains in the 2007 provincial election, earning 8% of the popular vote with some candidates placing second and third in their ridings. Previous polling has identified support to be between 6% and 12% of decided voters.^[1],^[2] Image File history File links Metadata No higher resolution available. ... Year 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1983 Gregorian calendar). ... Frank de Jong (born 1955 in Luther Township, northeast of Arthur, Ontario) is a Canadian politician and environmentalist. ... Green politics or Green ideologies is a political ideology which places a high importance on ecological and environmentalist goals, and on achieving these goals through broad-based, grassroots, participatory democracy and a consensus decision-making. ... For other uses, see Green (disambiguation). ... Motto: Ut Incepit Fidelis Sic Permanet (Loyal she began, loyal she remains) Other Canadian provinces and territories Capital Toronto Largest city Toronto Lieutenant Governor James K. Bartleman Premier Dalton McGuinty (Liberal) Area 1,076,395 km² (4th) - Land 917,741 km² - Water 158,654 km² (14. ... Green parties around the world are formally organized political parties based on the principles of Green politics. ... The Green Party of British Columbia is a political party in British Columbia, Canada. ... Frank de Jong (born 1955 in Luther Township, northeast of Arthur, Ontario) is a Canadian politician and environmentalist. ... The Green Party of Canada ran a full slate of 308 candidates in the 2004 federal election. ... Victoria Serda is the female deputy leader of the Green Party of Ontario, and is a Town Councillor for Port Elgin, Ontario in the town of Saugeen Shores. ... The Ontario Legislature Building at Queens Park The Legislative Assembly of Ontario, is the legislature of the Canadian province of Ontario. ... The Ontario general election of 2007 was held on October 10, 2007 to elect members (MPPs) of the 39th Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario, Canada. ...

Elections Ontario records that in the 1999 provincial election, the GPO fielded 58 candidates, and became the fourth largest party in the province. In 2003, the party fielded its first nearly-full slate, 102 out of 103 candidates, and received 2.8% of the vote. In 2007, in what many consider the breakthrough election for the GPO, the party fielded a full slate of 107 candidates, receiving over 8.0% and over 355,000 votes.^[3] The GPO had gained the most in the 2007 election and was one of the only two parties that gained a significant amount of support. Elections Ontario is the non-partisan agency of the Government of Ontario, responsible for the conduct of provincial elections. ... Map of Ontarios ridings and their popular vote for their party elected The Ontario Legislature after the 1999 election. ... The Green Party of Ontario ran 58 candidates in the 1999 provincial election, none of whom were elected. ... The Green Party of Ontario fielded 102 candidates in the 2003 Ontario provincial election, none of whom were elected. ... The Green Party of Ontario is a minor political party in Ontario, Canada running in the 2007 Ontario provincial election. ...

History

The Green Party of Ontario (GPO) became an officially registered political party in 1983, in Ontario, Canada, and has been developing in size and sophistication since that time, expanding its membership and rising in the polls. ...

Early years

The late 1960s is widely seen as the start of the global ecological movement, however it wasn't until the 1970s that this movement began to gain political and economic legitimacy, with advances such as the founding of the world's first green party (New Zealand's Values Party), and the entry of the West German Greens (Die Grunen) into that country's legislature. The tiny, short-lived Small Party, named after E.F. Schumacher's book Small is Beautiful, formed in the Maritimes in the mid to late 1970s, and was the first party in the Western Hemisphere related to the green movement. This party was founded by Elizabeth May, now the leader of the Green Party of Canada.^[4] A logo used by the Values Party The Values Party, sometimes considered the worlds first national-level environmentalist party, was established in 1972 at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand. ... West Germany was the informal but almost universally used name for the Federal Republic of Germany from 1949 until 1990, during which years the Federal Republic did not yet include East Germany. ... The Alliance 90/The Greens (BÃ¼ndnis 90/Die GrÃ¼nen), the German Green party, is a political party in Germany whose regional predecessors were founded in the late 1970s as part of the new social movements. ... Ernst Friedrich Fritz Schumacher (1911-1977) was an economist with a professional background as a statistician and economist in Britain. ... Small Is Beautiful is the title of a series of books by E. F. Schumacher[1]. The original 1973 publication is a collection of essays that brought Schumachers ideas to a wider audience, at a critical time in history. ... This article is about the leader of the Green Party of Canada. ... The Green Party of Canada is a Canadian federal political party founded in 1983. ...

By the early 1980s, the idea of organized Green politics began to gain in international popularity, and in 1983 the Green Party of Ontario was registered with Elections Ontario. Shortly after the GPO was registered it contested its first election, fielding nine candidates who collected a combined 5,300 votes or 0.14%. In 1987 the party again ran nine candidates who fared worse, collecting 3,400 votes or 0.09%. In 1990, to the surprise of many, the GPO captured a much higher result, with 40 candidates capturing 30,400 votes or 0.75%.^[5] Elections Ontario is the non-partisan agency of the Government of Ontario, responsible for the conduct of provincial elections. ... Map of the 1987 election, showing the ridings and their popular vote The Ontario general election of 1987 was held on September 10, 1987, to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario, Canada. ...

Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ...

Frank de Jong years

It wasn't until 1993, however, that the party began to properly organize itself, electing Frank de Jong as its first official leader. The GPO and their newly selected leader ran in their first election as an organized party in the 1995 provincial election^[6]. However, even with a new leader and just three candidates less than 1990, the party lost more than half their support, falling to just 14,100 or 0.34%. Frank de Jong (born 1955 in Luther Township, northeast of Arthur, Ontario) is a Canadian politician and environmentalist. ... The Ontario general election of 1995 was held on June 8, 1995, to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of the province of Ontario, Canada. ...

Since assuming the role of party leader, Mr de Jong has led the party through three election campaigns, gradually building party support from less than one percent in the early 1990s to just over 8% in the 2007 provincial election.^[7] Image File history File links Size of this preview: 501 Ã— 599 pixelsFull resolution (810 Ã— 969 pixel, file size: 382 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Frank de Jong speaking at the True Cost Economics Forum. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 501 Ã— 599 pixelsFull resolution (810 Ã— 969 pixel, file size: 382 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Frank de Jong speaking at the True Cost Economics Forum. ... Frank de Jong (born 1955 in Luther Township, northeast of Arthur, Ontario) is a Canadian politician and environmentalist. ... The Ontario general election of 2007 was held on October 10, 2007 to elect members (MPPs) of the 39th Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario, Canada. ...

In the 1999 provincial election the party ran 57 candidates^[8] and collected 0.70% or 30,800 votes. With 17 more candidates the party fell 0.05% short of their 1990 result; however, this was a large increase compared to the previous election (1995). In addition, increased organization resulted in the addition of a Deputy Leader and a Shadow Cabinet. The first Deputy Leader of the Green Party of Ontario was Judy Greenwood-Speers. She served the party in this role from 1999-2002. Ms Greenwood-Speers was also the party's first Issue Advocate, continuously serving as the Advocate for Health and Long Term Care, and in the Senior's Secretariat from 1999 to today.^[9] Map of Ontarios ridings and their popular vote for their party elected The Ontario Legislature after the 1999 election. ...

The 2003 provincial election was what many consider to be the first breakthrough for the Greens. Running 102 out of a possible 103 candidates the GPO was able to capture 126,700 votes, or 2.82%. The GPO placed ahead of the NDP in two ridings, and took fourth place in 92 others. Just eight candidates fared worse than fourth place. ^[10] The province of Ontario, Canada conducted a general election on October 2, 2003, to elect the 103 Members of Provincial Parliament (MPPs) in the Ontario Legislative Assembly. ... The Ontario New Democratic Party (formerly known as the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation, Ontario Section) is a social democratic political party in Ontario, Canada. ...

Recent history

Throughout 2006 the GPO saw a move toward major constitutional changes in the party, led by Executive Council Member at Large (former GPO President) Ron Yurick. During the May Annual Policy Conference in Toronto, and the September 2006 AGM in Lion's Head, Ontario, sweeping changes were approved to the party's governance structures. It was described as "the culmination of hundreds of hours of work that evolved out of a Directive passed at the 2004 (AGM) in Cambridge.^[11] Included in the changes were the formation of a much larger Provincial Executive, which included two gender paritied Representatives from each of six regions, gender paritied Deputy Leaders, and the creation of multiple functionary roles (a quasi civil service) separated from the Provincial Executive. The Green Party of Ontario is a minor political party in Ontario, Canada. ... Motto: Ut Incepit Fidelis Sic Permanet (Latin: Loyal she began, loyal she remains) Capital Toronto Largest city Toronto Official languages English (de facto) Government Lieutenant-Governor David C. Onley Premier Dalton McGuinty (Liberal) Federal representation in Canadian Parliament House seats 107 Senate seats 24 Confederation July 1, 1867 (1st) Area...

At the Party's 2006 Annual General Meeting (AGM) the Party adopted further changes to the existing Constitution that, amongst other things, reduced the size of the Provincial Council and renamed it the Provincial Council Executive. One of the first acts of the new Provincial Executive was to strike a hiring committee to bring on a full time Campaign Manager in response to mounting internal pressures to ensure the Party was ready for the October 2007 provincial election.^[12] The Ontario general election of 2007 was held on October 10, 2007 to elect members (MPPs) of the 39th Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario, Canada. ...

In the run-up to the 2007 provincial election, the Greens saw their support climb into the double-digits for the first time in party history. Although the party did not elect a member to the provincial legislature, they did increase their share of the popular vote to 8.1% (a gain of 5.3% from the 2003 election), placed second in one riding (Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound, with 33.1% compared to the PC incumbent winner's 46.7%), and took third place in a number of other ridings, ahead of candidates from previously elected parties. Shane Jolley, the Green candidate for Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound, earned more votes than any Green candidate in Canadian history at that time.^[13] The Ontario Legislature Building at Queens Park The Legislative Assembly of Ontario, is the legislature of the Canadian province of Ontario. ... Map of Ontarios ridings and their popular vote for their party elected The Ontario Legislature after the 2003 election. ... Map of Southern Ontario with Bruceâ€”Greyâ€”Owen Sound highlighted For the federal electoral district, see Bruceâ€”Greyâ€”Owen Sound Bruceâ€”Greyâ€”Owen Sound is a provincial electoral district in western Ontario, Canada. ...

The party had its 2007 AGM at an Easter Seals camp near Perth on November 23 to the 25. It was the largest AGM in GPO history at that time with over 100 delegates and over 400 proxy votes. The GPO adopted changes to the constitution, many involving the provincial executive. A few directives to the executive also discussed at the AGM included party bilingualism and fundraising. The Party voted in the new executive including a new president Lawson Hunter, while former president Ron Yurick was voted in as Eastern male rep.^[14] Over 70% of the voting membership had also voted to keep in party leader Frank de Jong for another two years. ^[15] In Canada, Easter Seals is a group of charitable organizations which provide opportunities for children with physical disabilities. ... The Green Party of Ontario is a minor political party in Ontario, Canada. ... Frank de Jong (born 1955 in Luther Township, northeast of Arthur, Ontario) is a Canadian politician and environmentalist. ...

Policies

The Green Party of Ontario shares the same Ten Key Values as other North American Greens. Although the party has generally been perceived as being left-wing, they have positioned themselves as an attractive alternative to all three parties in the legislature by combining ecologically and socially reformist policies with strong respect for the free market and entrepreneurship. Many key members are recruits from the former centre-right Progressive Conservative Party of Canada, including Elio Di Iorio, who was a protégé of former Canadian Prime Minister Joe Clark, and Peter Elgie, son of former Ontario Progressive Conservative cabinet minister Robert Elgie.^[16] The party's newly-chosen Chief Financial Officer, David Scrymgeour, was the National Director of the former Progressive Conservative Party of Canada. ... North America North America is a continent [1] in the Earths northern hemisphere and (chiefly) western hemisphere. ... Greens are people who support some or all of goals of a Green Party without necessarily working with or voting for that or any party. ... In politics, left-wing, political left, leftism, or simply the left, are terms which refer (with no particular precision) to the segment of the political spectrum typically associated with any of several strains of socialism, social democracy, or liberalism (especially in the American sense of the word), or with opposition... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Charles Joseph Joe Clark, PC, CC, AOE, MA, LLD (born June 5, 1939) was the sixteenth prime minister of Canada, from June 4, 1979, to March 3, 1980. ... Dr. Robert Goldwin (Bob) Elgie (January 22, 1929â€”) is a former politician in Ontario, Canada. ... David Scrymgeour is a controversial Canadian political advisor. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Under Frank de Jong, the GPO has emphasized policies typical of both left- and right-wing parties. Although the party emphasizes interconnectivity between various policy areas (for example, health and the environment). Frank de Jong (born 1955 in Luther Township, northeast of Arthur, Ontario) is a Canadian politician and environmentalist. ...

Taxation

GPO policy proposes a concept known as green tax shifting^[17], which it classified under the broad context of ecological fiscal reform. In general, the party proposes gradual but significant reductions in income and corporate taxes (or taxes on so-called "earned income"), funded by the introduction of new resource-based taxes applied at the point of entry into the economy. The Green Party also proposes introduction of a system of land value taxation, which would replace the current value assessment-based property tax system and would be meant to discourage urban sprawl in increase land use efficiency. Central to the GPO's tax policies is the concept of revenue neutrality, in which any new taxes (i.e. those on resources and consumption) must be complemented by a reduction in other forms of taxation (generally income and corporate taxes). A green tax shift is a fiscal policy which lowers the taxes on income including wages and profit, and raises taxes on consumption, particularly the unsustainable consumption of non-renewable resources. ... Land Value Taxation (LVT) is the policy of raising state revenues by charging each landholder a portion of the assessed site-only value of the unimproved land. ... Urban sprawl (also: suburban sprawl) is the spreading out of a city and its suburbs over rural land at the fringe of an urban area. ...

Health

The Greens base their health policies on prevention, and claim to consider health in areas such as organic agriculture, active transportation, urban planning, and education. ^[18] In particular, party policy closely links the areas of disease prevention and environmental health, with policies such a ban on cosmetic pesticides, a Cancer Prevention Act, and doubling funding for the Ministry of Health Promotion. Policies on health care include expanding the Community Care Access Centre (CCAC) system, increasing support for multidisciplinary clinics (those with doctors, nurses, psychologists, dieticians, and other health care professionals), and increasing support for midwifery. GPO policy emphasizes a reduction in health care costs through avoidance of illness and alternative access models (such as CCACs), rather than simply closing facilities or increasing expenditures.^[19]

Education

During the 2007 provincial election, education, and specifically the funding of religious schools, was a central issue. GPO policy calls for an end to government funding for the Catholic school system, and direct funding for the secular public system only. Other items include giving local school boards a say in funding allocation, ending standardized testing of students, and encouraging programmes such as physical education, environmental education, and a mandatory course in world religions. At the post-secondary level, the GPO proposes a tuition cap of $3 000 per year for university studies and $700 per year for college and increased funding for apprenticeship programmes. ^[20] The Ontario general election of 2007 was held on October 10, 2007 to elect members (MPPs) of the 39th Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario, Canada. ...

Electoral reform

The GPO is a strong supporter of electoral reform. It is in favour of the Mixed Member Proportional representation system recommended by a Citizens Assembly in May 2007^[21] and defeated in the Ontario referendum in October 2007.^[22] This system would make the number of seats attributed to the party in a "members-at-large" section of the legislature approximately equal to the percentage of the vote won by the party in separate party vote. The GPO, which has never won a seat in the legislature, believes it would benefit greatly. ^[23] Electoral reform projects seek to change the way that public desires are reflected in elections through electoral systems. ... The Additional Member System (AMS) is a voting system where some representatives are elected from geographic constituencies and others are elected under proportional representation from party lists. ... Results of the Referendum by Riding An Ontario electoral reform referendum was held on October 10, 2007, in an attempt to establish a mixed member proportional representation (MMP) system for elections to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. ...

Elected Greens

The Oakville Town Council is the governing body of the Town of Oakville, Ontario, Canada. ... Oakville (2006 population 165,613[2]) is a town on Lake Ontario in southern Ontario, Canada, midway between Toronto (about 31 km or 19 mi away) on its eastern border and Hamilton (about 20 km or 12 mi away) from its western border. ... Richmond Hill Town Council is the governing body for the city of Richmond Hill, Ontario. ... Motto: En la rose, je fleuris (French for Like the rose, I flourish) Map showing Richmond Hills location in York Region Country Canada Province Ontario Region York Region Incorporated 1873 Government - Mayor Dave Barrow - Governing Body Richmond Hill Town Council - MPs Lui Temelkovski, Bryon Wilfert Population (2006)[1] - City... Motto: Template:Unhide = A great place to work if you really want to live Location City Information Established: 1863 Area: 15. ... Victoria Serda is the female deputy leader of the Green Party of Ontario, and is a Town Councillor for Port Elgin, Ontario in the town of Saugeen Shores. ... Saugeen Shores is a town in Bruce County, Ontario, Canada, formed in the 1990s, as municipal restructuring merged the towns of Southampton, Port Elgin, and the township of Saugeen. ... Richard Thomas driving his alcohol fuelled car Richard Thomas is a Canadian actor, broadcaster, environmentalist and politician. ... Armour is a township in the Canadian province of Ontario. ... Stormont County is a historic county in the Canadian province of Ontario. ...

Election results

David Petersons Liberals, with support from Bob Raes New Democrats, form a minority government despite having fewer seats than Frank Millers Progressive Conservatives. ... Map of the 1987 election, showing the ridings and their popular vote The Ontario general election of 1987 was held on September 10, 1987, to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario, Canada. ... As a result of serious scandals, David Petersons Liberal government was defeated by a large protest vote. ... The Ontario general election of 1995 was held on June 8, 1995, to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of the province of Ontario, Canada. ... Map of Ontarios ridings and their popular vote for their party elected The Ontario Legislature after the 1999 election. ... Map of Ontarios ridings and their popular vote for their party elected The Ontario Legislature after the 2003 election. ... The Ontario general election of 2007 was held on October 10, 2007 to elect members (MPPs) of the 39th Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario, Canada. ...

See also

Beginning with the 2003 election, Ontario elections are held every 4 years in October. ... The Province of Ontario is governed by a unicameral legislature, the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, which operates in the Westminster system of government. ... A political party is a political organization subscribing to a certain ideology or formed around very special issues with the aim to participate in power, usually by participating in elections. ... This is a list of previous Green Party of Ontario candidates by election. ... The Green Party of Ontario (GPO) became an officially registered political party in 1983, in Ontario, Canada, and has been developing in size and sophistication since that time, expanding its membership and rising in the polls. ... The Province of Ontario is governed by a unicameral legislature, the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, which operates in the Westminster system of government. ...

External links

Categories: Green Party of Ontario | Political parties established in 1983 Image File history File links Green_Maple_Leaf. ... Almost every province has a Green political party. ... The Green Party of Canada is a Canadian federal political party founded in 1983. ... The Green Party of Alberta , also known as the Alberta Greens, is a provincial political party in the province of Alberta, Canada. ... The Green Party of British Columbia is a political party in British Columbia, Canada. ... The Green Party of Manitoba is a provincial political party in Manitoba, Canada, founded on November 11, 1998. ... This article or section contains information that has not been verified and thus might not be reliable. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... The Parti vert du QuÃ©bec or PVQ (in English: Green Party of Quebec) is a Quebec political party whose platform is the promotion of green values . ... The Green Party of Saskatchewan is a left-wing Green political party in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. ... The Winnipeg Green Party is a municipal political party in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. ... // Ontario Liberal Party Ontario New Democratic Party Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario Communist Party of Ontario Confederations of Regions Party (founded 1990) Family Coalition Party of Ontario (founded 1986) Freedom Party of Ontario (founded 1984) Green Party of Ontario (founded 1983) Ontario Libertarian Party (founded 1975) Ontario Humanist Party Representative... Image File history File links Flag_of_Ontario. ... The Provincial Parliament of Ontario, is the legislature of the Canadian province of Ontario. ... The Ontario Liberal Party is a centre-left provincial political party in the province of Ontario, Canada. ... John Sandfield Macdonald The Ontario PC Party, formally known as the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario, is a right-of-centre political party in Ontario, Canada. ... The Ontario New Democratic Party (formerly known as the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation, Ontario Section) is a social democratic political party in Ontario, Canada. ... Elections Ontario is the non-partisan agency of the Government of Ontario, responsible for the conduct of provincial elections. ... The Family Coalition Party is a minor political party in Ontario, Canada that was founded in 1987 with a social conservative platform. ... The Ontario Libertarian Party is a political party in Ontario, Canada that was founded in 1975 as an offshoot of the Libertarian Party in the USA. It is inspired by the philosophical ideas of such authors and thinkers as Jan Narveson, anarcho-capitalist socio-economic ideas of Murray Rothbard. ... The Freedom Party of Ontario is a provincial political party in Ontario, Canada. ... The Communist Party of Ontario is the Ontario, Canada provincial wing of the Communist Party of Canada. ... The Party for People with Special Needs is a minor political party in Ontario, Canada, founded in 2007 and currently contesting the upcoming provincial election. ... The Reform Party of Ontario was, until September 2003, a pseudo party that ran one candidate each election merely to keep the party’s name in the possession of the Reform Party of Canada. ... The Republican Party of Ontario is a minor political party in Ontario, Canada, approved by Elections Ontario in 2004 and currently contesting the 2007 provincial election. ... The Confederation of Regions Party (CoR) was a right-wing Canadian political party founded in 1984 by Elmer Knutson. ... The Ontario New Democratic Party (formerly known as the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation, Ontario Section) is a social democratic political party in Ontario, Canada. ... There have been various groups in Canada that have nominated candidates under the label Labour Party or Independent Labour Party or other variations from the 1870s until the 1960s. ... The Labour-Progressive Party was a Communist party in Canada. ... The Liberal-Labour banner has also been used several times by candidates in Canadian elections: Malcolm Lang, who was elected as a Labour Party of Canada Member of Parliament in the 1926 federal election, was re-elected as Liberal-Labour in the north-eastern Ontario riding of Timiskaming South in... Liberal-Progressive was a label used by a number of candidates in Canadian elections between 1926 and 1953. ... The Patrons of Industry was a Canadian farmers organization formed in 1890 that cooperated with the urban labour movement to address the political frustrations of both groups with big business. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... The Protestant Protective Association was an anti-Catholic group based in Ontario, Canada, associated with the Orange Order. ... The United Farmers of Ontario (UFO) were the Ontario section of the nation-wide United Farmers movement that arose in Canada in the early part of the 20th century. ... Clear Grits were Upper Canadian reformers with support concentrated among southwestern Ontario farmers, who were frustrated and disillusioned by the 1849 Reform government of Robert Baldwin and Louis_Hippolyte Lafontaines lack of radicalism. ... The Reform movement, sometimes referred to as the Reform Party, began in the 1830s as the movement in the English speaking parts of British North America (Canada). ... The Family Compact was the informal name for the wealthy, conservative elite of Upper Canada in the early 19th century. ...

Contents

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