Green Economy

Priority 1: Kick-Starting the Transition

A Green government would:

Create an Economic Transition Fund financed by a levy on the import or production of fossil fuels, beginning at $10 per tonne of carbon and eventually harmonizing with future regional and national pricing schemes. This levy would apply to production at the Irving Oil refinery and the Canaport LNG facility, existing and future in-province natural gas and oil production, coal imports to the Belledune generating station and the Sable Gas pipeline where it delivers gas to the New Brunswick distributor. Estimated initial revenues: $500 million per year.

Use this fund to finance the transition from our current energy-intensive, environmentally damaging energy, forestry, fisheries, aquaculture and agriculture operations to sustainable systems (see below).

Establish a Green Venture Capital Fund to support local green business start-ups and provide tax incentives to investors.

Establish a resource depletion tax on non-renewable resource extraction (minerals, peat, oil and gas), the proceeds of which would be earmarked for an economic transition fund.

Adjust Crown land stumpage rates and submerged Crown land lease fees to recover the cost of Crown land management and provide a fair return to the public purse.

Priority 2: Reviving Family Farms and Building Food Security

A Green government would:

Set a long-term goal of becoming self-reliant in those food staples that are able to be produced in New Brunswick, working with producer organizations to set targets and timetables to achieve the goal.

Establish a “School Food Reform” program to provide healthy menus for children and kick-start local food production chains. Regional steering committees of farmers, fishers, nutritionists, chefs and educators would design the program according to local conditions and identify policy and infrastructure changes necessary to make the program work.

Phase in a “New Brunswick first” food purchasing policy for all provincial institutions, departments and government-sponsored events whereby New Brunswick sources are sought before purchasing from outside suppliers.

Support the establishment of slaughterhouses and food distribution enterprises to serve local markets and reform provincial inspection regimes to account for differences between farm-gate, mid-sized, and industrial-scale facilities.

Facilitate the establishment of community land trusts using public lands, donated lands, or lands purchased for that purpose, to be used for community agriculture.

Give farmers economic power in the marketplace by supporting growing and marketing cooperatives, collective marketing, single desk initiatives and supply management systems.

In consultation with producers, reform supply management rules to allow direct-to-consumer sales within a certain distance from the farm gate.

Support federal mandatory labeling of all genetically engineered foods and food ingredients.

Provide incentives for on-farm alternative energy production and ban food crop-based ethanol production, focusing instead on the conversion of various farm wastes into fuel.

Retain arable land for agriculture purposes either by compensating non-farming landowners for maintaining it, or establishing a provincial land trust which would purchase or receive donations of arable land to be held in perpetuity. Agricultural land in trust could be leased tax-free for farming.

Establish a program to conserve and enhance New Brunswick’s crop and animal genetic resources, promote heritage seed use and seed exchange programs, and protect the right of farmers to save their own seed. Oppose any trade agreements that would restrict farmers’ right to save seed.

Provide tax incentives for farmers to protect biodiversity, wildlife habitat and pollinators, sequester carbon and protect water.

Phase out the use of genetically modified (GM) seed in New Brunswick and ensure that developers of genetically engineered seeds are liable for any contamination of non-GM and especially organic crops.

Establish provincial goals for the reduction of total pesticides and chemical fertilizers applied to farmland annually and a transition fund to protect farm families’ income during a three-year transition period to organic production.

Provide an organic transition/production extension service within the Department of Agriculture and re-orient conventional extension services to promote biological pest management and fertilization techniques first, with synthetic chemicals and fertilizers as the last resort.

Promote livestock health by increasing the space required per animal and requiring seasonal access to sunlight and fresh air.

Priority 3: Rebuilding the Forest Economy

A Green government would:

Respect aboriginal and treaty rights with respect to Crown forest decision-making.

Restore the status of private woodlots as the primary source of wood supply to mills.

Establish a public process to determine conservation, protection and use objectives for Crown land.

Establish a New Brunswick Forest Service paid for by increased stumpage fees to manage Crown land in accordance with public objectives, removing management responsibility from licence holders.

Reform Crown land tenure rules to create Community Forests adjacent to and within municipalities and First Nations communities. Each community would hold the licence for that Crown land and have the authority to control the use of forest resources within that licence. Stumpage fees over and above the cost of management by the NB Forest Service would remain in the community.

Recognize the Community Forestry Alliance as the representative body of the community forest constituency, providing equal access to government support and policy development processes as the New Brunswick Wood Products Association and the New Brunswick Federation of Woodlot Owners.

End the “revolving door” phenomenon of industry managers assuming management positions in the Dept. of Natural Resources and vice versa by requiring a waiting period of 3 years before assuming such positions.