GPM Platform - Table of Contents:
BRINGING THE ECONOMY HOME
The economic system we have today demands growth at any cost. The Earth is seen as a resource to be exploited, not our one and only home that must be respected and protected. Bringing the economy home means meeting real human needs while respecting biological and physical limits to growth. We can have unlimited expansion of quality of life and well-being, but not unlimited quantities of material and energy.
To shift from an economy based on quantitative growth to one based on well-being and sustainability the Green Party of Manitoba advocates developing a democratic method of setting provincial goals and a way to measure well-being of our citizens, communities, and the ecosystems we are dependent on.
Manitoba Greens will work to:
1. Establish a Genuine Progress Indicator (GPI) based on the goals of Manitobans. Provincial goals would be determined by a province-wide goal setting process, guided by an independent group of representative Manitobans. The Manitoba GPI would monitor genuine progress, not just production measured by gross domestic product (GDP). It would be similar to the GPI developed for Alberta, but modified to meet the needs of Manitoba.
Localization NOT Globalization
While other parties focus on expanding trade and exports, the Manitoba Greens recognize that the only way to achieve sustainability is through self-sufficiency and localizing production of goods needed in Manitoba. While sharing culture and knowledge across the world is a great experience and unparalleled in human history, the process of globalization is primarily driven by commerce, not learning and sharing. Manitoba Greens would build upon the process of cultural exchange and global citizenship, and we stress this as the only international political party/movement (www.globalgreens.info).
Manitoba Greens, if elected, will work to:
1. Promote local production of goods and services used in Manitoba to reduce economic and ecological costs of transportation and keep money in the provincial economy;
2. Implement a "made in Manitoba" purchasing policy for the provincial government;
3. Abandon the model of export-oriented agriculture and forestry to ensure nutrients remain as close to their point of origin as possible;
4. Diversify Manitoba's economy to avoid over-reliance on any one industry or sector (e.g. hog industry, hydroelectric power, etc) and ensure that Manitoba is resilient and able to meet the majority of its needs locally.
Democratic Control of Economic Policy
Currently, the Premier's Economic Advisory Council (PEAC), a hand-selected group of elite Manitobans, sets the goals for Manitoba's economy without consulting the public. Manitobans must be involved in setting the goals for their economy and must have the economic stability to participate.
Manitoba Greens, if elected, will work to:
1. Reconstitute the PEAC to include a representative, randomly selected group of Manitobans from the permanent voters list who would provide advice to Cabinet;
2. Establish a province-wide goal-setting process to allow Manitobans to set the goals for the government and our economy;
3. Establish a participatory budgeting process, where budgets are built from the bottom-up through constituency groups, instead of from the top-down.
Next: Rebuilding Democracy from the Grass Roots
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