Thomas Mulcair stakes his leadership bid on a pledge of sustainable development
OTTAWA — Thomas Mulcair is offering a vision for Canada based on a single concept — sustainable development.
It’s the lens through which the so-called front-runner in the race for the New Democratic Party’s leadership views all decisions, even those that may not be entirely popular among his party’s base.
For example, while others may want to shutdown the oilsands, Mulcair’s proposing a different approach to development, namely an end to the $1.4 billion in annual subsides the oil and gas sector receives from the government which would help “internalize the cost” and create a more “balanced economy.”
He ultimately wants to stave off the “Dutch Disease,” a term coined in the 1970s to describe the decline of the manufacturing sector in the Netherlands after the discovery of large natural gas deposits drove up the Dutch currency and the costs associated with exporting manufactured goods.
“In a resource rich country like Canada we’ll always have a strong primary sector comprised mainly of mining and forestry and the like and we’ll also have an increasing and burgeoning service sector,” he said.
“But one of the parts of that balanced economy was a manufacturing sector and we’ve lost hundreds of thousands of good paying manufacturing jobs since the Conservatives came into power six years ago.”
Just as consumers pay a premium on tires to ensure they are safely disposed of at the end of their lifecycle, the same “polluter pay, user pay” principles should also apply to the oilsands, he added.
To that end, Mulcair has vowed to introduce a cap-and-trade system to put a price on carbon emissions.
“In every approach to a problem, you have to look at the economic, the social and the environmental aspects to come to your decision,” he said, noting he’s earned a reputation for “applying legislation in the public interest” and being a “tough enforcer.
“Instead, we’re leaving it to future generations the cost to clean up the soil, the air and the water that’s being devastated by the way in which we’re exploiting it right now.”
Mulcair argues his plan would also leave funds for “green renewables” like the Lower Churchill hydroelectric project in Newfoundland and Labrador. Widely unpopular in his home province of Quebec which is upset that the competing interest received a federal loan guarantee, Mulcair suggested it’s another example of how he’s prepare to go against the grain on principle.
The Lower Churchill project, he said, is one he supports as it will go a long way towards “displacing coal burning plants in Atlantic Canada.”
Feared by some as the leadership candidate who might move the party closer to the centre of the political spectrum, the former Quebec environment minister, who made the jump from the Liberals to the NDP in 2007, rejects the notion, saying he’s actually trying to move the centre closer to the NDP.
He admits the First Nations file is one public policy issue he hasn’t had a lot of experience with, but he believes it’s an important priority for New Democrats and he’s committed to learning more about it.
He’s also vowed to make gender equality a priority and is committed to introducing a “transparent” and “credible” appointment policy for judicial and other “top jobs” in Canada.
From the attention he devotes to the most minute of details from his tie to the backdrop he’ll use on camera, the man sometimes derided as arrogant is running what is arguably the most professional and polished of all the campaigns.
Mulcair believes his experience as both a senior public administrator with the Quebec professions board and as a cabinet minister in the National Assembly make him the only candidate who has what it takes to defeat Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
The Quebecer is also not worried about rebranding himself a pan-Canadian candidate which he’ll have to do if he’s going to attract the support needed to be elected leader.
Mulcair said he’s generating large crowds at churches and pubs right across the country and is, at the very least, relishing the opportunity to connect with so many people.
Thomas Mulcair stakes his leadership bid on a pledge of sustainable development | News | National Post
OTTAWA — Thomas Mulcair is offering a vision for Canada based on a single concept — sustainable development.
It’s the lens through which the so-called front-runner in the race for the New Democratic Party’s leadership views all decisions, even those that may not be entirely popular among his party’s base.
For example, while others may want to shutdown the oilsands, Mulcair’s proposing a different approach to development, namely an end to the $1.4 billion in annual subsides the oil and gas sector receives from the government which would help “internalize the cost” and create a more “balanced economy.”
He ultimately wants to stave off the “Dutch Disease,” a term coined in the 1970s to describe the decline of the manufacturing sector in the Netherlands after the discovery of large natural gas deposits drove up the Dutch currency and the costs associated with exporting manufactured goods.
“In a resource rich country like Canada we’ll always have a strong primary sector comprised mainly of mining and forestry and the like and we’ll also have an increasing and burgeoning service sector,” he said.
“But one of the parts of that balanced economy was a manufacturing sector and we’ve lost hundreds of thousands of good paying manufacturing jobs since the Conservatives came into power six years ago.”
Just as consumers pay a premium on tires to ensure they are safely disposed of at the end of their lifecycle, the same “polluter pay, user pay” principles should also apply to the oilsands, he added.
To that end, Mulcair has vowed to introduce a cap-and-trade system to put a price on carbon emissions.
“In every approach to a problem, you have to look at the economic, the social and the environmental aspects to come to your decision,” he said, noting he’s earned a reputation for “applying legislation in the public interest” and being a “tough enforcer.
“Instead, we’re leaving it to future generations the cost to clean up the soil, the air and the water that’s being devastated by the way in which we’re exploiting it right now.”
Mulcair argues his plan would also leave funds for “green renewables” like the Lower Churchill hydroelectric project in Newfoundland and Labrador. Widely unpopular in his home province of Quebec which is upset that the competing interest received a federal loan guarantee, Mulcair suggested it’s another example of how he’s prepare to go against the grain on principle.
The Lower Churchill project, he said, is one he supports as it will go a long way towards “displacing coal burning plants in Atlantic Canada.”
Feared by some as the leadership candidate who might move the party closer to the centre of the political spectrum, the former Quebec environment minister, who made the jump from the Liberals to the NDP in 2007, rejects the notion, saying he’s actually trying to move the centre closer to the NDP.
He admits the First Nations file is one public policy issue he hasn’t had a lot of experience with, but he believes it’s an important priority for New Democrats and he’s committed to learning more about it.
He’s also vowed to make gender equality a priority and is committed to introducing a “transparent” and “credible” appointment policy for judicial and other “top jobs” in Canada.
From the attention he devotes to the most minute of details from his tie to the backdrop he’ll use on camera, the man sometimes derided as arrogant is running what is arguably the most professional and polished of all the campaigns.
Mulcair believes his experience as both a senior public administrator with the Quebec professions board and as a cabinet minister in the National Assembly make him the only candidate who has what it takes to defeat Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
The Quebecer is also not worried about rebranding himself a pan-Canadian candidate which he’ll have to do if he’s going to attract the support needed to be elected leader.
Mulcair said he’s generating large crowds at churches and pubs right across the country and is, at the very least, relishing the opportunity to connect with so many people.
Thomas Mulcair stakes his leadership bid on a pledge of sustainable development | News | National Post
