Environmental Strategy

The Green Party of Nova Scotia recognizes the intricate connections of a healthy environment, conservative use of our natural resources, thriving communities, and secure livelihoods in a sustainable economy. The Green Party welcomed the Environmental Goals and Sustainable Prosperity Act as consistent with our goals.

The Green Party is dedicated to the establishment and maintenance of a focus on the respectful, efficient, and conservative use of our natural resources and adequate levels of protection for the environment. Progress toward sustainable long-term prosperity and wellbeing requires protection and strengthening of social and environmental assets and termination of damaging activities.

Developments and broadly based utilizations of our natural resources, both renewable and nonrenewable, need to be evaluated within a comprehensive provincial strategy, incorporating environmental, social, and economic considerations. The acceptability of the utilization of a natural resource at a given location must be evaluated from both the technical and social perspectives.

The Green Party will
1. work with Nova Scotians to effect a comprehensive provincial strategy on natural resources which
  1. uses the Genuine Progress Index approach for full-cost accounting as the economic tool for assessment and planning
  2. incorporates interdepartmental cooperation and progressive programs
  3. ensures meaningful citizen participation in decision-making and continued responsiveness to the wisdom of Nova Scotians
2. take action toward clean air, water security, food security, and energy security
3. address issues related to climate change, forestry, and extractive industries
4. build on the leading role of the waste reduction management system
5. seek to reduce exposures to hazardous chemicals and minimize additional ionizing radiation for all Nova Scotians
  1. the precautionary principle will be applied with respect to potential exposures for workers, the public, and ecosystems of the province, for their protection and the protection of future generations
6. set a priority on completion of a protected areas network and protection of species at risk
7. take opportunities to work cooperatively with Land Trusts and other groups to secure Nova Scotia’s natural spaces and public access to shorelines for present and future generations
8. endeavor to increase Nova Scotian’s input and encourage Nova Scotian companies to participate in developments that are consistent with the comprehensive provincial strategy
9. work to establish strong links across provincial government departments to ensure that the policy framework and the regulations relevant to natural resource utilization and to management plans for protected areas address biodiversity, water, soils and other natural resources in an holistic manner as well as the resource specific considerations
10. seek a relationship with the Mi’kmaq First Nation to cooperatively address natural resources issues in a manner that respects the Peace and Friendship Treaties, the Royal Proclamation of 1763 entrenched in Canada’s Constitution Act, the rulings of the Supreme Court, and the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
11. work with federal and municipal governments to improve the manufacturers’ responsibility for the lifetime stewardship of their products
12. pressure the federal government to review international trade agreements and remove Canada from those that limit how we are permitted to use capital or natural resources; or limit our ability to use our governance and economic institutions to more adequately care for one another and our environment
The Green Party will work to ensure that:
1. the province’s resource utilization policies clarify the provincial needs, the export intent, and the options and priorities as they relate to the comprehensive provincial strategy, including the benefits of the resources in their natural form and place
2. regulatory requirements protect human and non-human life, and are not minimized to meet the feasibility limits of the technology associated with a development
3. the values of the local community are respected and included in the principles that guide decisions in rural development
4. the social and economic needs of rural communities are fairly addressed by an equitable provincial sharing, and no area is open to the pressures of accepting an unwanted development because of economic desperation.
5. new and existing utilizations of natural resources must have broad public support
6. environmental protection policies and regulations are supported by adequate enforcement
  1. existing laws for pollution are enforced with increased monitoring for industrial pollution and increased fines for pollution
7. a process is established whereby citizens can call for an existing utilization to be assessed for ethical, social, environmental, and technical compliance
8. any new project would be developed within a sound ethical and social assessment framework; as well as scientific and technical assessment.
The Green Party will require that proposed developments be evaluated from environmental, social, and economic considerations to ensure:
1. priorities within the comprehensive provincial strategy are met
2. protection of the environment, with the precautionary principle applied
3. enforceable responsibility for mitigation and repair of any environmental damage
4. equitable sharing of economic benefits
5. efficient and conservative use of our natural resources
6. responsibility to future generations, including consideration of long-term and cumulative impacts
7. evaluations based on a sufficient baseline of information, with evaluation of interrelations of factors
8. meaningful citizen participation in decision-making
9. respect for Indigenous rights
10. cooperation and information sharing
11. accountability of those in positions of power
The Green Party will require that new projects involving a novel innovation must:
1. be thoroughly evaluated with the precautionary principle applied
2. present modeling based on sound science and realistic data
3. include thorough and participatory scenario analysis
4. be considered in comparison with the risk, costs, and benefits of other options, including the benefits of the resources in their natural form and place
5. be advanced by a stable and trustworthy proponent
6. be overseen by an independent, trustworthy regulator
7. be proven sufficiently robust and flexible to meet regulatory requirements
8. be assessed on their capacity to be incremental and reversible
9. include transparency about the uncertainty and lack of knowledge
10. be assessed in a process for communities of concern, including civil society, to determine the social acceptability of an innovation, including the “acceptability” of the level of risk that the technical assessment forecasts, and that individual rights are protected from abuse;
  1. further this process needs to acknowledge that promotional propaganda is not education and citizen rejection does not equate to ignorance
11. include required payment of royalties by the proponent of innovative projects on Crown land
12. include a requirement for
  1. adequate fees, set to a level sufficient for remediation including a trust fund reflecting the uncertainty and mitigation,
  2. adequate research as appropriate,
  3. compensation for those most directly affected by a share of harm or damage, and
  4. support systems for start-up of local associated businesses and training for local jobs where appropriate
13. be regulated by government agencies that are clearly independent from the developers of the innovative products or projects and that
  1. government regulations ensure that innovative technologies are not used as a tool for increasing corporate control over essentials, like food and water
  2. in particular, the poor and marginalized must be protected from negative consequences of employing innovative technologies or products.