NB Green Party Update
Continuing on the theme of building self-reliant communities, this column will expound on the New Brunswick Green Party’s vision re the social economy.
Research in Canada has shown that the approach of Community Economic Development (CED) in which the community participation in both governance and implementation of the development has no substitute when it comes to long-term social and environmental improvements. Social enterprises figure prominently in CED. These include non-profit organizations, credit unions, farmers’ markets, community supported agriculture, and worker, consumer and energy co-operatives. These types of enterprises comprise more than 12% of the Canadian economy and could expand even more with the right government policies. At least one province has attracted sizeable local investment by providing tax incentives for citizens who invest in Community Development Investment Funds (CDIF).
A Green government would: (1) Establish a Community Development Agency which would use the social enterprise model to support projects that contribute to meeting local food, housing, energy, environmental and cultural goals, serving the chronically unemployed and underemployed with on-the-job training and utilizing Crown land, land trusts and underused public buildings at no or low cost. (2) Establish Community Economic Development Investment Funds (CEDIFs) and provide tax credits for investment in CEDIFs. (3) Reform the Cooperative Associations Act to enable the development of all kinds of co-ops and include co-op development in the mandate of economic development agencies. (4) Establish micro-lending programs administered by credit unions and caisse populaires. (5) Implement the recommendations of the Non-Profit task force led by former MP Claudette Bradshaw, especially with respect to providing financial security and access to liability and health insurance, pension plans, and management expertise for non-profit organizations. (6) Establish a trust fund to provide sustainable funding for provincial arts, culture and heritage organizations which are a vital part of the social economy.
Wayne Sabine
The New Brunswick Green Party
Victoria-Tobique Riding
Association President
