The Green Budget Coalition today urged the Government of Canada to seize the unique opportunities available to cut spending while improving Canada's long-term environmental, economic, and health status.
“The federal government’s intention to cut wasteful spending can, in fact, play an important role in creating healthier lives for current and future generations of Canadians, if directed wisely,” said Julie Gelfand, Coalition Chair, while releasing the Coalition’s Recommendations for Budget 2006: Leading Opportunities for Our Environment, Our Economy, and Our Health. (Download the Recommendations.)
Phasing out tax expenditures to the oil and gas sector could save about $1.4 billion annually, while ending select subsidies to nuclear power, via AECL, and to mining exploration, would save more than $150 million and $80 million per year, respectively.
“For decades, these “perverse subsidies” have caused market failures and contributed to industrial inefficiency, unsustainable energy consumption, and unnecessary pollution and health damage,” explained Gelfand. “These subsidies are a waste of taxpayers’ money.”
“Canada’s future prosperity depends on phasing out such subsidies, maintaining our current environmental programs, and better integrating economic, environmental, and human health considerations into federal policy-making.”
The Green Budget Coalition’s five priority recommendations, detailed in the new document, would simultaneously strengthen Canada’s economic competitiveness, clean our air and water, and improve Canadians’ health, and could all be implemented at no net additional cost. Download the full submission.
The Green Budget Coalition brings together the collective knowledge of 20 of Canada’s leading environmental and conservation groups, to submit priority recommendations for each annual federal budget, and to advance the understanding and use of ecological fiscal reform. The Coalition firmly believes that Canada’s future prosperity depends on the effective integration of environmental, economic, and human health objectives.
The Green Budget Coalition’s members include Bird Studies Canada, Canadian Environmental Law Association, Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, Centre for Integral Economics, David Suzuki Foundation, Ducks Unlimited Canada, Environmental Defence, Équiterre, Friends of the Earth Canada, Greenpeace Canada, International Institute for Sustainable Development, MiningWatch Canada, Nature Canada, Nature Conservancy of Canada, Pembina Institute, Pollution Probe, Sierra Club of Canada, Sierra Legal Defence Fund, Social Investment Organization, and World Wildlife Fund Canada.
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CONTACTS:
- Amy Taylor, Director of Ecological Fiscal Reform, Pembina Institute, 403-678-3355, amyt@pembina.org
- David Martin, Energy Co-ordinator, Greenpeace Canada, 416-627-5004, dave.martin@yto.greenpeace.org
- Julie Gelfand, Chair, Green Budget Coalition, 613-562-3447 ext. 231, jgelfand@naturecanada.ca
- Andrew Van Iterson, Program Manager, Green Budget Coalition, 613-562-3447 ext. 243, avaniterson@naturecanada.ca.
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