Energy and Environment Policy Proposals

Comparing and contrasting energy and environment policy proposals of Liberal and NDP political parties
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Comparing and contrasting energy and environment policy proposals of Liberal and NDP political parties
Energy and environment are significant issues in Canada today and political leaders are keen not to overlook these issues considering the coming elections. In this paper, the energy and environment policy proposals of two of the 4 main political parties in Canada are compared and contrasted. The 2 identified political parties are the Liberal Party of Canada and the New Democratic Party (NDP).
NDP Policy ProposalThe Liberals Policy Proposal1Establish a cap-and-trade system with a market price on the emissions of carbon.Put a price on carbon pollution which would allow every province across Canada to design its own policies on carbon pricing2Redirect 1 billion Canadian dollars annually from subsidies of fossil fuel to investment in the sector of clean energy Collaborate with territories and provinces throughout Canada to formulate targets on countrywide emissions-reduction 3Work with provinces across Canada to establish a new fund to assist the people of Canada retrofit their offices and homes to save money as well as energy. Develop a cap and trade system and auction the emission credits and redistribute the proceeds regionally. 4Restore monetary inducements for renewable energy, including biomass, geothermal, solar, water, wind, and tidal for the production of electrical energy.Invest millions of Canadian dollars in renewable energy technologies and improve tax measures so as to create more employment opportunities in the sector of green energy (Leblanc & Woo, 2015).5By the year 2025, decrease the country’s greenhouse gas emissions by 34% below 1990 levelsRemove subsidies for the fossil fuel sector6Expand Canada’s Marine Protected Areas so that representative areas are protected. Increase the amount of the country’s protected coastal and marine regions to 5% by the year 2017 and to 10% by the year 2020 (Fekete, MacLeod & Berthiaume, 2015).
Strengths and weaknesses of the Liberals
Strengths: The Liberal proposal of establishing a cap and trade system is essential. The Liberals also support the proposal of auctioning the greenhouse gas emissions credits and then redistribute the proceeds (Equiterre, 2011). The proposed lasting commitment to a program that supports clean energy through home retrofits is something that various environmental organizations throughout Canada have demanded. As such, it is encouraging that the Liberals will indefinitely increase support as well as financing for this renewable energy incentive. The Liberal’s goal of quadrupling the production of clean energy is also encouraging. Even though it will necessitate considerable investment, the program is important in supporting the development of renewable energy in Canada (Mandel, 2015).
A Liberal government would seek to expand Canada’s maritime protected zones network and make sure that this network includes a more effectual approach to marine management (Liberals, 2015). With regard to decreasing toxic pollution, a Liberal governm...