The Green Party of Canada kick-started its 2025 Canadian federal election campaign, vowing to battle U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs and an economy which "rips and ships" resources.
Elizabeth May and Jonathan Pedneault, party co-leaders, and Paul Manly, Nanaimo-Ladysmith candidate, made a tour stop in Nanaimo on Saturday, March 29 to detail the party's 36-point plan aimed at protecting Canadian workers, communities and ensure the country's resources "are used primarily to benefit Canadian workers," as May stated.
She hopes for the end of "Trump menacing of Canada's economy and sovereignty," which highlights the importance of commerce within the country.
"Trump did us a favour," May said. "He made us look at the insanity of a Canadian economy that's $200 to $300 billion smaller than it would be if we just got rid of inter-provincial trade barriers. Provinces that can't talk to each other, that act like balkanized separate states. You look at the 'rip and ship' economy [with] aluminum, aluminum products, forest products, bitumen, shipped out without the jobs that went with it, that's why our productivity levels lag behind the United States."
The party's proposal is simple, according to May 鈥� develop more strategic reserves, much like the country does with maple syrup and "set it up and do it the same way, if it's actually a non-budgetary transaction."
"Government of Canada can do it anytime, make it available (so) any producer of raw materials in Canada, can sell to a Canadian Crown corporation to hold it in a strategic reserve," May said. "We can decide, those raw logs belong to mills in Canada 鈥� 2x4s could build houses in Canada now, without ending a profit motive every single step along the way of production. We can do it with energy resources, with aluminum, with potash."
The party's platform mentions "good jobs in clean industries," and when asked about existing jobs that could be bolstered, May pointed to retrofitting of existing infrastructure, including residences, institutions, schools and hospitals. More heat pumps are needed to heat and cool buildings and costs must be reduced for consumers.
"All of those things require an army of skilled workers, tradespeople, electricians, carpenters, and we can do it here at home to stimulate our economy and at the same time, climate-proof our future," May said.
Manly pointed to the logging industry as something that is not being fully utilized, specifically Harmac Pacific south of Nanaimo.
"They have trouble getting feedstock for their mill 鈥� at the same time we export 6.5 million cubic metres of raw logs, mostly from Vancouver Island to China and to the U.S., and then we're importing finished product, mass timber, timber [for houses], it doesn't make any sense. We've been doing this for far too long, we need to make sure that we are using our resources to maximize jobs in our community," Manly said.
Pedneault stated the ripping and shipping of Canadian resources must stop.
"This country was built on the back of colonialism, extraction, and it is high time that this country benefits all Canadians instead of corporations," Pedneault said. "The decisions that affect our economy should not be taken in Houston, Singapore or London, they should be taken here in Canada for the benefit of Canadians."
Mark Carney, Liberal Party of Canada leader, had cordial discussions with Trump in relation to the tariffs recently, but May said it is not time for Canada to let its guard down.
"I'll take any decent conversation as a win, but it's not the end of what we're facing in hostility from the U.S. government 鈥� There are so many things the Trump administration is doing, not just directed at Canada, but directed at the human family, human rights, international law, the world as we know it," May said. "Yes, we want leaders who stand up for Canada, and I'll cheer anyone who gets Trump to back down on tariff threats, we'll see April 2 what really happens."
