Among its many policies, The Green Party’s platform is proposing Deep
Ecology. Deep Ecology is the name for a way of thinking that views human
beings and human economic activity as just one part of the larger life-system on our planet. We depend on nature to support life and we must not allow short-term interests to threaten the delicate balance of nature. All life on earth shares an amount of land, water, air and sunlight that will never increase. Yet many governments share the deadly misconception that human societies can grow without bound. The Green Party seeks to promote an understanding of the finite carrying capacities of our planet, as well as emphasize the impact of human activities on our neighbouring ecosystems. By drawing, and respecting, the boundaries of responsible and non-destructive behaviour, we can begin to live up to the challenge of Deep Ecology. The human being is indissociable from nature. Il it illusionary to believe we can do it without taking the ecosystems into account. What a human does to living things, he does to himself. Within The Green Party, we also recognize the diversity of life on Earth. Every plant and animal has the right to exist independently of human needs. We must take responsibility for our lives, our families, our communities and the whole planet. By showing that we are responsible, we inspire others to do the same.

Many members of The Green Party now use the famous slogan “Think globally, act locally.” As a matter of fact, this statement is at the heart of the
environmental policies of The Green Party. It is in respect to our global
position on the planet that we must first act locally to situations that threaten ecological integrity. Local situations cannot be dissociated of
their ties to the entire ecosystem of the planet.

In South-eastern New Brunswick, the Petitcodiac, a unique river, has long
been a symbol of pride for the population. For a long time now, the
ecological integrity of this river has been threatened to the point of it
being nationally and internationally recognized as “the most endangered
river in Canada.” Past pride has been replaced by shame on a national and
even international scale. It has been amply and clearly established by the
Petitcodiac Riverkeeper that the restoration of the river is the only
sensible solution, and this has been supported by conclusive studies as well
as by public opinion. The major obstacle to the restoration of the river is
the lack of commitment from the governments. If at the outset, the causeway
was considered an economic development project, it has now long been
considered as one of the worst development mistakes in New Brunswick, given the harmful effects on the ecosystems of the river and of the surrounding
environment. The lack of government commitment has only contributed in
compounding the damage. It is now urgent to undertake the restoration of the
Petitcodiac River.

The Green Party supports the Petitcodiac Riverkeeper’s proposal to recycle
the causeway gates into an imposing outdoor monument, once the decision is taken to replace the causeway with a partial bridge. I agree with Daniel
LeBlanc’s statement : “We believe that these five causeway gates have more
value to our community by standing out in the open air than physically
blocking our river system”, and that “True to our community’s motto of
“Resurgo” (Rise Again), the Petitcodiac River will rise again one day soon
and make this community very proud. The revival of our river will be historic”, suggests LeBlanc, “and we should commemorated this in a special
way”.

As The Green Party’s spokesperson for Arts, Culture and Canadian Heritage, I applaud this project, which will not only restore the ecological balance of the
Petitcodiac River and the surrounding ecosystems but will also demonstrate
an extraordinary regional cultural initiative for our heritage.

Since my highest priority in this election campaign is the improvement of
the quality of life in our region, environmentally, culturally, economically and socially, the restoration of the Petitcodiac River is one of its foundation blocks.

The Green Party believes that the only people truly qualified to improve a region’s way of life are those who live and work there. The government must
support, not supplant the efforts and services put forth by local organization and volunteers. What makes the quality of life? It’s good work in harmony with the community. It is the duty of government representatives never to forget this important role.»