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2020- 2022 Policy Process | Green Party of Canada

Where GPC membership collaborates to develop our policies

Phase 1 of 1
Review and Comment 2020-03-26 - 2022-03-27
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G21-P006 Public Borrowing Only from the Bank of Canada

Avatar: Official proposal Official proposal
02/06/2021 17:18  

Submitter Name

Radhika Desai

This proposal was discussed in the workshop during Phase 2 of the VGM. However, there was not enough time for this proposal to be voted on in plenary by the members during Phase 2. Therefore, this proposal will not be included in the ratification vote. 

Proposal

The GPC advocates federal government action to allow Indigenous, municipal, provincial and federal governments to borrow interest-free from the Bank of Canada to cover deficits without resorting to commercial credit, if necessary by reviewing and revising the Bank of Canada Act, associated rules and regulations and international commitments.

Objective

To change Canada’s public borrowing arrangements to allow federal, provincial, municipal and Indigenous governments to access interest free credit to undertake the investments necessary for a transition to a green and socially just economy without resorting to private credit markets, domestic or international, which generate pressure towards austerity.

Benefit


  • Release all levels of Canadian government from constraints of bond markets that promote austerity;

  • Enable them to make the investments necessary for a transition to an economy of Just Green Wellbeing with interest-free credit; and

  • Deprive financial speculators the cushion of safe government debt and thus reduce unproductive speculation and inequality.

Supporting Comments from Submitter

The Bank of Canada has long purchased Government of Canada bonds and during the pandemic it has extended these facilities to provincial governments and other parts of the economy. Our proposal is that the Bank of Canada alone purchase the debt of all Canadian levels of government: federal, provincial, municipal and Indigenous.

A well-informed article about how Canada’s governments went from borrowing from the Bank of Canada to borrowing from bond markets and the adverse consequences of this decision.

https://canadiandimension.com/articles/view/the-bank-of-canada-should-be-reinstated-to-its-original-mandated-purposes

In 2011, the Committee for Monetary and Economic Reform (COMER) launched lawsuits for the same purpose. In 2017 the supreme court declined to hear the committee’s appeal.

http://www.comer.org/content/SupremeCourtDecision_4May17.htm

The website of the above-mentioned COMER:

http://www.comer.org/index.htm

Green Value(s)

Ecological Wisdom, Sustainability, Participatory Democracy, Social Justice, Respect for Diversity, Non-Violence

Relation to Existing Policy

Add to current GPC policy.

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List of Endorsements

Avatar: Aidan Randall Aidan Randall
Avatar: Howard Leznoff Howard Leznoff
Avatar: Joel Trail Joel Trail
Avatar: David Heap David Heap
Avatar: Robert Green Robert Green
Avatar: Jamie Ker Jamie Ker
Avatar: Blocked user Blocked user
Avatar: Paul McArthur Paul McArthur
and 5 more people (see more) (see less)
Amend Proposal Improve this proposal by modifying its title and body
Endorsements count8
G21-P006 Public Borrowing Only from the Bank of Canada Comments 2

Reference: PVC-PROP-2021-06-2281
Version number 6 (of 6) see other versions
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Value: cd641ecc3d6b26c757eccaebff7b71df83a28d75beffed540bc4aba883cc08b2

Source: {"body":{"en":"<h4>Submitter Name</h4><p>Radhika Desai</p><p><strong>This proposal was discussed in the workshop during Phase 2 of the VGM. However, there was not enough time for this proposal to be voted on in plenary by the members during Phase 2. Therefore, this proposal will not be included in the ratification vote.&nbsp;</strong></p><h4>Proposal</h4><p>The GPC advocates federal government action to allow Indigenous, municipal, provincial and federal governments to borrow interest-free from the Bank of Canada to cover deficits without resorting to commercial credit, if necessary by reviewing and revising the Bank of Canada Act, associated rules and regulations and international commitments.</p><h4>Objective</h4><p>To change Canada’s public borrowing arrangements to allow federal, provincial, municipal and Indigenous governments to access interest free credit to undertake the investments necessary for a transition to a green and socially just economy without resorting to private credit markets, domestic or international, which generate pressure towards austerity.</p><h4>Benefit</h4><ul><li>Release all levels of Canadian government from constraints of bond markets that promote austerity;</li><li>Enable them to make the investments necessary for a transition to an economy of Just Green Wellbeing with interest-free credit; and</li><li>Deprive financial speculators the cushion of safe government debt and thus reduce unproductive speculation and inequality.</li></ul><h4>Supporting Comments from Submitter</h4><p>The Bank of Canada has long purchased Government of Canada bonds and during the pandemic it has extended these facilities to provincial governments and other parts of the economy. Our proposal is that the Bank of Canada alone purchase the debt of all Canadian levels of government: federal, provincial, municipal and Indigenous.</p><p>A well-informed article about how Canada’s governments went from borrowing from the Bank of Canada to borrowing from bond markets and the adverse consequences of this decision.</p><p><a href=\"https://canadiandimension.com/articles/view/the-bank-of-canada-should-be-reinstated-to-its-original-mandated-purposes\" target=\"_blank\">https://canadiandimension.com/articles/view/the-bank-of-canada-should-be-reinstated-to-its-original-mandated-purposes</a></p><p>In 2011, the Committee for Monetary and Economic Reform (COMER) launched lawsuits for the same purpose. In 2017 the supreme court declined to hear the committee’s appeal.</p><p><a href=\"http://www.comer.org/content/SupremeCourtDecision_4May17.htm\" target=\"_blank\">http://www.comer.org/content/SupremeCourtDecision_4May17.htm</a></p><p>The website of the above-mentioned COMER:</p><p><a href=\"http://www.comer.org/index.htm\" target=\"_blank\">http://www.comer.org/index.htm</a></p><h4>Green Value(s)</h4><p>Ecological Wisdom, Sustainability, Participatory Democracy, Social Justice, Respect for Diversity, Non-Violence</p><h4>Relation to Existing Policy<strong></strong></h4><p>Add to current GPC policy.</p>","fr":"<h4>Auteur</h4><p>Radhika Desai</p><p><strong>Cette proposition a été discutée en atelier lors de la phase 2 de l’AGV. Cependant il n'y a pas eu assez de temps pour que cette proposition ne fasse l’objet d’un vote en plénière par les membres lors de la phase 2. Cette proposition ne sera donc pas incluse dans le vote de ratification.</strong></p><h4>Proposition</h4><p>Le PVC préconise une mesure nationale pour permettre aux gouvernements autochtones, municipaux, provinciaux et fédéral d’emprunter sans intérêt auprès de la Banque du Canada pour couvrir les déficits sans recourir au crédit commercial et, au besoin, modifier la <em>Loi sur la Banque du Canada</em>, les règles et règlements connexes et les engagements internationaux.</p><h4>Objectif</h4><p>Modifier les modalités d’emprunt public du Canada pour permettre aux gouvernements fédéral, provinciaux, municipaux et autochtones d’accéder à du crédit sans intérêt afin d’entreprendre les investissements nécessaires à une transition vers une économie verte et socialement juste, sans recourir aux marchés de crédit privés, nationaux ou internationaux qui génèrent des pressions d’austérité.</p><h4>Avantage</h4><ul><li>Libérer tous les niveaux de gouvernement des contraintes des marchés obligataires qui favorisent l’austérité.</li><li>Permettre aux gouvernements de réaliser les investissements nécessaires à la transition vers une économie de bien-être juste et écologique grâce à des crédits sans intérêt.</li><li>Priver les spéculateurs financiers du coussin de sécurité que constitue la dette publique et réduire ainsi la spéculation improductive et les inégalités.</li></ul><h4>Commentaires d’appui de l’auteur.e</h4><p>La Banque du Canada achète depuis longtemps des obligations du gouvernement du Canada et, pendant la pandémie, elle a étendu ces facilités aux gouvernements provinciaux et à d’autres secteurs de l’économie. Notre proposition vise à ce que la Banque du Canada achète seule la dette de tous les ordres de gouvernement du pays : fédéral, provinciaux, municipaux et autochtones.</p><p>Un article bien informé sur la façon dont les gouvernements du Canada sont passés de l’emprunt auprès de la Banque du Canada à l’emprunt auprès des marchés obligataires et sur les conséquences néfastes de cette décision&nbsp;:</p><p><a href=\"https://canadiandimension.com/articles/view/the-bank-of-canada-should-be-reinstated-to-its-original-mandated-purposes\" target=\"_blank\">https://canadiandimension.com/articles/view/the-bank-of-canada-should-be-reinstated-to-its-original-mandated-purposes</a></p><p>En 2011, le Comité pour la réforme monétaire et économique (COMER en anglais) a lancé des poursuites dans le même but. En 2017, la Cour suprême a refusé d’entendre l’appel du comité.</p><p><a href=\"http://www.comer.org/content/SupremeCourtDecision_4May17.htm\" target=\"_blank\">http://www.comer.org/content/SupremeCourtDecision_4May17.htm</a></p><p>Site web du COMER&nbsp;:</p><p><a href=\"http://www.comer.org/index.htm\" target=\"_blank\">http://www.comer.org/index.htm</a></p><h4>Valeur(s) Vertes</h4><p>Sagesse écologique, développement durable, démocratie participative, justice sociale, respect de la diversité, non-violence</p><h4>Lien avec la politique actuelle</h4><p>Ajout à la politique actuelle du PVC.</p>"},"title":{"en":"G21-P006 Public Borrowing Only from the Bank of Canada","fr":"G21-P006 Canaliser les emprunts publics uniquement auprès de la Banque du Canada"}}

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2 comments

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Conversation with Sarah Gabrielle Baron
Avatar: Sarah Gabrielle Baron Sarah Gabrielle Baron verified-badge
10/08/2021 20:59
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I wish that the rationale portino of this motion had evidence from other countries, success stories, something to provide confidence that it's good and normal and proper and beneficial to do this this way. I like the mention of Green Wellbeing in the justification section, which I think is a nod to replacing GDP with a Geniune Progress Indicator (or 'wellbeing index'), a long-standing Green policy. I'm just not confident that this is the best way to go about it, mostly because I don't know enough background about this macro-economic type of reasoning.

Avatar: Howard Leznoff Howard Leznoff
27/03/2022 10:21
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The article from Canadian Dimension provides a solid overview, I think.

The ground, post-covid especially, is shifting under the economic orthodoxies that have bought us to the precipice of ecocide. While I don't pretend a detailed or thorough grasp of Modern Monetary Theory, I'm making headway and am convinced that that the conversation and terms of reference of status quo macro-economics urgently need a radical re-boot. This proposal is part of that conversation.

Bill Mitchell: Demystifying Modern Monetary Theory:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnyDRwSqp2E
https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/economics-modern-monetary-theory-spending-1.5704124
https://mmtincanada.jimdofree.com/
https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/2019/4/16/18251646/modern-monetary-theory-new-moment-explained

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