The principles that comprise the Green Party of Ontario's core are increasingly informing the public discourse and shaping the policies of our communities. The emergence of Green Party ideas into the legislative processes of Ontario has been more than two decades in the making. Increasingly, the principles that form the backbone of our party's collective policies are finding their way into the daily life of the province.
Those principles are key for a sustainable future. This important by-election campaign is all about mobilizing people to assert their claim to a future worth having in the province that we love.
Despite the fact that other parties, indeed other governments, have claimed ownership to our green initiatives, we must be reminded that it is our values and our policies that opened the door in the first place. As the prospective MPP for Ottawa West-Nepean, I will bring to bear the expertise, energy, and enthusiasm that is ready to be unleashed, shaping our communities for generations to come.
I want to engage in an active, vital way, the people of our communities as a way of helping people reach their potential so that the greater societal good may come of our efforts. We the people need to constantly assert our right for fair democratic processes so that key decisions are not the stuff of the backrooms so favoured by the parties that have governed us. To make it happen we need to build collaborative, inclusive relationships with the people of Ottawa West-Nepean and elsewhere.
As a businessman I know that self-promotion is not a bad thing providing the product is credible. Our product is credible! We in the Green Party have the answers for the future! And that future is now.
Through my business experience, party initiatives, community involvement and my daily life I know that success is assured when people work together. As your representative in Queen's Park, I will work to bring Green Party values to the forefront of Ontario's political arena and to bring hope to an electorate disenchanted with governments which, once elected, turn deaf ears to the voices of their constituents.
We need to focus on encouraging a rapid transition to a green economy starting with green job creation, jobs that will be here for decades and not just until the next election. We need to reduce the costs of our healthcare system by shifting the emphasis from expensive treatments to prevention through the introduction of tough measures to remove toxic substances from interfering with our health. There is too much profit in sickness and not near enough effective government action to reduce the number of patients. Escalating health care costs will continue to hold back Ontario as the tax burden and deficits required to care for our citizens choke the consumer and small-business person alike.
Managing our energy and our water intelligently will also be key to the future prosperity and quality of life in Ontario.
Lastly, we have to commit to the revitalization of our communities by engaging them in the process of managing their own lives, rather than having their lives managed for them.
Drawing on our collective strengths and expertise, I am ready to lead our communities in the provincial parliament at Queen's Park. It is time for the amplification of Green Party ideas, for the visionary and practical components of public policy to be united with an agenda that provides meaningful change to our communities.
Mark MacKenzie
Green Party of Ontario Candidate
For Ottawa West-Nepean
