Proposal Development

Submission Rules

1. A proposal is submitted on the online submission form located on the WeDecide platform. You will need a GPC account to log-in, so register here if you do not yet have one, or go here to recover your password.
2. Each submission may be reviewed for completeness and adherence to the drafting standards.
3. If needed, a volunteer will work with the submitter to bring the proposal up to drafting standards.
4. A proposal which does not meet the drafting standards by a date set by the Party will not be accepted for the upcoming General Meeting.
5. Submitters of similar proposals will be required to combine their proposals into one.
6. Public policy proposals must be written so as to allow GPC representatives the flexibility to choose any appropriate strategy and tactic necessary to achieve the desired outcome.
7. A public policy proposal that is too specific (e.g. name of specific organizations, percentage, target date), poorly explained or which contains an error will be returned to the submitter for redrafting.
8. Each individual member may submit a maximum of four (4) proposals for the upcoming General Meeting.

Drafting Standards

Use the directions provided in this template to help you draft your submission. Click here to access the online form when you are ready to submit.

Submitter

The ‘submitter’ is the proposal’s lead sponsor or contact person. A ‘submitter’ can be an individual member or a recognized unit of the Party (e.g. an electoral district association).

Type of Proposal

A proposal may be:

1. A public policy that the Green Party of Canada would stand for and work towards if elected, or advocate for while in opposition.
2. A constitutional amendment that would change the constitution or bylaws.
3. A directive to ask Federal Council to take an action.

Principles

A public policy proposal must directly support one (or more) of our six core Principles: Ecological Wisdom, Sustainability, Participatory Democracy, Social Justice, Respect for Diversity, Non-Violence.

Title

 A title which concisely reflects the proposal.

Objective

In about 100 words or less, the proposal should describe what goal or objective this proposal works to achieve and why this objective is of benefit.

Proposal

Public policy: Member-written policies are entered into the Policy Book and provide a basis for our MPs and Shadow Cabinet’s positions on legislation. Public policy proposals should not be overly prescriptive. They should consist of principle-based statements, general proposed approaches or courses of action. 

Thus, the public policy proposal must be written so as to allow GPC representatives the flexibility to choose any appropriate strategy and tactic necessary to achieve the desired outcome. 

Constitutional or bylaw amendment: The amendment should clearly reference the current constitutional or bylaw clause it seeks to change or replace, if applicable. The amendment must be as clear as possible.

Directive to Federal Council: The proposed directive should clearly state the action it asks Federal Council to undertake and how that action will help Federal Council to more effectively carry out its role to represent the membership.

Relation to Existing Public Policy

The proposal should indicate whether it adds to GPC public policy, or rescinds and replaces an existing public policy, and if so, which public policy is rescinded.

Evidence

Up to five references may be provided to illustrate the need for this proposal or indicate if the approach has worked elsewhere or can be expected to be effective. A reference should be described with a short phrase.

Consultation

The submitter should indicate whether this proposal affects any particular group and if any efforts have been made to consult with the group or groups.

Jurisdiction

If it is a public policy proposal, it must fall within federal jurisdiction. An issue which falls within municipal or provincial jurisdiction will not be accepted.

Sponsors

For a proposal to be accepted, the Constitution & Bylaws of the GPC require a minimum number of sponsors:

• Public policy: 20 members or a unit representing at least 20 members.
• Constitutional amendment: 3 Electoral District Associations (EDAs) or Provincial/Territory Organizations; 15 members; a Central Party unit comprising at least 15 members.
• Bylaw amendment: 5 members or a unit representing at least 5 members.
• Directive: 20 members or a unit representing at least 20 members.

Fortunately, it is convenient for members to declare themselves as sponsors on the WeDecide platform and for submitters to look for sponsors.

If however the sponsor(s) are units, the Party may request the name, email and phone number of the Chair of the meeting in which a decision was taken to support the proposal.

Examples of well written and poorly written policy statements:

Well written policy example: Canada should transition to renewable energy in order to mitigate the effects of climate change.

Poorly written policy example: Canada should be completely off coal by 2030 by switching to solar and wind.

Reasoning: While moving off of fossil fuels is desirable, being overly prescriptive on how will narrow the range of options for our platform and positions. Good policy balances good ideas with practical realities and recognizes that details might change.

Contacts

If you have specific questions or concerns regarding drafting proposals, email the Party at [email protected]

For a current list of contact information for the Green Party Shadow Cabinet, see https://www.greenparty.ca/en/team