2020- 2022 Policy Process | Green Party of Canada
Where GPC membership collaborates to develop our policies
G21-P015 Remove GPC “Population Control” Policy to Better Reflect Party Values | VGM-2 Amended Version
Submitter Name
Kito Romero
Ratification Vote Results: Adopted
Proposal
This is the amended proposal adopted by GPC membership at the VGM-2.
Remove policies G08-P094 titled “Population Decline” and G08-P054 “Global Overpopulation” from official GPC policy.
Additional Information:
G08-P054: Global Overpopulation THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Green Party of Canada address the problem of global overpopulation through a foreign policy committed to environmentally sustainable local economics and the education, health care, political, and economic rights of women as equal participants in society
G08-p94: Population Decline BE IT RESOLVED that 1. the Green Party of Canada advocates that the human population of the world and of Canada should be allowed to decline by means of lowered birth rates until a population level not exceeding the earth’s human carrying capacity with available resources and technology, is reached, having regard to the need to maintain a thriving community of life in the interests of the human population as well as for its own sake, and as indicated by a cessation of the destruction of wild nature and the beginning of its recovery; 2. the Green Party of Canada advocates as primary means of lowering birth rates; improving the education, and the social and economic power and status of women and girls; improving primary health care, and improving and spreading knowledge of birth control methods and increasing availability of birth control equipment and supplies; and · encouraging the development and spread, in countries around the world, of institutions and services providing for support in old age not dependent on the number of one’s children; 3. the Green Party of Canada recognizes that the high level of per capita resource consumption in developed countries makes the impact of their populations much more serious; and 4. the Green Party of Canada recognizes that failure to stabilize and reduce human population within a reasonable time will result in the inevitable reduction of human population by means of high death rates as the earth’s human carrying capacity is not only exceeded but reduced by the consumption of resources and the destruction of biological capital, resulting in poverty, starvation, disease, great human suffering and possibly social disruption.
Objective
Rescind Party policy to reflect current understanding of the impacts of population and consumption on the climate crisis, acknowledging that consumption rather than population is the problem. Such views are now widely considered to be racist and colonial, which goes against the principles of social justice and respect for diversity.
Benefit
This will help us have policy that is consistent with our values and based in scientific evidence. Given that the current policy is overtly racist, not evidence based, and partially deflects from the real issue, it is not in line with Ecological Wisdom.
Supporting Comments from Submitter
Although it must be acknowledged that the world has a maximum carrying capacity and that overpopulation can indeed have detrimental effects on the planet, it is also clear that a more concerning factor is the mass overconsumption that is primarily taking place in the global North. GPC policy should not be prescribing measures aimed to control the growth of populations in developing countries, but rather focused on consumption habits. Moreover, although contraception should be available to women everywhere upon request, prescribing the use of contraception through policy with particular mention to young girls in Africa has clear racial connotations. Imposing such methods is a clear continuance of our colonial roots and thus should be removed from our policy as soon as possible.
This article points to high rates of consumption, emissions, and other negatives from the West as being greater determinants to our world than is population growth:
https://www.ecowatch.com/population-decine-environment-2647421991.html?rebelltitem=2#rebelltitem2
This article points to unsustainable habits rather than population growth as a core detriment to our climate:
https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/programs/population_and_sustainability/climate/
This article points to increased consumption patterns that accompany increased urbanization as a major factor in GHG emissions rather than population growth itself:
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0956247809344361
This article highlights the multitudes of policies that can be implemented to control population growth without the inadvertent racism that lays within our party’s policy:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0048969720348750
This article from the Guardian points to general overconsumption as a driver behind the belief that the growing population is inherently bad:
Green Value(s)
Respect for Diversity, Ecological Wisdom, Social Justice, Non-Violence
Relation to Existing Policy
This proposal would rescind G08-p94 Population Decline and G08-P54 “Global Overpopulation”
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Conversation with Vaalea Darkke
In my opinion there are 4 big flags that membership should consider before ratifying the AGM vote on this.
Submitter put in the title to remove the "Population Control" policy. Well just from that name I'd vote to remove that policy too, but there is no policy by that name. I find it very concerning that during the meeting someone spoke twice in favour of removing our so called "population control" policy because they did not want to be euthanized or have life-sustaining drugs withdrawn from them as they aged. To me that clearly shows people are voting based on the words "population control" without reading the actual policy.
They say the policy they want removed "prescribing the use of contraception through policy with particular mention to young girls in Africa". THERE IS NO particular mention of young girls in Africa. If I was voting based on that statement, I would agree such a policy should be removed.
They proposed to remove G08-p94 and completely overlooked removing G08-p54 which I find excessively careless. I brought it up, I don't know if anyone else caught it. I proposed that we instead remove the more troublesome G08-p54 "Global Overpopulation" "address the problem through a foreign policy" and KEEP the thoughtful G08-p94.
They included in supporting documents "This article highlights the multitudes of policies that can be implemented to control population growth without the inadvertent racism that lays within our party’s policy:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0048969720348750 "
However that link is titled "Population growth and climate change: Addressing the overlooked threat multiplier" that argues "policy makers largely ignore the potential of fertility changes and population growth when designing policies to limit climate disruption and lessen its impacts. Here we argue that rights-based policy interventions could decrease fertility rates to levels consistent with low population pathways." which as far as I can see is consistent with our policy G08-94 Easing Population Decline. WE SHOULD IMPROVE ON, NOT ERASE.
THEREFORE I do not get the sense people are taking the same care about removing policy as they are about adding policy, and they are relying on misleading/false statements by the policy submitter rather than scrutinizing the original policy for themselves. If we are voting to remove policy then the original policy should be included in full for us to agree that it should ALL be struck-out from (and not just amended/replaced in) the GPC Policies.
We should point out that we support measures to support 'families' (such as $10 daycare, paternity leave etc etc), but we should NOT support _incentivizing_ domestic births and especially to avoid immigration. This is about rights-based provisions of tools for voluntary fertility rate reduction (easing decline), not "control". https://www.forbes.com/sites/neilhowe/2019/03/29/nations-labor-to-raise-their-birthrates/?sh=3b0ed88c707d
This proposal was amended at workshop at the VGM Phase 2- it now addresses G08-P54 & G08-P94
P015 is amended to: Remove policies G08-p94 titled “Easing Population Decline” and G08-P54 “Global Overpopulation” from official GPC policy.
Yes, I flagged G08-P54 during the meeting. Was there anyone else who had flagged it or was everyone ready and willing to remove "Easing Population Decline" policy while keeping the "Global Overpopulation" policy? I hadn't seen anyone else flag it? I am not a great public speaker and I didn't raise the issue that this policy totally misrepresents the "Easing Population Decline" policy "with particular mention to young girls in Africa".
I did not find the other's responses in the meeting satisfactory but I find it easier to track _in writing_ than trying to remember what was _said_ over zoom. I don't remember their justification for misrepresenting the policy exactly... it did not make sense to me anyway.
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