Jack Layton and the New Democrats will implement a prudent and sensible plan to keep good jobs in Canada, encourage innovation, and get the Canadian government engaged in creating good jobs in the new energy economy.

1. Create a Green-Collar Jobs Fund of $750 million a year to train new workers and re-train displaced workers. This will provide the skills to install and maintain energy efficient and renewable energy technology. It will support the transition from jobs in older, higher-pollution energy systems.
2. Appoint a Job Protection Commissioner to investigate major layoffs and shutdowns. The Commissioner will work with workers, the affected businesses, stakeholders (such as banks) and communities to maintain and develop good employment for Canadians.
3. Introduce an environmental automobile strategy:
   • Invest in Canadian production of low-emission cars to ensure our auto industry remains viable. This will include aggressive incentives for manufacturers who develop and manufacture in Canada cars with low or zero greenhouse gas emissions.
   • Provide federal government support for pedestrian walkways and bicycle paths in communities as part of our commitment to sustainable transport. In addition to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, improved pedestrian and cycling infrastructure will have health benefits for Canadians who choose to walk or cycle.
   • Bring in mandatory vehicle emission standards for all vehicles sold in Canada based on leading North American standards.
   • Require vehicle fuel consumption labelling so consumers have better information about every vehicle's environmental performance and efficiency savings.
   • Reduce pollution through an Early Adopters Program that encourages the purchase of commercial electric hybrid vehicles.
4. Create and support pan-Canadian sector-based strategies. Experts agree we need a pro-active plan to keep our country, our industries, and our workforce in a leading global position.
   • All over the world, industries, government and workers are collaborating to build new opportunities for jobs and innovation. Canada has taken the opposite approach of picking winners, like the banks and oil companies, and losers, like manufacturers and the forest industry.
   • Sector-based strategies will include: lumber; pulp and paper; energy and petrochemicals; tool and die; machinery and equipment; aeronautics and transportation; fish and food processing; steel; mining exploration; environmental technologies; information processing; pharmaceuticals; health equipment and supplies; tourism; telecommunications; shipbuilding and repair; media and cultural industries; and agriculture and food industries.
   • These sector-based strategies will be accompanied by a systematic review of sector-specific tax measures. We will eliminate those that are economically or environmentally counterproductive. We will add new measures to stimulate investment in the broader public interest.
5. As part of our job protection strategy, New Democrats will stand up against our jobs being exported out of Canada by implementing job-focused trade strategies. We will:
   • Make it harder to import from countries with unacceptable environmental, employment and wage standards.
   • Make it easier to export from Canada by supporting industry.
   • Influence competitive advantage by ensuring that the macro-economic environment is growth-oriented.

Additional Measures to Protect Good Jobs and Build Opportunities for New Jobs

Invest the equivalent of one cent of the GST in increased funding of the important priorities of our cities and communities by 2011. This will address the growing infrastructure deficit, and help cities and citizens avoid massive property tax increases. This increased infrastructure commitment, phased in over 5 years, will include increased investment and jobs in:

• Expanded public transit.
• Affordable housing.
• Expanded child care.
• Building retrofits and environmentally friendly renovations.
• Immigrant settlement.
• Roads, highways and border crossings.
• Public libraries.
• Community centres.
• Sewer and water treatment facilities.

Expand employment in our communities, build new markets for Canadian suppliers, strengthen sustainability commitments, and encourage Canadian entrepreneurship by adopting a Made-in-Canada procurement policy for the federal government and its agencies.

• In negotiations with provinces, municipalities and other stakeholders, we will develop Made-in-Canada procurement protocols for federal investments in public transit, infrastructure and other investments.

A Better Buildings Retrofit and Energy Efficiency Strategy:

• Re-vamp the ecoEnergy programs to provide low-interest loans and improved grants for energy efficient home and building retrofits, modeled on the City of Toronto's successful Better Buildings Partnership using revolving funds.
• A new program to retrofit low-income homes, replacing the program cancelled by the Harper government.
• Add energy conservation and efficiency criteria to the Canadian Building Code, working with provinces and territories.
• Establish a target to retrofit 7% of Canada's building and housing stock each year.

Strengthen Regional Development:

• Improve the effectiveness of existing federal agencies for Atlantic Canada, Quebec, and Western Canada.
• Establish and increase funding for FedNor as a fully independent regional development agency with a new mandate to invest exclusively in Northern Ontario.
• Establish a regional development agency for Southern Ontario, with the specific emphasis on areas hard hit by manufacturing job losses.
• Create a new North of 60 regional development agency covering the northern territories.