While one veiled new citizen and the still-secret Trans-Pacific Partnership deal captured much of last week's headlines, Canada's major parties also finally released the full text of their party platforms.Now that all four national parties have their pledges on paper, The Tyee dug into each platform and pulled out the issues our readers have ranked as their top priority this election.
If you're undecided or just curious, here's your chance to compare the pledges side by side before the Oct. 19 vote.
CLIMATE CHANGE
NDP
The New Democratic Party pledges to introduce a cap-and-trade program that allows provinces like British Columbia and Ontario to opt-out if their own carbon pricing exceeds federal standards. They also promise to:
Invest $100 million in renewable energy development in northern and remote communities.
Invest $150 million in a new Green Municipal Fund.
Cut subsidies to non-renewable energy.
Introduce an Environmental Bill of Rights, giving Canadians the right to a clean and healthy environment.
Liberals
The Liberal Party pledges to attend the UN climate conference in Paris, and within 90 days establish a new Canadian framework for combatting climate change. The plan includes plenty of money for "climate resilient infrastructure," promising to:
Boost investment in green infrastructure by nearly $6 billion over four years.
Invest $100 million each year in clean technology producers.
Endow a new Low Carbon Economy Trust with $2 billion to fund projects that reduce emissions.
Phase out subsidies for the fossil fuel industry "over the medium-term."
Conservatives
The Conservative Party platform reaffirms Canada's commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions 30 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030, a pledge made in May 2015.
The party aims to balance climate and economic interests and provide "support for companies and researchers to develop new, cleaner technologies."
Greens
The Green Party has laid out the most ambitious emissions targets of all the national parties. The party aims to:
Reduce emissions 40 per cent below 2005 levels by 2025, and 80 per cent below 1990 levels by 2050.
Eliminate all fossil fuel subsidies.
Implement a Carbon Fee and Dividend Plan (a federal tax on carbon).
Rapidly phase-out coal-fired generation plants within Canada.
INEQUALITY
NDP
The New Democrats have tackled inequality by proposing a $15-an-hour federal minimum wage and $15-a-day childcare, raising corporate taxes and closing tax loopholes to pay for the programs. On inequality, they pledge to:
Introduce An Act to Eliminate Child Poverty.
Boost the National Child Benefit Supplement by $300 million annually.
Raise the corporate tax rate from 15 to 17 per cent by 2016.
Cut small business taxes from 11 to nine per cent over two years.
Reinstate the federal minimum wage and raise it to $15 an hour.
Create one million $15-a-day childcare spaces over eight years.
Implement a National Housing Strategy, restoring federal investment in social housing and co-ops.
Put up to $400 million into boosting the Guaranteed Income Supplement for seniors.
Liberals
The Liberals have focused on an income tax break for the middle class, while raising taxes on the wealthiest one per cent. Inequality platform highlights:
Cut the $44,700 to $89,301 income tax bracket to 20.5 per cent from 22 per cent.
Create a new tax bracket for those who earn over $200,000 a year, raising rate from 29 to 33 per cent.
Cancel tax breaks and benefits for the wealthy, including the Universal Child Care Benefit.
Introduce a new monthly child benefit tied to income, called the Canada Child Benefit.
Invest in affordable housing infrastructure, prioritizing seniors' facilities.
Increase Guaranteed Income Supplement for seniors by 10 per cent.
Conservatives
The Conservative platform aims to keep taxes low. To support families and seniors, the party also pledges to:
Maintain the current Universal Child Care Benefit, up to $2,000 per year per child under six, and $700 per year for children aged six to 17.
Raise the government's contribution when low- and middle-income families invest in education savings plans.
Establish an "equivalent-to-spouse" Pension Income Credit for single and widowed seniors up to $2,000.
Cut small business taxes from 11 to nine per cent.
Greens
The Green platform focuses on replacing Canada's current poverty relief with a guaranteed livable income program, as well as implementing a national housing strategy. The Greens would:
Phase-in a Guaranteed Livable Income.
Implement a National Housing Strategy based on Housing First principles.
Expand the Canada Pension Plan.
FIRST NATIONS
NDP
The New Democrats have pledged a new "nation to nation" relationship with Indigenous communities, as well as a focus on implementing recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. This includes promises to:
Pledge $1.8 billion over four years to First Nations education.
Pledge $68 million over four years for Aboriginal language revitalization.
Pledge $8 million over four years to National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation.
Implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
Hold a national inquiry into missing and murdered Indigenous women within first 100 days in government.
Lift the two per cent cap on annual funding increases.
Liberals
The Liberals have also committed to implementing recommendations of the TRC, as well as a new nation-to-nation process. They promise to:
Pledge $2.6 billion over four years for First Nations education.
Pledge $500 million over three years for building and refurbishing First Nations schools.
Implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
Immediately launch a national public inquiry into missing and murdered Indigenous women.
Lift the two per cent cap on annual funding increases.
Conservatives
The Conservative Party has affirmed its commitment to increasing funding for aboriginal education by 25 per cent. The party would:
Pledge $1 billion over five years for First Nations education.
Pledge $500 million over seven years for First Nation school infrastructure.
Expand economic development on Aboriginal land with an enhanced Mining Exploration Tax Credit.
Greens
The Green Party would also lift the two per cent cap on First Nations funding increases, call an inquiry into missing and murdered indigenous women, implement the Truth and Reconciliation Commission recommendations and pledge new federal funding for traditional language education.
ELECTORAL REFORM & DEMOCRACY
NDP
The New Democrats have pledged to implement mixed-member proportional representation and repeal Stephen Harper's Fair Elections Act.
Liberals
The Liberals say a committee would review electoral reforms including ranked ballots, proportional representation, mandatory voting and online voting. The party would also:
Enact electoral reform within 18 months.
Repeal anti-democratic elements of Harper's Fair Elections Act.
Conservatives
The Conservatives would introduce legislation requiring any future government to hold a referendum on major electoral reform.
Greens
The Greens would replace Canada's first-past-the-post voting system with a form of proportional representation selected by an all-party committee.
TRANSPARENCY
NDP
The NDP platform reminds the public of various Conservative scandals during the 2006, 2008 and 2011 election campaigns. It promises to:
Modernize the Access to Information Act to expand the Information Commissioner's power.
Expand the Act to cover not only the PMO and Ministers' offices, but the administration of Parliament itself.
Empower the Information Commissioner to review cabinet documents deemed deemed secret.
Institute a duty to document actions and decisions.
Add a public interest override for all exceptions, "so that public interest comes before the secrecy of the government."
The NDP platform is the only one that also addresses digital rights and privacy, including mandatory reporting of data breaches and an increase to the Privacy Commissioner's enforcement power. The NDP says it would strike an all-party committee on privacy implications of the Internet of Things and end bulk data collection by Canadian agencies involved in cyber surveillance.
Liberals
The first section of the Liberal platform, titled "A Fair and Open Government," is on this topic, promising to:
Amend the Access to Information Act to make all government data and information "open by default in machine-readable, digital formats."
Tell requesters within 30 days when it wants to keep certain information secret (but doesn't mention whether that would be 30 calendar or working days).
Keep charging a $5 application fee, but charge no other fees for documents.
Expand the Information Commissioner's power to include binding orders for disclosure.
Review the Access to Information Act every five years.
Expand the Act to cover the Prime Minister's Office and Ministers' offices.
Conservatives
The closest the Conservatives get to this topic is near the end of the platform, on page 153, under "Protecting Canada's democracy."
It claims to be "one of the most accountable and transparent governments in the world" and that the Conservatives have been "relentless" in pursuing increased accountability. No examples are given.
It talks about the need to reform the senate and if it can't be reformed, then abolished.
Greens
The party platform promises generally to overhaul the Accountability, Conflict of Interest, Privacy and Access to Information laws and talks about the "need to act to diversify and enliven the media in Canada" to encourage an informed citizenry and healthy democracy.
The Greens want to enforce anti-trust laws to end corporate media concentration while reinvigorating the CBC. They would also slash government advertising and make all contacts publicly tendered "with decisions being removed from political operatives."
MORE HIGHLIGHTS
NDP
Health care: NDP pledges $2.6 billion over four years for universal prescription drug coverage, aiming to cut costs by 30 per cent.
Veterans: NDP pledges $454 million over four years for mental illness treatment for veterans.
Bill C-51: NDP would repeal the controversial anti-terrorism law.
Trans-Pacific Partnership: NDP opposes TPP and pledges to increase transparency on trade talks.
Liberals
Infrastructure: Libs would run modest deficits to pay for $10 billion in new infrastructure across the country, including public transit.
Health care: Libs would negotiate a new Health Accord, investing $3 billion over four years.
Bill C-51: Libs would repeal "problematic elements" and establish an all-party national security oversight committee.
Marijuana: Libs would legalize, regulate and restrict marijuana.
Conservatives
TPP: CPC would implement the free trade agreement, protect supply management.
Temporary workers: CPC would reform the Temporary Foreign Worker program to prevent abuses.
Greens
Student debt: Greens would abolish tuition fees for students without financial means by 2020.
Health care: Greens would set up a national pharmacare program saving Canadians $11 billion a year.
Original Article
Source: thetyee.ca/
Author: Sarah Berman
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