CANADAS FEDERAL PARTY PLATFORMS

Group Members:_______________________________________________________
Issue

Liberal

NDP

Conservative

Green

Education

-believe that
education
should be seen
as a form of
empowerment
- thinks public
schools are the
best way to
educate
students
- wants to focus
funds on
existing schools
- wants to raise
teacher salaries
- wants to
reduce class
size

-wants to work

-promises to
work with
provinces and
higher learning
institutions to
reduce
post-secondary
tuitions
- wants to
encourage more
hand-on
learning
- increase
investments in
post-secondary
education

tuition fees are

too high and
need to be have
a certain limit
-continue to
support
tax-exempt
scholarships (for
postdoctoral
students)
-demand more
federal (money)
transfers for
post-secondary
education

-Wants to
modernize
health care
- wants to
support free or
low cost
medication and
health care
-is seen as a
right for every
human
- wants to
provide equal
healthcare for
everyone,
regardless if
theyre able to
pay or not
- long term care
is their focus

-wants to reduce
the annual
increase in
health transfer
payments
- wants to link
the transfer to
growth in the
economy; with a
minimal
increase of
three percent
- expects to
spend more on
healthcare
because of the
aging and
growing
population

-thinks school
vouchers
encourage
performance by
creating
competition
- thinks
vouchers give
parents the right
to choose good
schools for their
children
-wants to make
hiring teachers
more selective
- however, they
think private
schools
shouldn't be just
for the rich
-competitive and
free market
health care
-low quality
healthcare for a
costly price
-wants to be
make health
care private
- thinks the
government
should not
control health
care
- is going to tie
economic
growth to health
transfers

Bloc
Quebecois
-believes that

-wants to
establish a
federal crown
corporation to
bulk buy
prescription
medication and
drive down the
cost to
provinces
- will b
uild on
the work of the
therapeutics
Initiative to
review new
medications
before they are
approved
- develop
national
guidelines

-sees health

Health Care

with the country

to make postsecondary
education more
affordable,
accessible, and
inclusive.
- wants to phase
out interest on
federal student
loans

care as the
most important
issue in the
federal election
campaign
-wants more
control over the
finances for the
provincial level
- wants
250-million
dollars over 5
years (for a tax
credit for
caregivers)

Environment

- opposes to the

-wants new

Keystone XL
pipeline (which
the liberal party
supports)
- thinks other
pipeline projects
should only be
approved if they
are consistent
with Canadas
emission
reduction
targets
- wants to invest
100 million
dollars in
renewable
energy
development in
northern and
remote
communities
- wants to create
a cap and trade
program to help
Canada meet its
emission-reducti
on goal
- wants to
eliminate the
fossil fuels and
invest in clean
energy instead

energy pipelines
-are investing
heavily in green
energy and
energy efficient
technology
-pledges to cut
greenhouse gas
emissions by
thirty percent
before 2030
-however, they
think solar and
wind energy will
never be as
plentiful as oil,
gas and coal
- wants to
eliminate the
fossil fuels and
invest in clean
energy instead

-somewhat

-strongly

disagrees that
young offenders
should be
sentenced as
adults; a few

disagree that
violent young
offenders should
be sentenced as
adults

-wants us to
know that were
not safe
-wants to
establish laws to
protect children
and the elderly

-wants to curb
national
greenhousegas emissions
- allows
provinces to
design their own
emissions-reduc
tion systems
- wants to make
the federal
pipeline review
process more
strict
-pledges they
will spend 20
billion on
greener
infrastructure
-wants to
explore other
sources of
energy besides
oil
- wants to
control gas and
electric systems

Law and
Order

elderly who
have special
needs and
require special
care
-promises to
address smog
causing heat
and air pollution
- wants to
strengthen
CEPA (the
Canadian
environmental
protection
agreement) with
strong
regulations to
reduce air
contaminants
- wants to
establish water
fund
- Address
inter-provincial/t
erritorial and
international
water-related
concerns
- wants to
protect wildlife
- Has introduced
a green labeling
system for
products that
are
biodegradable,
reusable, or
recyclable
-are seen as
pragmatists; in
favor of
stiffening laws
-also strongly
disagrees that
young offenders

-wants 750
million dollars
for the
development of
green energy
-proposes
incentives for
alternative
energy
-calls for serious
effort for the use
of the electric
car
-wants to reduce
Quebecs
dependency on
oil
-demands a
surtax on the
profits of major
oil companies
- plans to
develop and
protect the
St.Lawrence
River
-wants to make
adjustments to
reduce
greenhouse gas
emissions
- wants to do
mandatory (but
free) energy
assessments
-pushes for
Quebecs own
criminal code
- wants to give
more support to
victims of crime

Family

exceptions
apply
- believes they
should be sent
to rehab
- wants to
legalize
marijuana
- wants to
manage the
cops; not just
the crooks
- plans to
address the
RCMP and the
issues
surrounding
them
-plans to pay a
benefit to
families of cops
and firefighters
who lost their
lives in the line
of duty

- promises to
give teachers,
parents and
police more
resources to
protect children
from thugs
-will ensure
proper care/
actions for
mentally ill
offenders
- wants to enact
the Lucky
Moose bill a
law that would
allow citizens to
detain criminals
within a
reasonable
amount of time
after a crime is
committed

-somewhat

-will introduce
more flexible
parental benefits
(that will make it
possible for
parents to take
a longer leave at
a lower benefit
level)
- promises to
introduce a new
Seniors Price
Index (to
guarantee that
benefits for
seniors keep up
with their rising
costs.)

-promises to
budget 2
.6

-promises to
expand EI
maternity and
parental benefits
for new parents
- promises to
increase the
child care
expense
deduction by
1,000 dollars
- promises to
maintain the
universal child
care benefit
- will reduce the
minimum
withdrawal
requirements for

billion dollars to
expand
universal child
care benefit
- wants to end
income splitting,
but protect
seniors ability to
split their
pension income.
- pledges to
tackle
skyrocketing
housing costs
by bringing in a
tax break to

agrees that
young offenders
should be
sentenced as
adults
-wants to
abandon gun
registry; thinks
that it makes no
difference to
crime rates
-plans that if a
young person
commits an
offence and is
charged as an
adult, it will not
remain on their
record
- also agrees
with the Lucky
Moose bill

should be
sentenced as
adults
- wants to keep
the gun registry,
but agrees to
reduce the
paperwork
-promise to
increase
border-line
security
- uniquely, they
see and address
animal cruelty
as a crime
- understands
that justice and
security cannot
stand alone, out
of our social and
cultural context.
- have a tough
but fair
reputation when
it comes to the
law

-support the
troops and
soldiers that
suffer from
PTSD

-create reforms
to tax and
labour policies
in ways that will
increase the
opportunity for
Canadians to
spend more
time with family
- promises to
value the
decisions of
parents who
decide to stay
home with their
children
- believe that
families should
be nurtured

-wants gradual
investment by
the federal
government until
2-billion dollars
per year is
invested in
social housing
- continue to
support
184-million
dollars per year
going to a
federal
child-care tax
credit
-plans to make
people over 65
automatically

-agrees to gun
registry
-wants to invest
on a national
strategy for
crime prevention
-pushes the
federal
government to
fight arms
trafficking more
often

- will distribute
funds from
income splitting
and the
Universal Child
Care Benefit;
plans to create a
Canadian Child
Benefit, which
would provide
an additional
$2,500 a year
for a typical
family of four.

encourage
construction
- wants to add
500-million
dollars to the
budget for
low-income
families. Plans
deliver it through
the National
Child Benefit
Supplement and
Working Income
Tax Benefit.

registered
retirement
income funds to
help seniors
manage their
retirement
income
- wants to also
establish a
permanent
Home
Renovation Tax
Credit for
expenses

-wants to stop
elder abuse
-wants to ensure
secure pensions
-plans to
Increase
guaranteed
income
supplement for
seniors by 25
per cent
- wants to give
the right to
make a living
will that allows
people to limit or
refuse medical
intervention if
they are nearing
death

qualify for GIS

(Guaranteed
income
supplement)
-increased
family income is
allowable under
GIS
-wants to take
measures to
encourage
phased
retirement