Canada elections 2008: main party platforms
p2pnet news view Freedom | P2P:- We’re devoting p2pnet 100% (well, almost 
) to election issues and as we pointed out in an earlier post, considerably more than five parties are involved in the 2008 Canadian elections.
In fact, there are 21 of them.
So we thought it might be a good idea to run their platforms, starting with the five main parties.
»»» CONSERVATIVES - (The True North – Strong and Free)
Prime Minister Stephen Harper understands the global financial crisis. His plan for the way forward has been clear and consistent: balanced budgets, lower taxes, investments to create jobs and keeping inflation low.
This is in stark contrast to Stéphane Dion and Jack Layton, who have only just realized that the economy is an issue.
Dion wants to impose a massive carbon tax that will drive up the cost of everything and hurt families.
Layton will increase taxes on businesses and drive jobs out of Canada.
The Liberals and the NDP are both a vote for financial disaster. They have no plan. Both parties would gamble with Canadians’ hard-earned money for short term electoral gain.
For the past year and a half, the Harper Government has been implementing a real plan to protect our economy. The Harper Government is working for all Canadians who have a job to keep, a mortgage to pay and a retirement to save for.
A Conservative government will not be raising taxes. We will not impose a carbon tax. We will not cancel planned tax reductions for business. We will keep our spending within our means. It is that simple.
The alternative is not a plan. It is just the consequence of complete panic, and this government will not panic at a time of uncertainty.
»»» LIBERALS – Richer, Fairer, Greener
“Richer, Fairer, Greener,” the Liberal Party of Canada’s fully-costed, fiscally-responsible platform, lays out a progressive, inclusive vision to make Canada a stronger country for the next generation.
“Liberals are proud to continue our tradition of strong economic and fiscal management,” says Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion. “Fiscal discipline is now part of the Liberal DNA. We were the party that turned a huge deficit into eight years of surpluses, and we will continue to put fiscal responsibility first. A Liberal government will never put Canada into deficit. Period.”
We are committed to balanced budgets, which is why all the commitments in this platform are set within a prudent fiscal framework that includes a contingency reserve of $3 billion a year to be applied to the debt if it’s not used — a prudent measure irresponsibly abandoned by the Conservative government.
The cornerstone of the Liberal platform is the Green Shift plan. This innovative and forward-thinking plan will cut income taxes, put a price on pollution, fight poverty and position Canada to be a leader in the 21st-century global economy.
»»» NEW DEMOCRATS – Putting families first
New Democrat Leader Jack Layton released his party’s platform today [September 28] at a community centre in his east-end Toronto riding. The platform focused on helping middle-class and working families make ends meet.
“While Stephen Harper’s priority is a $50 billion corporate tax cut, my priority is investing in families and their children,“ said Layton.
The centerpiece of the platform is the New Democrats’ new Child Benefit, an initiative that unifies, simplifies and enhances existing programs such as the Child Tax Benefit and the Universal Child Care Benefit.
“The New Democrats’ Child Benefit will give every middle-class and working family in Canada a raise,” said Layton.
The Child Benefit will come to all families in the form of a cheque, broadens eligibility to cover children up to the age of eighteen and will not be subject to federal tax. No family will receive less than they do currently and every family with net annual household income of $188,000 or less will receive more.
“We’re making it clear with this platform today that our priorities are those of the kitchen table, not just the boardroom table. Canadian families have a clear choice: Mr. Harper’s corporate tax giveaways or New Democrats’ investments in the priorities of families,” said Layton.
Other key elements of the New Democrats’ platform include: hiring more doctors and nurses, a national children’s nutrition plan, investments in cancer research, and a plan to break Canada’s reliance on carbon with a plan for the environment that will work.
The New Democrat platform is fully costed with balanced budgets each and every year.
»»» GREEN PARTY OF CANADA -
Goals for our first Green Government:
1. Measure what counts: Along with the gross domestic product, which tracks how much money changes hands, we will measure whether that economic activity makes us healthier and better educated, and the environment cleaner.
2. Invest in Canada: We will restore the tradition of investing in public facilities and services – the things that link us across our vast geography.
Create healthy businesses:
To ensure strong, Canadian businesses, in addition to carboncutting measures that will promote new industries and jobs, we will:
• Assist small businesses through Green Venture Capital Funds and tax shifting.
• Renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement.
• Support the family farm. Provide GST rebates and compensation for protecting ecological services, such as wildlife habitat.
• Encourage production and consumption of Canadian agricultural products, especially organically grown.
• Harness local knowledge to protect fish stocks. Ban offshore draggers and support only sustainable aquaculture.
• Work with the forest industry to protect jobs and develop value-added products.Make tax sense:
To promote what’s good, target what’s bad, and ensure we live within our means, we will:
• Bring in a $50 per tonne carbon tax and develop taxes for toxic chemicals. Use that revenue to cut payroll and income taxes, and reduce employers’ contributions to Employment Insurance and the Canada Pension Plan.
• Cut corporate tax by $50 for each tonne of carbon emission reductions, to create a $100 per tonne saving when combined with avoided carbon tax.
• Return the GST to six per cent, to invest in infrastructure. Expand the exemptions on food items, and extend them to children’s clothing and books. Provide rebates for rural Canadians.Transform our climate, and economy:
In addition to the Green Tax Shift, we will:
• Cut greenhouse gas emissions to 30 per cent below 1990 levels by 2020 and 80 per cent by 2050.
• Use cap and trade, with hard caps, for some large polluters.
• Expand research and development of low-carbon technologies.
• Improve energy productivity through smarter regulation of large appliances and vehicles, and a national program to retrofit existing buildings.
• Support only bio-fuels that actually save carbon emissions and don’t distort food supplies or prices. That means no corn- or grain-based ethanol.
• Participate constructively in global negotiations.Improve health care, and health:
Tackling climate change also leads to a cleaner environment.
To reduce other threats to Canadians’ health, and improve treatment when it’s needed, we will:
• Work to reduce cigarette smoking through education and taxes.
• Limit the commercialization of genetically modified crops and impose labeling of GMO products.
• Protect our universal, single-payer public health care system and ensure it works well at disease prevention and treatment.
• Promote physical activity and healthy eating, and reduced exposure to contaminants.
• Work to develop national goals for prenatal care.
• Rebuild hospital capacity and make smarter use of it by increasing long-term-care facilities, as well as post-surgery recuperation outside of hospital, with access to nursing.Close the gap:
To ensure a thriving and secure middle class, the bulwark of a healthy democracy, and move toward equity, we will:
• Bring in income splitting and low-income support as part of our Green Tax Shift.
• Eliminate income tax for those earning $20,000 or less.
• Work toward a Guaranteed Annual Income in place of the current maze of programs.
• Ensure universal access to excellent childcare and early childhood education.
• Support parents who take time from their career for child rearing.
• Cut debt for post-secondary students through measures including a Canadian National Student Loan and Bursary Program. Forgive half the loan for students who complete degree or certificate programs.
• Expand industry-based job training and apprenticeship to reduce the shortage of trained workers.Protect rights:
To create a truly equitable society we will:
• Ensure women’s rights are respected. Enforce pay equity.
• Honour the Kelowna Accord and resolve land claims in ways that do not extinguish aboriginal title.
• Expand the rights of gay, lesbian, bi-sexual and transsexual Canadians.
• Enhance support for disabled people.
• Ease the income support levels required for familysponsorship.Work for peace:
To make the world a better, safer place, we will:
• Meet the United Nations’ target that 0.7 per cent of Canada’s GDP go to Overseas Development Assistance.
• Address the crises of HIV-AIDs, the Darfur tragedy and impacts of climate change in Africa.
• Restore Canada’s peacekeeping role and help to build a permanent UN force to respond to conflicts and climate disasters.
• In Afghanistan, shift from the NATO mission to one led by the UN.
• Press for nuclear disarmament and declare Canada a Nuclear Weapons Free Zone.
»»» Bloc Quebecois – Platform- French
The Bloc is a left-wing orientated, ideologically driven, and regionally based political party. The Bloc tends to supports social democratic principles and Quebec nationalist policies. The party is orientated towards Quebec with little or no support outside the region.
The primary goal of the Bloc Quebecois is an independent Quebec, and most of their policies are tied to that concept. They believe that, until sovereignty is achieved, the federal government should transfer control of important issues to the provinces.
p2pnet – NDP on the ballot in all 308 ridings, October 6, 2008
Use free p2pnet newsfeeds for your site. It’s really easy!Subscribe to p2pnet.net | | rss feed: http://p2pnet.net/p2p.rss | | Mobile – http://p2pnet.net/index-wml.php
Net access blocked by government restrictions? Use Psiphon from the Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto. Go here for details.
October 8th, 2008 at 4:08 pm
http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/story.html?id=ef0ed8d5-f7d7-4324-ac66-b5814fdfc944
“As the economy and how best to manage it continued to dominate the federal election campaign, Duceppe took direct aim at Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s argument that his government’s decision to reduce taxes such as the 2 per cent cut to the goods and services tax will help Canada’s economy ride out the economic downturn that has hit the U.S and sent world markets into turmoil.”
“Duceppe said most Canadians actually benefit very little from the cut to the GST because much of their budgets go to things like food and housing that have no sales tax.”
Very true.
“For a parent who earns $32,000 – which was the average revenue in Quebec in 2006 – the income tax savings are zero, not a cent. For someone who earns $250,000, the tax savings are $7,800.”
“The middle class, my eye. The Conservative ideology consists of enriching the rich. A society where the rich keep getting richer and the poor keep getting poorer, we don’t want that in Quebec.”
—————
In my riding its between the PQ and the Conservatives. The NDP are too far behind in the polls.
So its a lose-lose situation in mch of Quebec since the above is the scenerio most every here.
Vote PQ to keep the Cons out, or vote for Cons.
I’ll vote to keep the Cons out by voting PQ. No choice.