2019 Federal Election: Campaign Promises PDF

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Outlines each party’s key campaign promises, and many key issues that are currently outlined in the campaign, and how they are ones of great importance to many Canadians....

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Charles 1 Tamara L. Charles Dr. Stephen P. Meyer GEOG-2246 EL 1 October 2019 2019 Federal Election: Campaign Promises This October, the polls will be open for the 2019 Canadian Federal election. The election is scheduled to take place on the 21st, to elect members of the House of Commons to the 43rd Canadian Parliament. The front-runners; Justin Trudeau, as the head of the Liberal Party of Canada, and Andrew Scheer as the head of the Conservative Party of Canada, are seemingly neck to neck in the campaign. As it is Trudeau’s second time running, there is no doubt, lots of pressure surrounding him, and his campaign. In outlining each party’s key campaign promises, it can be determined who, in my opinion, is most likely to win the hearts of Canadians this fall. I will be addressing the Liberals, Conservatives, New Democratic Party, Green Party, Bloc Québécois and the People’s Party of Canada. The many key issues that are currently outlined in this campaign are ones of great importance to many Canadians. Climate change, carbon tax, education, debt and deficits, and gun control are some examples of current issues that are to be discussed, along with the promises made regarding them by each party. The Liberal Party of Canada One of the most prominent issues outlined in the campaign thus far is climate change. Young swedish climate activist, Greta Thunberg, preaches the importance of climate change, and says that politicians aren’t doing enough. On September 27th, Greta met with Justin to discuss the importance of change that needs to begin. She says, “of course it’s easier to just blame

Charles 2 someone and of course he has a lot of responsibility… and he, of course, is not doing enough” (Thunberg). Justin indirectly responds with the utmost of respect for her, as “the voice of a generation of young people who are calling on their leaders to do more and to do better” (Trudeau), and he promises to plant 2 billion trees if his government is re-elected, which they say will create 3,500 seasonal jobs, as part of a $3-billion plan to fight climate change. Along with this promise, he plans to get Canada to net-zero emissions by 2050, and as listed one their official website, plans to continue with the banning of single use plastics by 2021, protecting our land and oceans, and end “inefficient” fossil fuel subsidies and protect a quarter of Canada’s natural land and ocean habitats by 2025. Another key promise has to do with electric cars. They want to implement new incentives to buy electric cars, including up to $5,000 on new vehicles under $45,000, along with this incentive they plan on installing up to 5,000 electric charging stations. Climate change is currently one of the biggest issues globally, and it is refreshing to see the many changes that the Liberals are wanting to make. Carbon Tax is another key issue and committing to their promises for this particular issue is crucial to Canadians. They are going to be setting a minimum carbon price by $20 per tonne this year, increasing by $10 a year to $50 by 2022, and they plan to impose a carbon tax on specific businesses that do not have a federally approved carbon price plan. As a huge number of voters this year are young, education has become an overwhelmingly important topic in the overall campaign. It is important that the parties come up with achievable promises, so that students’ feel that they are voting for something credible. In saying this, Trudeau promises to help students’ with their debt. Student grants would be increased by up to $1,200 a year, and students would also receive a two-year grace period before

Charles 3 having to pay off their loans, interest-free.. They would also grant new parents the ability to pause their repayments until their youngest child turns five years of age. Also promised is an update to the eligibility on the current payment deferral system. Now, to be eligible, a person’s income needs to be $25, 000 or less, with their new promise, the income can be $35, 000 or less. They would also like to work towards funding a French-language based university in Ontario. There are so many issues that need to be addressed but, this particular issue is very important in terms of keeping Canadian citizens safe, and that is the gun law. Liberals acknowledge that gun crime in Canada is on the rise, and there is no doubt that it keeps getting worse, and changes need to be made. They want to work with the provinces and territories on banning handguns and/or further restricting them. They promise to ban semi-automatic assault-style rifles, and buy back any that were legally purchased. There is a lot of controversy, especially surrounding hunters who use semi-automatic guns, and they feel that it is unfair for the government to buy back the guns after lawfully purchasing them. The Liberals feel that making this law will create change, and it was not made to purposefully punish, it was created to help make a change. Finally, debt and deficits. This is one of the trends that many people see as going downhill. The party had originally pledged to keep deficits under $10 billion and said its government would balance the books by 2019, and that hasn’t happened at all. They are claiming to spend more that $20 billion for each of the next 4 years, meaning with current trends, we may be looking at balanced budgets around 2040.

Charles 4 The Conservative Party of Canada Leader Andrew Scheer is committed to creating a change, and he seems to be serious about the rising issue of climate change. The Conservatives are proposing on replacing the policy taxing heavy emitters with requirements allowing Canada to receive credit for helping to achieve emission reductions. They also plan on launching a green-technology patent tax credit for businesses. They also plan on making renewable fuel a better option, in an attempt to keep communities safe. Perhaps most importantly, the Conservatives plan on launching the ‘Canadian Clean’ brand, in an attempt to elevate the climate change issue to a global level. If elected, the Party also claims that it will diminish the carbon tax, something they say is ineffective. The goal with this promise is to make life more affordable for Canadians, since the carbon tax increases the cost of everyday purchases like groceries, and gasoline. They claim that these costs will only increase if the Liberals are re-elected. In an attempt to help youth in their education, Scheer promises to focus on the Registered Education Savings Plan (RESP), raising contributions into the account from 20 to 30% for every dollar invested up to $2,500 a year, to a maximum of $750 a year. In regarding guns, Andrew Scheer takes an entirely different approach than Trudeau. He claims that he is strongly against a handgun ban, as it punishes lawful gun owners. He is proposing to set lifetime bans for those convicted of crimes, or involved in gangs, and for those who buy firearms in bulk to resell them on the black market. Andrew Scheer has criticized the Liberals’ spending and promises his party would erase the deficit while cutting taxes. He is aiming on balancing the budget in five years.

Charles 5 The New Democratic Party of Canada Jagmeet Singh, leader of the NDP, has sparked an interest in many young voters in his campaign. His promises for education and climate change seem to be pulling votes away from the conservatives, and even some from the Liberals. He seems to have tried to create a campaign that is suited for everyone. The NDP is responding to climate change by promising action, not only will they strive to reduce emissions, but they claim they will create 300,000 jobs in the process. Their ultimate goal is to create new buildings in Canada that are energy efficient by 2030 with net carbon-free electricity, and modifying current buildings by 2050. They say this will save families over $900 every year. If elected, the NDP promises to transition to a 100% electric transit system that is free to the public. They have acknowledged that climate change is not something that can be solved easily, so they are investing in communities all around Canada, supporting local communities, and protecting them from ‘extreme weather conditions’ The NDP wants to support funds for communities hit by natural disasters. They also plan on making zero-emission vehicles easier to obtain by ensuring they are more affordable, and by building a network of car charging stations across the country. They also plan on eliminating single-use plastics like bags, and other one-use items. In terms of carbon tax, they are are in favour of continuing with it, and the rebate program, but Singh wants to crack down more on heavy emitters. The NDP’s goal in education is to work towards free university and college tuition, to get there, because this isn’t a goal that is achievable instantly, they say that they’ll work with provinces and territories to put a cap on and reduce tuitions. Singh also wants to eliminate

Charles 6 interest on federal portions of student loans, and move away from loans by increasing access to Canada Student Grants, which is an amazing promise to make. Another issue that has been drastically addressed by NDP is child care. They want to commit $1 billion to affordable, not-for-profit child care in 2020 and increase it yearly, and with the Liberals, they want to implement a national school nutrition program. In terms of debt and deficits, the NDP doesn’t have a clear cut goal, but they do want to ensure that their debt-to-GDP ratio falls over out 10-year fiscal horizon (NDP website). The Green Party of Canada The Green Party, led by Elizabeth May, is sort of like the underdog in the campaign right now. So many young individuals are drawn to her promises, and although she may not have enough seats to earn herself a spot, I feel as though she can rise in the upcoming years and create amazing changes in the country. Elizabeth wants to make an overwhelming amount of changes for the environment, and with those changes comes lots of positive reactions. The Greens are aiming to reduce emissions to 60% below 2005 levels by 2030 - which is doubling Canada’s current Paris agreement targets - and hit zero emissions by 2050. May wants to end imports of foreign oil, and oppose fossil fuel projects. She also wants to cancel the trans mountain pipeline which is said to cause our environment numerous problems if it goes through. She also wants to, by January 2022, ban the production, distribution and sale of all unnecessary single-use plastics (eg. plastic bags, straws, lides, water bottles, etc.). In researching the Green party’s key priorities, honouring the veterans to ensure that their families are well cared for one of their main priorities. There is a serious issue that is rising, and that is the suicide rates among veterans, and there is not enough support and care services

Charles 7 available for them. So Elizabeth wants to launch, in December 2019, a re-examination of veterans’ issues. This examination will provide the data necessary to help identify issues with the current system in place, and make changes where it is appropriate, this in turn to help veterans and their families. In education, the Green’s are taking a very similar approach to the NDP, they want to get rid of university and college tuition, and - something that is appealing to ALL young voters forgive any existing federal student debt. They also want to strive to ensure that Indigenous students have access to post-secondary education and they want to expand their curriculum overall. Bloc Québécois At this point, every party is deeming climate change as important, and Yves-François Blanchet, leader of the Bloc Québécois party, is concerned and wants to make the necessary changes. They hope to meet the Paris agreements, and surpass them if possible. They oppose the construction of the pipeline and investing in fossil fuel projects, promising that he will cut subsidies within 100 days post-election. He also wants to promote clean energy, and has proposed to have a veto (in Quebec) over any pipeline that would run through the province. The Bloc is actually in favour of the carbon tax, but argues that the Liberal plan does not go far enough. They want a tax of $30 per tonne on greenhouse gases in provinces where emissions per capita are higher than average. In terms of education, they are in favour of building a Francophone university in Ontario, and large transfer payments to provinces and territories to help pay for education.

Charles 8 People’s Party of Canada Leader Maxime Bernier, is the only party leader that does not believe they can do anything to help solve climate change. With the rise of events with Greta Thuunberg, it would have been smart to address some solutions. He acknowledges that climate change is happening, but he isn’t convinced that humans play a role in it. He has said that he would do “nothing” to address climate change and leave it to the private sector to find solutions. He also says he will ditch “unrealistic greenhouse gas emission reduction targets” (Bernier). Maxime Bernier has promised to eliminate the deficit within two years and then attempt to maintain a balanced budget afterwards. The PPC promises that, with the gun law, they will reimburse anyone who legally bought a gun and had to relinquish it to the government. He wants future problems to be handled solely by the government, and not by the police. He also wants less immigration, and believes current immigration levels are “unsustainable”. The PPC promises to designate the entire border and official port of entry, and fence off problems area, and then send bad those who crossed illegally. My Prediction In 2015, I would have said that the Liberals were the strongest party by far, and they were, winning the majority of seats in that campaign. I’m not saying that they aren’t strong now, but like everyone, Justin Trudeau has made some mistakes. Something that I really admire about him is that he willingly admits his wrongs, and because of this, I think he has still won the hearts of many Canadians, and I believe that he will come out on top again. He has the potential this round, with the previous mistakes that he has made, to succeed and make great changes in the

Charles 9 country. I love that he is open minded and accepting to all, and that is one of the most important qualities - in my opinion - to have in a Prime Minister. I will not, under any circumstances be voting for the Consevative Party. I do not agree with his values, and his views on abortion rights, same-sex marriages, and equality. Even though he says he will not preach his religious views on Canadians, I think that it is bound to come up if he is to be elected. I like a Prime Minister to be accepting of all races, sexualities, and ethnic groups, and I’m not confident that he is. As I previously mentioned, Elizabeth May, Leader of the Green Party, is an underdog in this campaign. If I knew she would get the seats, I would absolutely be voting for her, but the reality is: why (realistically) waste a vote on someone who won’t win? She has the young voters in mind, and places a great importance on climate change, something that I am very passionate about, and on free university/college tuition, which speaks volumes to lots of Canadians my age. But yes, I do believe the Liberal Party of Canada will win the 43rd Canadian federal election, and I have no doubt that he will do great things, as he has implemented already.

Charles 10 Works Cited “2019 Federal Election Platform Tracker: Where the Major Parties Stand so Far - BNN Bloomberg.” BNN , 3 Oct. 2019, https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/2019-federal-election-platform-tracker-where-the-major-p arties-stand-so-far-1.1308714#ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT. Fawcett, Max. “How the Liberals Can Appeal to Young People This Election.” Macleans.ca, 30 Sept. 2019, https://www.macleans.ca/opinion/how-the-liberals-can-appeal-to-young-people-this-elect ion/. Harris, Kathleen. “Greta Thunberg Meets Trudeau, Tells Him He's Not Doing Enough to Fight Climate Change | CBC News.” CBCnews , CBC/Radio Canada, 27 Sept. 2019, https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/trudeau-greta-thunberg-climate-change-action-1.52996 74. Maclean. “2019 Federal Election Platform Guide: Where the Parties Stand on Everything.” Macleans.ca, 2 Oct. 2019, https://www.macleans.ca/politics/2019-federal-election-platform-guide-where-the-parties -stand-on-everything/. “Our Platform: Liberal Party of Canada.” 2019 , https://2019.liberal.ca/our-platform/. Press, The Canadian. “Promise Tracker: What the Parties Are Pitching on the Campaign Trail.” CP24, CP24, 23 Sept. 2019, https://www.cp24.com/news/promise-tracker-what-the-parties-are-pitching-on-the-campa ign-trail-1.4606372.

Charles 11 Watters, Haydn. “Compare the Party Platforms on These Top Election Issues.” CBCnews , CBC/Radio Canada, 2019, https://newsinteractives.cbc.ca/elections/federal/2019/party-platforms/....