The Role of Government
The party’s policies state that the role of government is to:
– protect the lives and property of its citizens
– ensure equality of opportunity
– foster an environment where individuals and private initiative can prosper
– ensure the security of the nation’s borders and of citizens at home and abroad
– provide services that cannot be provided more efficiently or effectively by the private sector
– maintain and enhance national infrastructure
The party further states that its goals are:
– the common good of all Canadians: a society where everyone can fulfill his or her potential
– to release the human spirit and potential of individuals, families and groups
– to nurture, mobilize, and encourage generosity, individual talent, patriotism, and a sense of community; and
– to provide a framework for more sensitive and powerful means of protecting and supporting the deprived and vulnerable
Stewardship & Reform
Taxation & Budget
The party states that spending to protect Canadians during the pandemic was the right thing to do, however unsustainable debt cannot be passed to future generations. Once recovery starts, spending must be brought under control.
The party advocates:
– winding down emergency support programs in responsible ways as vaccines increase and the economy re-opens
– ensuring that stimulus measures are targeted and time-limited in order to avoid structural deficit
– encouraging economic growth to ensure revenue for services is available
Tax Reform
The party states that:
– working and middle-class Canadians, New Canadians, small businesspersons have been hit doubly hard by the COVID crisis, suffering disproportionately, far more than those with greater means
– helping them rebuild and get back on their feet will require that those who have been largely insulated from the economic damage of the pandemic do more
The party advocates:
– ensuring that the burden of getting the economy back on track and delivering essential public services does not fall upon those who have been hurt the most
– providing more funding to the Canada Revenue Agency, increasing to $750 million per year, to fund stronger enforcement of taxation for multinational firms, taxation of large corporations, international taxation, and other tax evasion. This cost will be more than made up for by the increase in compliance, leading to an increase in how much the government collects of what it is owed
Tax Cheats
The party states that:
– the current government recently admitted that their high-net-worth compliance program had failed to prosecute even one person over the last six years
– the Canada Revenue Agency continues to go after small businesses while ignoring those rich enough to pay for expensive lawyers and accountants
– it undertakes to fix this program and ensure that the wealthy pay their fair share
Foreign Multinationals and Big Tech Companies Pay Their Fair Share
The party advocates:
– ensuring that foreign tech companies pay their fair share of taxes, including sales tax and a digital services tax representing 3% of their gross revenue in Canada if they don’t pay corporate income tax here
– working with the US Administration and other international partners to crack down on multinational tax avoiders to ensure they pay their fair share
The party states that it opposes giving up sovereignty over our tax system, and strongly disagrees with the current government’s signing onto a global minimum tax rate at the G-7
Budget Recovery
The party states that:
– while spending to protect Canadians during the pandemic was the right thing to do, we can’t leave unsustainable debt for future generations
– with recovery started, it’s time to wind down emergency support programs responsibly, with targeted and time-limited stimulus measures to avoid a structural deficit
– restoring national finance and government service levels requires getting back to robust economic growth of 3% or more per year, which is the goal of its jobs plan
– the deficit soared to $354 billion in 2020-21, which seems daunting. However, its easier to develop a road back to balance when we consider the three components of the deficit: (i) $30 billion of pre-existing deficit: the amount by which spending exceeds revenues in a “normal” economy growing at 1.6%, (ii) $70 billion from automatic stabilizers: government revenues dropped due to the recession, as companies and individuals saw their income drop and therefore paid less tax. At the same time, government expenses for Employment Insurance and other social support programs increased, and (iii) $250 billion in COVID-19 emergency spending, including $80 billion for CERB and $82.3 billion for the wage subsidy (CEWS), the GST and Canada Child Benefit top-ups, funding for provinces and healthcare and approximately 70 other spending measures
– implementation of the party’s jobs plan will get Canadians back to work, meaning lower unemployment and higher tax revenues for the government. It will also wind down the emergency spending in a responsible way
– its plan for Secure Jobs and Economic Growth will reduce the deficit by almost 90% by repairing the economy. There will be some costs along the way – incentives and other spending to get Canadians back to work, but that spending will be time-limited and designed to kickstart the economy. The highest level of spending will
be in year one, with spending on these stimulus measures winding down over five years. This short-term spending represents most of the cost of our plan and will directly reduce the deficit by reversing the automatic stabilizers
– a crucial part of its plan is a set of new investments in Research & Development, high-speed internet access, and tax measures such as the patent box, which are intended to have long-term benefits to the economy,
– because of the severity of the financial situation faced by Canada, it has limited the significant ongoing spending measures in its plan to a few critical priorities:
* Help for Seniors: Providing ongoing support to seniors to help them stay in their own homes or live with their family members, to deal with the crisis in Long-Term Care
* Help for Working Families: Doubling the Canada Workers Benefit to make work pay and help those most in need
Accountability
The party states that despite passage of the 2006 Federal Accountability Act, scandals have persisted, including abuse of charities law and acceptance of gifts from lobbyists.
To curb corruption, the party advocates:
– toughening the Conflict of Interest Act by expanding monetary penalties to cover all violations of the Act, and increasing the monetary penalties from a maximum of $500 to a maximum of $50,000, with the fine to be proportionate to the severity of the offence and the offender’s history and personal net worth
– amending the Code of Conduct for Members of Parliament to prevent Members of Parliament from collecting speaking fees while serving in the House of Commons, since speaking to Canadians is a part of the job
– amending lobbying laws to address loopholes provided originally to avoid undue burdens for organizations that had minimal contacts with government, so that that laws mandate full transparency by requiring all corporations and other organizations that lobby to register and report their meetings, and banning lobbying by individuals or entities on matters which are the subject of a criminal proceedings
– conducting long-overdue reviews of the Lobbying Act and Access to Information Act to ensure that they are up to date and as strong as needed to earn the trust of the people
– to address transparency issues highlighted by the SNC-Lavalin scandal, prohibit application of non-disclosure agreements in circumstances where an individual is disclosing information to a lawful authority or seeking medical assistance or legal advice
– amending the Canada Evidence Act to ensure that Cabinet Confidence can no longer be used to shield government insiders from criminal investigation
– giving the Commissioner of Information the power to make orders to departments to release information promptly, to bring an end the recent practice of endless delays that makes a mockery of the law
– strengthening whistleblower protection through a strong federal legislative framework
– through use of prevailing open standards, mandating that government departments, Crown Corporations, and those receiving public funds publish more data in machine-readable formats
– to prevent foreign interference, requiring individuals and companies acting as agents of designated foreign principals (country, corporation, entity or individual) in a political or quasi-political capacity including lobbying, policy development, advertising, and grassroots mobilization to register, and requiring that registration requires disclosure of amounts of payments, the nature of relationships, and activities performed
The party states advocates:
– putting the country first, by enacting the toughest accountability and transparency laws in Canada’s history
– toughen the Conflict of Interest Act and impose higher penalties
– toughen the Lobbying Act to end abuse by government insiders; and
– increase transparency to end cover-ups
Senate Reform
The party advocates:
If a province chooses to hold Senate elections, appointing the victors as Senators
Provinces, Territories, Municipalities
The party states that it:
– believes that the federal government should work with the provinces as partners instead of dictating to them. As the Alberta Court of Appeal recently opined, “The federal government is not the parent; and the provincial governments are not its children.”
– it is the party of the Constitution, and understands that the division of powers means that the provinces and the federal government are co-equals in their own spheres and that each deserves the latitude to make its own decisions about policy in its own areas of competence, and respect their autonomy in areas of provincial jurisdiction
Quebec
The party states that Quebecers want and deserve a federal government that wants to collaborate with them. To that end, it advocates a new pact based in particular on respect for the Québec nation and the French language, the economic development of our regions and the security of our communities.
In particular, the party advocates:
– building on its historic recognition of the Québec Nation
– remaining open to the development of new administrative agreements with the government of Québec to promote decentralized federalism
– negotiating with the Québec government to simplify tax preparation and work towards a single income tax return for Québec taxpayers while protecting Canada Revenue Agency jobs in the regions
– giving greater autonomy to Québec over immigration, including: revisiting the Canada-Québec Immigration Accord to give more powers to Québec over immigration to ensure that a higher proportion of immigrants settling in Quebec speak French, including in the family reunification category; providing full compensation for the housing of asylum seekers who crossed into Québec illegally at border passages like Roxham Road and Lacolle and enforcing the Safe Third Country Agreement to put an end to such crossings; and giving Québec more input into the assignment of temporary foreign workers to particular regions and their pathways to permanent residency to address critical labour shortages
– respecting the jurisdiction of the Québec National Assembly by neither intervening in nor providing federal funding to support legal challenges to Law 21
– limiting federal spending powers in Quebec’s fields of jurisdiction and ensuring that provinces can opt out of new federal programs and initiatives in the area of health with full, matching compensation
– making annual federal transfers for social programs unencumbered by restrictive conditions and developing a plan for a return to balanced budgets without cutting transfers to the provinces
– respecting the Constitution Act of 1867 by applying a non-intervention approach to internal affairs within Québec’s fields of jurisdiction
– ensuring that Québec will never be under-represented in the House of Commons when new parliamentary ridings are created
– giving Radio-Canada a separate and distinct legal and administrative structure to reflect its distinct mandate of promoting francophone language and culture, including a power of appointment for the province for members of the Board of Directors in addition to ensuring representation of francophone minority communities outside Québec
To support the regions of Quebec, the party advocates:
– building digital infrastructure to connect all of Québec to high-speed internet by 2025, including coordination of federal investments with the program recently announced by the Government of Québec; speeding up the spectrum auction process to get more spectrum into use and apply “use it or lose it” provisions to ensure that spectrum (particularly in rural areas) is actually developed, with auction revenue dedicated to our digital infrastructure plan; and requiring that Huawei equipment not be used, to protect national security
– working in partnership with the Government of Québec in promoting the Saint-Laurent Project, a maritime strategy for Quebec’s economic development comprising the creation of ten innovation zones
– adopt a government purchasing policy on low carbon footprint materials, including low-carbon aluminum
– deploying new autonomous vehicles for Arctic surveillance operations in the air and at sea as part of a new Canadian sovereignty, deterrence, and detection strategy, with Bagotville as the main site to host the Government of Canada’s remotely piloted aircraft
– renewing Canada’s fleet of icebreakers in partnership with the Davie shipyard, and designating Davie as a full partner within the National Shipbuilding Strategy
– providing financial assistance to ensure that smaller regional airports remain open and that routes to remote and rural areas continue to operate
– investing $100m in a specific regional development funding program to support the economic transition of former mining communities
– implementing a Critical Minerals Strategy to take advantage of Canada’s abundant resources of the minerals needed to power our clean energy future, creating jobs, and reduce global reliance on critical minerals from China, including adoption of policies to facilitate the responsible mining of lithium
Western Canada
The party states that:
– Alberta has contributed more than $600 billion to the rest of the country since 1967, and an average of more than $20 billion a year over the last decade. Even as their economy has suffered over the last seven years, Albertans have continued to be net contributors to the national economy
– it is only fair that the rest of Canada be there for Alberta, just as Alberta has always been there for them. Now that Alberta is hurting, Albertans quite reasonably expect the rest of the country, including the federal government, to be there for them financially and help them get a fair price for their energy products on global markets.
To promote fiscal fairness, the party advocates:
– adopting the Equalization and Transfers Fairness Act as a government bill and passing it as quickly as possible
– implementing a unanimously endorsed proposal by provincial premiers to reform the Fiscal Stabilization Program, including by lifting the cap on payments, reducing the revenue reduction thresholds to qualify, and applying the changes retroactively
To support employment in the Western provinces, the party advocates:
– eliminating unfairness in the Impact Assessment process of Bill C-69, basing our changes on the bipartisan recommendations made by the Senate Committee on Energy, the Environment, and Natural Resources, seeking an assessment process that upholds best-in-class environmental standards and sets clear expectations and timelines for environmental reviews so that investors have the confidence and certainty they need to commit to major projects in Canada; removing political interference from the review process and setting clear timelines so that investors get a timely yes or no; and not letting critical GHG-reducing projects be held up by red tape and lengthy reviews
– ending the ban on shipment of Canadian Oil on the North Coast of British Columbia by repealing C-48 and improving access to international markets.
– working ith First Nations and other Indigenous groups to ensure they are partners in prosperity and the development of our natural resources by creating a Canadian Indigenous Enterprise Corporation
– implementing a hydrogen energy strategy that rapidly increases the use of hydrogen – especially green hydrogen – in Canada and builds our export capacity
– ensuring adequate pipeline capacity by Getting Trans Mountain built
– making pipelines that bring Canadian oil to export markets a priority
– making increased energy export opportunities a diplomatic priority in dealings with the U.S. Government
– implementing a federal LNG Export Strategy. With much of the world still reliant on coal-generated electricity, the natoin should be boosting exports to grow our economy and contribute to a cleaner world
– introduction of a tax credit to rapidly accelerate the deployment of Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage technology in the energy sector and in important industries that have few alternatives to burning fossil fuels, like fertilizer and chemical production
Peace, International Relations
Trade War
The party advocates:
-retaliating against US tariffs by targeting American goods in the following order:
* goods Canada can make
* goods Canada doesn’t need
* goods available elsewhere
-putting most money from the into relief for workers hardest hit.
-immediate implementation of a massive Bring It Home Tax Cut on work, investment, energy, homebuilding and domestic production to boost the economy and stop inflation while saving and creating thousands of jobs.
-scrap C-69 and greenlight LNG plants, pipelines, mines, factories, and port expansions.
-to promote the biggest home-building project ever, immediately remove all red tape and taxes on housing construction.
-get the provinces to work together to remove trade barriers and create a national free market.
–rebuild the military and retake control of national borders.
The party further states that:
– it will pursue a foreign policy that seeks new and strengthened alliances with democratic allies and economic partners who share our values
– it will face down the threat posed by the Chinese Communist Party, standing with the Chinese people and promoting greater freedom for them
– it will aggressively champion human rights, dignity, and transparency
– it will advance the national interests of Canada, with every decision on the world stage prioritizing the security and sovereignty of Canadians; the prosperity of our people and our partners; and the democratic values that define us.
To that end, the party advocates:
– establishing a Canadian National Interest Council to implement national long-term security and economic priorities and grow Canadian strategic and economic influence
– making difficult, delayed decisions including updating the 2017 defence policy to the realities of a disrupted international order, investing in Canadian leadership in the Five Eyes alliance, and strengthening ties with new and traditional allies
– in cooperation with our Five Eyes allies, building Canadian capabilities to contribute to foreign intelligence – focused on closing present gaps in understanding international threats of economic coercion, digital threats, and foreign interference
Arctic
The party states that shifting strategic interests and climate change are transforming issues related to the Arctic
– Russia has expanded its claim over the Canadian North and is building its military presence in the Arctic
– China has developed significant Arctic marine capacity and aims to secure critical mineral interests
The party advocates making capacity building, economic reconciliation, and sovereignty expression core priorities of the political approach to the North, by:
– making significant investments in strengthening our presence, an economic, development plan that will develop our northern resources and the jobs that go with them, and a vision for northern infrastructure that will connect our north to the rest of Canada and the world
– partnering with the US and NATO to prevent Russia and China from dominating our Arctic, and developing our presence in the Arctic, including establishment of a NATO Centre of Excellence for Arctic Operations, conducting Arctic exercises alongside our allies, and securing the Canadian North from the seas to space.
United States
The party states that the indispensable alliance with the United States should be refreshed, and the economic and security partnership updated. It proposes working with the US on critical issues, including North American energy security and energy transition leadership, shared infrastructure on the border and the environmentally responsible pipelines beneath it, and a North American approach to accomplish health security and economic recovery together.
To that end, the party advocates bringing a renewed and visible ambition to the success of a united Canadian-American partnership in the world, including:
– deepening our strategic partnership with the United States in the sovereignty of our northern borders and shores, rising to the challenge posed by Russia and China’s Arctic military and economic ambitions by pursuing a shared agenda of prosperity for the people of the north, environmental stewardship, and peace
– modernizing NORAD to contend with shared threats from the seas to space, advance our shared interests across the Transatlantic alliance, and more closely partner in the world’s strategic competition
– working with the United States to provide leadership across the Americas – promoting our interests and shared values in pandemic management, economic recovery, and resistance to global authoritarians
International Communities
The party states that in order to replace virtue-signalling with an international agenda dedicated to advancing freedom, democracy, human rights, and the rule of law, it advocates:
– working with allies to address efforts by China, Russia, Iran, and others actively undermining democratic norms, institutions, and the rule of law
– advancing the idea of an International Corruption Court to prosecute the world’s worst offenders who deny progress and democracy on the backs of the world’s most vulnerable
– passing legislation mandating an Office of Religious Freedom and Conscience to elevate Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and provide advice to Canadian ministers on threats to international security, engage in diplomacy to religious communities, and inform Canadian international development programs to promote freedom, pluralism, religious co-existence, and tolerance
– renewing Canadian diplomacy at the Community of Democracies, establishing priorities that enhance democratic cooperation against rising authoritarians
– build new partners across Eurasia through the historic diplomatic relationship achieved in the Canada-Ismaili Imamat Protocol of Understanding
La Francophonie
The party states that:
– by mid-century, more than 700 million people worldwide will have French as their first language
– as a founding member of the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie (OIF), Canada can play a leading role there
To that end, the party advocates:
– fostering greater economic cooperation among democratic member countries of the OIF to help it contribute to the realignment of global trade patterns following COVID-19
– facilitating trade and investment between Canadian companies and OIF countries to grow economic ties, particularly between Canada and Africa
Commonwealth
With respect to the Commonwealth, which is an association of 54 countries, most with historic links to the United Kingdom and home to over 2.4 billion citizens over five continents, the party advocates continuing support for the Commonwealth of Learning, which is located in Burnaby, British Columbia and focuses on empowering women and children, and reducing poverty and inequality, by strengthening education in Commonwealth countries to provide affordable education to larger numbers of people using open, distance and technology-based learning
United Nations
The party advocates prioritizing Canadian interests and values at the United Nations, not pandering to the priorities of dictators and despots, including:
– opposing the world’s dictators, advocating for the most marginalized, and being a powerful voice for universal values
– mandating an audit of all Canadian positions in multilateral institutions, clearly assessing the national interests of Canada
– working with the US and other international allies to efforts to turn the International Criminal Court into a political body
– pursuing reform of the UN Human Rights Council to prohibit gross human rights abusers from becoming members, engaging regular emergency sessions to address human rights crises worldwide, and stopping the Council from unjustly singling out Israel
International Human Rights
The party states that:
– it has a long history of passion for human rights, dating at least back to Prime Minister John George Diefenbaker
– it’s commitment to fundamental human rights is central to its values.
To advance human rights and democracy, the party advocates:
– dramatic revision of supply chain legislation to meaningfully enforce Canada’s commitment not to import products made with slave labour
– making it a criminal offence for Canadians to go abroad to benefit from serious violations of human rights, such as becoming complicit in organ trafficking through receiving an organ that has been forcibly harvested
– placing limits on the ability of the Government of Canada to grant waivers permitting those complicit in or responsible for serious human rights violations to come to Canada
– requiring the Minister of Foreign Affairs to table an annual report in Parliament outlining the work of the government to protect and promote human rights and democracy
– requiring the Government of Canada to maintain a public list of prisoners of conscience of particular concern, and creating mechanisms by which citizens can petition to add names to that list
– creating an International Human Rights Advisory Committee, with representation from a broad range of cultural and religious communities in Canada, advising the government on international human rights issues
– amending the Official Development Assistance Accountability Act to prevent Canadian development assistance that undermines international peace and security
– updating the Sergei Magnitsky Law to allow Parliament and groups of citizens to directly petition the Minister to list officials under the law and require the Minister to respond in writing to petitions that have achieved a certain threshold of support
– restoring Canadian leadership in advocating for persecuted sexual minorities in the face of repression, including speaking clearly and confidently for the inalienable human dignity of LGBTQ people and deploy resources to help their activists
China & Pacific
The party states that:
– Canada must stand up to the Communist government of China. Our quarrel is not with the people of China – part of an ancient civilization that has contributed much to humanity
– it is particularly concerned to support Chinese Canadians whose contributions to Canada are immeasurable and who are enduring an appalling rise in anti-Asian hate and discrimination
– it stands also with Uyghur Muslims, Tibetans, Falun Gong practitioners, Hong Kongers, and Chinese Christians
– instead, its issue is with China’s communist government and leadership. The communist leadership represents a clear and rising threat to Canadian interests – and our values. They’ve abducted our citizens, targeted our economy, and intimidated members of the Chinese Canadian community.
The party advocates:
– working with allies to build a “coalition of democracies” with the goal of decoupling critical parts of our supply chains from China
– recognition by the Government of Canada of the Uyghur genocide, and encouraging our allies to do the same; and banning imports that have been produced using forced and enslaved Uyghur labour
– ending policies that grant special treatment to Hong Kong, recognizing that Beijing’s decision to crack down on its autonomy eliminates the rationale for the special treatment
– supporting the people of Hong Kong fighting for freedom, democracy, human rights, and the rule of law by supporting a “Young Talents” program to encourage young people from Hong Kong to study in Canada; waiving records of arrest, charge or conviction related to pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong when processing visas; providing documentation for those fleeing Hong Kong and seeking asylum in Canada who cannot obtain documentation from Hong Kong authorities
– withdrawing from the China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank
– banning Huawei from Canada’s 5G infrastructure and further investigating the company’s role in providing surveillance capabilities that have been used against the Uyghur people and other persecuted minorities in China
– advising universities against partnerships with China’s state-controlled companies and organizations and prohibiting federal grant councils from participating in such partnerships.
– joining the UK proposition for a Digital 10 to protect free societies’ data and cyber sovereignty
– cracking down on China’s foreign influence operations on Canadian soil by making it clear to China’s diplomats that any involvement in intimidation or threats to anyone in Canada provides grounds to be declared persona non grata and expelled from Canada; revoking visas of Chinese nationals identified by national security agencies as conducting espionage or stealing intellectual property; revoking the licenses of China’s state-run and state-controlled broadcasters that spread disinformation
– banning senior public office holders for five years after leaving office (including former Prime Ministers, Ministers, Clerks of the Privy Council, Deputy/Assistant Deputy Ministers and Ambassadors) from employment or contracts with China’s government or an entity controlled by China’s government. The ban would include doing work through a consulting or law firm
– using Canada’s Magnitsky sanctions law to sanction China’s worst human rights offenders, and granting asylum to mainland Chinese proponents of freedom and persecuted minorities, including Tibetans, Falun Gong practitioners and others
Indo-Pacific
The party states that Indo-Pacific’s importance in the next century is clear, but little action has been taken to build relationships
The party advocates:
– taking steps to join the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad), a growing operational network promoting regional security and protecting the rules-based order in the Indo-Pacific
To advance the prosperity and security of Canadians through engagement with the Indo-Pacific region, including the ASEAN nations, the party advocates five pillars of engagement:
– trade and technology, including promoting the development of rules of free and open digital trade, advancing economic opportunities with trusted partners, and removing barriers for Canadian companies
– diplomacy, including ensuring that senior ministers regularly engage Canada’s Indo-Pacific partners with clear goals, and establishing Vancouver as a hub for Quad economic cooperation
– strategic cooperation, including adopting trade and investment policies that give democracies priority in the Canadian trade strategy, including greater practical cooperation with Taiwan, elevating Canada’s diplomatic mission in Taipei to the “Canada House” and supporting Taiwan’s participation in multilateral fora, and working with the US-Japan-Australia “Blue Dot Network” to advance Canadian economic and infrastructure partnerships for the region’s development
– Canadian energy and climate solutions, including supporting Canadian energy and energy transition leadership and a climate-conscious, clean alternative to the Belt and Road Initiative
– security, including participating alongside our allies on freedom of navigation patrols, enhancing information sharing, and pursuing joint training with Indo-Pacific partners
India
The party states that Canada and India share strong, historical bilateral relations, and that Canada is home to a large and vibrant multi-ethnic and multi-religious Indo-Canadian community over a million strong
To repair and restore ambition in Canada’s relationship with India, the party advocates:
– resuming free trade talks derailed by the current government, and concurrently pursuing an investment treaty
– proposing regular joint security exercises with India as a critical partner in the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue
– pursuing a long-term strategic nuclear energy and energy transition partnership
– launching initiatives in technology, medicine, energy, and infrastructure to strengthen economic security, with clearly articulated objectives.
South Asia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka
The party advocates:
– promoting economic growth and partnerships
– promoting regional security and economic cooperation
– supporting financial transparency for all infrastructure and technological investments
– strengthening democratic resilience and civil society
Middle East
The party states that significant change has brought several nations in the region discovering common cause in peace and prosperity through the Abraham Accords
The party advocates:
– building and advancing a coherent agenda across the region, advancing Canadians’ security, prosperity, and values
– holding the Iranian regime accountable for its reckless nuclear ambitions, malevolent state support of international terrorism, and human rights violations
– imposing Magnitsky sanctions on gross human rights violators, including fulfilling the motion adopted by Parliament and designating the IRGC as a terrorist entity
– engaging with Iranians promoting women’s rights, human rights, and democracy
– establishing an international Cyrus Trust supporting good relations between the peoples of the region in the areas of art, culture, academia, and civil society.
– demanding justice and compensation for families of victims of downed Ukrainian Airlines flight PS752, applying Magnitsky sanctions and pursuing legal avenues against those responsible
– building on a record of engaging the world’s Muslim-majority nations that includes appointing Canada’s first Muslim Ambassador and first Ambassador to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation
– expanding support for the region’s vulnerable women, children and minorities with economic and democratic empowerment, education, and health as the basis for long term peace and security
– establishing strategic relations with the United Arab Emirates and across the Red Sea region
Israel
The party advocates:
– confirming support for Israel’s existence as a sovereign democratic Jewish state with the right to self-determination and to live in peace and security, including, in order to enhance the bilateral relationship and support Israel in the region, Canada’s Conservatives setting clear objectives to enhance economic, political, and security cooperation to benefit both countries; recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and moving the Canadian embassy to Jerusalem; returning Canada to its longstanding policy of not singling out Israel for criticism at the United Nations and international for a
– combatting the delegitimization of Israel, including opposing the denial of the 5,000 years of indigenous Jewish history throughout the Middle East
– opposing the International Criminal Court’s politicization and intrusion into bilateral Israeli-Palestinian negotiations
– promoting and supporting regional initiatives that foster peace between Israel and its neighbours
Palestine
To support the aspirations of the Palestinian people and a two-state solution leading to a Palestinian state, the party advocate:
– supporting the current religious status quo surrounding Al-Aqsa / Temple Mount and recognize the special role that Jordan plays in the safeguarding of Holy Sites in Jerusalem
– enhancing aid in a targeted manner in the areas of governance and institutional capacity building in support of eventual Palestinian statehood
– establishing a Canada-Palestinian Territories Trust Account at the International Monetary Fund, with the objective of providing training and economic instruments upon the arrival of a two-state solution
– investing in the economic empowerment of Palestinian women and support economic and civil society projects and an International Fund for Israeli-Palestinian Peace
– expanding trade initiatives and encourage economic cooperation between Canada and the Palestinian territories and, following the establishment of a Palestinian state, negotiating a separate free-trade agreement
– following the successful negotiation of a final status agreement, upgrading Canada’s representation to an embassy to a future Palestinian state
Transatlantic Alliance
The party states that:
– as a founding member of the transatlantic alliance, Canada needs to show leadership in securing the rules-based international order, defending shared interests, and updating the alliance
– with new threats to Canadians emerging, Canada cannot act alone and must be an engaged partner in an alliance of nations determined to succeed against emboldened authoritarians
To that end, it advocates:
– expanding and deepening economic, political, intelligence, and security relations with the Baltic states and Ukraine
– restoring Canadian eastern flank leadership within NATO on cybersecurity, energy security, and combating disinformation
– supporting Belarusian and Russian civil society in their advocacy for freedom, democracy, human rights, and the rule of law
Ukraine
The party states that bonds between Canadians and Ukrainians can never be broken. Canada was the first Western nation to recognize Ukraine’s independence after the fall of the Soviet Union.
The party advocates:
– allowing visa-free travel for Ukrainians visiting Canada
– expanding Operation UNIFIER in Ukraine, Canada’s military training operation
– extending Operation REASSURANCE in Eastern Europe, Canada’s largest current international military operation
– restoring provision of RADARSAT-2 data to Ukraine, denied by the current government
– providing Ukraine with defensive military aid, including enhanced Canadian assistance to NATO training for Ukrainian armed forces
– provide support for Ukrainian democratic reforms to increase transparency and accountability
– greater use of Canada’s Magnitsky sanctions law to hold Vladimir Putin’s regime accountable
The Americas
The party advocates:
– working across the Americas in cooperation with the United States and the Organization of American States to restore principled leadership for development and stability
– following the global pandemic, working to rebuild economic opportunities and strengthen democracy, human rights, and the rule of law
Specifically, the party advocates:
– working with and for the people of Central America against corruption, developing pathways for more significant economic opportunities, and supporting their democratic and geopolitical resilience
– nurturing partnerships in the Caribbean, supporting disaster risk protection and emergency management, establishing health security relationships, and strengthening cooperation on anti-money laundering and anti-piracy initiatives
– establishing strong ties with key allies across the region, including the Pacific Alliance, to build trade opportunities for Canadian businesses, with stronger Pacific partnerships for economic growth
– confronting encroaching authoritarianism threatening the peace and stability of our hemisphere, including by supporting the peaceful restoration of democracy and human rights in Venezuela and Nicaragua
– continuing Canada’s longstanding commitment to stability and economic development in Haiti
– supporting the people of Cuba in their push for the democracy and freedom they deserve
Africa
The party advocates responding to Africa’s increasing strategic importance and economic potential by implementing a strategy for long-term engagement based on partnership, not condescension, stating that the continent’s demographic vibrancy, economic growth, and strategic relevance demand a clear-eyed plan to advance Canadian interests
Specifically, the party advocates:
– fully engaging the African Continental Free Trade Agreement’s opportunities, particularly in infrastructure, energy transition, technology, minerals, and food security partnerships
– working with partners in supporting East Africa with data and infrastructure development
– pursuing a security partnership with the African Union, focussed on delivering stability and intelligence sharing in the Sahel
– establishing a long-term strategic outlook with key African nations like Nigeria, South Africa, Egypt, Algeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Cote D’Ivoire and Morocco
International Development
The party advocates introducing accountability to the nation’s international development assistance, prioritizing the economic performance and growth of Canada’s development partners. It advocates reforming, not reducing, international development assistance – maintaining current aid levels while increasing the effectiveness of Canadian aid and expanding engagement with the Canadian development sector, the private sector, and diaspora communities.
To promote peace and security, the party advocates:
– while maintaining a clear commitment to delivering untied aid, ensuring that national aid policy advances Canada’s national interests and values and delivers concrete results, prioritizing regimes and states that confront corruption
– aligning international development with Canadian peace and security priorities, by ensuring that Canadian development assistance will not advance the Communist Party of China’s Belt and Road Initiative; amending the Official Development Assistance Accountability Act so that aid dollars do not support the interests of hostile regimes
– supporting young people at risk of radicalization through Canadian leadership that prioritizes justice, democracy, and pro-pluralism education, as a defining feature of promoting development outcomes and improving global security, including proactively advocating for and invest in education programs that emphasize inclusion, pluralism, and human rights, inspired by local narratives and traditions; defunding programs aligned against Canadian values (including those delivered by UNRWA unless it is significantly reformed) and replacing them with new education initiatives that uphold universal human dignity, pluralism, and peaceful coexistence; partnering with and scaling local civil society to deliver leadership, integrity, and teamwork skills to young people and supporting reforms in policing and justice systems that strengthen the rule of law, ensure the provision of justice to the world’s most marginalized, and provide the most vulnerable with the security they require to better their conditions
– as a part of efforts to advance justice, placing a significant focus on combating extremism, human trafficking and the use of child soldiers, and abolishing all forms of modern-day slavery
– launching strategic partnerships in international development with regional allies where combined efforts and complementary strengths multiply impact, including engagement with the Blue Dot and Clean networks in real and digital infrastructure
– legislating a $250 million allocation from Canada’s annual International Assistance Envelope to build resilience in fragile democracies, including endowments for bilateral democracy programs, offering training, resources, and support to those confronting authoritarians and fighting for the success of their democracies
Global Food Security
The party states that:
– addressing the food security needs of people worldwide is a critical part of international development and security, requiring both short and long-term approaches
– Canada’s agricultural producers can be indispensable partners for developing countries in humanitarian assistance, experience, and technologies
– it will prioritize establishing resilient and sustainable food supplies for the most vulnerable
To that end, the party advocates:
– strengthening national support for long-term agricultural development through partnerships, technology and information sharing, and training with producers in emerging economies
– identifying, establishing, and building coalitions in strategic locations worldwide that can cooperate on developing a global network of food security infrastructure which Canadian organizations can contribute to building and stocking
Removing Regulatory Barriers
The party advocates reform of onerous “Direction and Control” regulation, ensuring accountability for spending without requiring projects in developing countries to be directly controlled by Canadian charities, thereby allowing Canadian organizations to develop respectful partnerships with organizations working on the ground in developing countries and reduce aid dependency by transferring administrative and control functions to empower local people and organizations.
Emergency Humanitarian Assistance
To meet short-term needs during disasters, the party advocates support for innovation in humanitarian assistance, delivering the greatest quantity of life-saving goods at the lowest possible cost-per-unit, and intelligently supporting long-term recovery and growth, including deployment of a “Canadian Innovation Relief” program to utilize Made in Canada solutions during international disaster response operations.
Development Finance, Innovation & Sustainable Growth
The party believes that job creation is the best antidote to poverty and that economic prosperity reduces international conflict. To that end, the party advocates, while maintaining a strong and clear commitment to international development, partnering with Canadians to create new tools that maximize economic growth, including:
– building markets and diaspora partnerships for poverty alleviation and economic development
– partnering with diaspora communities in Canada in financing and improving development impact, including scaling of the developmental impact of remittances, and the greater use of market-based financing vehicles
– ending the fragmented manner in which national development finance institutions are managed, and instead consolidating efforts in a Canada Development Finance Corporation
– implementing a “Post-Pandemic Compact for Growth Plan.” As the world emerges from the pandemic, now is the time to leverage investment, innovation and infrastructure around vaccine distribution and long-term health security in the poorest, most disadvantaged regions of the world
Arctic Sovereignty
The party states that the Canadian arctic is subject to both territorial threat from Russia and environmental damage from increased commercial traffic
To defend national arctic sovereignty, the party advocates:
– expanding the Canadian Rangers in number and mandate while making investments in their preparedness, equipment, and training
– refurbishing and expanding RCAF Forward Operation Locations and allowing civil airport authorities to co-locate and utilize runways
– completing the Nanisivik Naval Facility on Baffin Island and developing a new Arctic naval base at Churchill, Manitoba
– deploying new autonomous vehicles for Arctic surveillance operations in the air and at sea as part of a new Canadian sovereignty, deterrence, and detection strategy, with Bagotville as the main site to host the Government of Canada’s Remotely Piloted Aircraft
expanding the RadarSat constellation and launch more low earth orbit satellites for telecommunications and defence in the Arctic
Foreign Trade
Free Trade Agreements
Subject to its Trade War announcement above, the party advocates building jobs and promoting the nation’s commitment to human rights, the rule of law, protection of the environment, and respect for Indigenous Peoples through:
– negotiation of new trade agreements with free countries that safeguard workers’ rights and the environment, rebalancing our trade priorities away from countries like China and towards the Indo-Pacific and Africa
– ensuring that new agreements – both bilateral and multilateral – provide Canada with the ability to protect and grow critical industries
– reform national procurement rules to create a vital national interest category that must be sourced in Canada
– develop a strategy to repatriate and diversify supply chains to move them away from China
– protect Canadian intellectual property with a strengthened Investment Canada Act that includes: presumption against allowing the takeover of Canadian companies by China’s designated state-owned entities
– automatic review of transactions involving sensitive sectors such as defence, artificial intelligence, and rare earth minerals
– mandatory national security reviews
– withdrawal from the Asian Infrastructure and Investment Bank
-pursuing a Canada-Australia-New Zealand-United Kingdom (“CANZUK”) agreement that could include free trade and flow of capital investment between the partners; reciprocal freedom to study, live and work for citizens under expanded areas of labour coordination as agreed upon by all parties; enhanced defence and security partnerships
– building deeper ties with India as part of an Indo-Pacific strategy, including: continuing to pursue free trade with India while concurrently pursuing an investment treaty to expand upon Canadian strengths as one of the world’s largest investors in India
– pursuing a partnership with Africa’s Continental Free Trade in infrastructure, energy, and technology
– to create jobs by expanding export sales, launch a historic trade promotion effort connecting all aspects of Canadian industries with international opportunities; establishing a trade accelerator connecting all sectors of the Canadian economy with EU commercial opportunities, measuring progress in job creation and long-term economic projects
– pursuing sales of Canadian nuclear technology to help other countries reduce their GHG emissions
– engaging countries in the Middle East, including by pursuing opportunities created by a warm Emirati-Israeli peace
Emissions Reduction Technologies
The party states that although leadership begins at home, the truth remains that Canada only accounts for less than 2% of global emissions. Canada should do its part to help other countries cut their emissions – particularly those not blessed with our wealth or resources. To that end, the party advocates:
– implementing a Liquified Natural Gas export strategy to displace coal in electricity generation, cutting emissions in half
– developing export markets for Canadian nuclear technology and uranium, to help countries generate more electricity with this zero emission energy source
– increasing exports of our cleanest resources and products to replace items made with higher pollution. For example, Canada produces aluminum more efficiently than the rest of the world and it will get even cleaner as Canadian producers continue to innovate
– exporting Canadian emissions reduction technology around the world.
National Defense
Security and Public Safety
To address national threats arising from global pandemics, great power rivalries, transnational criminal organizations, terrorism, disinformation campaigns and cyber-attacks, the party advocates:
– mandating a Minister of National Security & Public Safety with addressing data and cybersecurity, information operations, threats from foreign actors against Canadian residents, extremist financing, space and surveillance, and industry and critical infrastructure
– to prevent foreign dissemination of disinformation and influence in elections, recognizing that information warfare and influence operations do not simply target our election cycles but are a persistent threat to our entire democratic system, including establishing a permanent task force to address foreign interference that will: monitor disinformation and influence operations online and on our streets and bring together National Defence, Global Affairs, CSIS, CSE, provincial and municipal agencies, civil society, social media platforms and media
– assessing addressing threats from foreign actors against Canadian residents, including recently reported operations against diaspora communities in Canada
– working with allies and other democracies to monitor, detect, and expose foreign disinformation attacks and threats from foreign actors
– passing a Foreign Agents Registry Act requiring individuals and companies acting as agents of designated foreign principals (country, corporation, entity or individual) in a political or quasi-political capacity including lobbying, policy development, advertising, and grassroots mobilization to register. Requirements for disclosure would include the amount of payment, the nature of the relationship, and the activities performed
– making it an offence for any entity that has spent more than $100,000 in a calendar year on political activity of any kind (federal, provincial, or municipal) to receive foreign donations of any amount
– amending the Elections Act to: prohibit any entity that receives more than 2.5% of its total donations from foreign sources during the year before the writ period from advertising during the writ period or during the pre-election period; creating a positive obligation to trace all funds expended by an entity during a writ period to Canadian sources
Support for Canadian Forces Members
The party states that:
– national defensive posture must account for increasing threats in the Arctic, along our coasts, in the sea, in the air and in the cyber domain
– we have a moral duty to stand firmly behind them and give them the tools and support they need
To support CAF members, the party advocates:
– ending harassment and discrimination and making the CAF a better workplace by enhancing the participation of women, Indigenous people, and visible minorities through proactive, targeted recruitment at the community level; calling a public inquiry into harassment and discrimination in the Canadian Armed Forces and make immediate changes such as removing commanders’ access to their subordinates’ medical files; ordering a service-wide independent investigation into sexual misconduct in the military
– introducing policies to ensure future complaints are made to an external, independent body outside the chain of command, and making the CF and DND Ombudsperson an independent Officer of Parliament
– to address challenges associated with deployments and postings, being conscious of the heavy operational toll that tears military families apart and depletes Canada’s ability to deploy, only deploy our forces when they have clear and achievable missions along with the appropriate resources needed to achieve them; lengthening postings where possible to enable families to put down root; working with the provinces to help ensure that the process of moving between provinces is as seamless as possible for military families
– prioritizing recruitment and retention, including an emphasis on retraining and skills development to allow those willing to serve to continue to do so
– working with provincial governments to develop comprehensive job protection legislation that shields reservists who leave their day job to deploy
– reviving the Regular Officer Training Program (ROTP) at civilian universities to provide educational opportunities for youth serving their country
– harmonizing trade training in the Armed Forces with Red Seal Qualifications so that military service becomes an incubator for skilled workers who can transition easily and productively to the civilian economy
Defense Against Cyber Attacks
To ensure that Canada is prepared to defend against cyber warfare threats we face, the party advocates:
– finishing a properly funded, equipped, and staffed Canadian Armed Forces Cyber Command to defend Canada from cyber-attacks, with emphasis on reserve participation
– establishing closer collaboration between the private sector cyber industry and CAF Cyber Command
– developing capabilities for cyber operations
Alliances
To maintain alliances, the party advocates:
– updating and enhancing the North Warning System as part of NORAD and extending it to protect the entire Canadian Arctic, including our Arctic archipelagos
– reinforcing the cornerstone of Canada’s defence policy by renewing national commitment to NATO; increasing spending on national defence to move closer to 2% aspirations; expanding Canada’s contribution to NATO Baltic Sea Air Policing and NATO’s Enhanced Forward Presence in Latvia
– intensifying Operation UNIFIER, Canadian Armed Forces’ military training and capacity-building mission in Ukraine, supplying Ukraine with lethal weapons, and reinstating the provision of RadarSat imagery
– creating a NATO Centre of Excellence for Arctic Defence at the Resolute Bay CAF Training Centre to enhance cooperation and interoperability with allies
– ensuring active Canadian participation in NATO training missions and NATO Centers of Excellence in the areas of Cybersecurity, Strategic Communications, and Energy Security
– expanding current regional defence participation in the Indo-Pacific area by joining the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad), an informal strategic alliance between the United States, Japan, Australia, and India, frequently referred to as the ‘Pacific NATO,’ in order to secure a voice in decision making.
Military Equipment & Procurement
The party states that successful military procurement requires focused leadership at the highest levels of government
To streamline defence procurement and expedite the acquisition of military equipment desperately needed by the Canadian Armed Forces, the party advocate:
– appointing a Minister for Defence Procurement with real power to make decisions
– taking politics out of procurement and working across party lines by using the Standing Committee of National Defence for advice and input on future military procurement projects
– prioritizing procurement of a new fighter jet to replace aging CF-18s through the current open competition and getting the new fighter fleet into service as quickly as possible; remaining committed to the National Shipbuilding Strategy by proceeding with the Canadian Surface Combatants, icebreakers, Joint Supply Ships, and Coast Guard vessels; pending completion of the two Joint Supply Ships, ordering the Obelix from Chantier Davie to complement the Asterix and make Davie a full participant in the National Shipbuilding Strategy; beginning the process to replace our aging Victoria-class submarines; and procuring two armed, heavy icebreakers for the Royal Canadian Navy to contribute to our efforts to “own our north” in the face of increased Russian and Chinese Arctic activity
Veterans
To honor the sacred trust sacred trust between Canadian citizens and veterans, the party advocates:
– streamlining and coordinating the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) and Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC) benefits systems, which currently do not work together well, by replacing them with a single streamlined system of benefits from enlistment through service and retirement
– ensuring financial security & transition support for injured Veterans and their families
– streamlining benefit adjudication & setting performance targets to ensure that the benefits system is focused on helping our veterans
– allowing veterans and their families to direct their care and rehabilitation
– insisting on on care, compassion, and respect in every aspect of veteran services
– ensuring that the benefits system is focused not only on compensation but on helping veterans build meaningful careers through partnerships with universities, colleges, and businesses
– empowering military doctors, who know the demands of service and the impact of injuries, to determine a service-related injury for all CAF and VAC purposes
– making fitness categories job-specific, and ensuring that those who wish to continue to serve after injury will have the opportunity to retrain in an area where they can serve
– ensuring
– ensuring a smooth transition for any CAF members who have to be medically released, including retaining them in the CAF until all the benefits and services from the CAF, VAC, and Service Income Security Insurance Plan have been confirmed and put in place
– implementing the Lifelong Disability Benefit for moderately to severely injured veterans
– making transfer to the reserves a practical and easy option and adjusting service requirements to balance the need for training with the reality of adapting to the civilian workforce
– ensuring that military families, especially spouses, are provided with sufficient support
– implementing a strategy to combat homelessness among veterans and exploring the potential for using surplus military housing to provide housing for homeless veterans
– covering the cost of PTSD service dogs for veterans and creating training standards for them
– empowering frontline VAC employees to adjudicate claims
– completing the Afghanistan War Memorial
– funding educational initiatives that teach Canadians about veterans’ service and Canada’s place in the world
Defence Industries
The party states that in view of lessons learned during the pandemic about the importance of domestic manufacturing capabilities, and noting that Canadian workers are world leaders at developing software, mobile hospitals, and other technologies and equipment for our armed forces and those of our allies, it advocates:
– identifying key defence industry capabilities and investing in them
– re-evaluating risk management measures in defence contracts that shift risk and therefore control to contractors at the expense of selecting Canadian components
Criminal Justice & Public Safety
The party states that:
– the most important job of any government is to keep its citizens safe
– Canadians have a right to be free from crimes of violence and exploitation
– Canadians demand that in addition to serving as a means to separate offenders from society, the correctional system also serve to correct, offering a pathway to a life beyond crime
– it believes both in deterrence that decisively separates those who have committed crimes from their victims and potential victims and in the potential of those who choose to permanently turn from a criminal past and work towards a future respectful of the rights of fellow citizens
Domestic Violence
The party states that
– treating those who commit domestic violence too lightly not only does a massive disservice to their innocent victims, but also puts the broader community at risk. It has been shown that criminals who commit acts of violence frequently start by abusing their spouse or partner
– it believes that the justice system should both impose tough sentences on those who assault their spouse or partner and make it easier for victims to escape their abusers and rebuild their lives
In order to protect victims, the party advocates:
– amending the Criminal Code to make it an aggravating factor at sentencing for assault where the victim is in a domestic or dependent relationship with the perpetrator
– adding a provision to the Criminal Code that specifies the offence is an indictable offence and provides for a mandatory minimum penalty of two years where the Crown can show that an offence of assault, assault with a weapon or causing bodily harm, or aggravated assault is part of a pattern of conduct with the victim, with the Crown required to give notice before trial of its intention to seek this elevated sentence
– prohibiting those under peace bond or the subject of a protective order from possessing a “firearm, crossbow, prohibited weapon, restricted weapon, prohibited device, ammunition, prohibited ammunition or explosive substance, or all such thing”
– enacting Clare’s Law so that when police investigate a complaint of alleged domestic violence, they are required to notify the victim of the suspect’s relevant criminal history
To support victims of domestic violence, the party advocates:
– making it easier for women fleeing domestic violence to hide their new location from their abusers
– expanding the Canada Child Benefit by $500 per month per child for the first year and $250 per month per child for the second year for women with children living in women’s shelters to help them transition to more long-term housing
– creating a fund to incentivize educational institutions and private sector organizations to partner with women’s shelters to provide career training for the women they serve
Gang Violence
To address gang violence, the party advocates
– hiring an additional 200 RCMP officers to combat gangs and the smuggling of guns and drugs, the officers to be based in the GTA and the Lower Mainland
– eliminating the requirement for Crown Attorneys to prove that an organization is a criminal organization and requiring that the Crown to prove only that the accused is a member of such an organization, by establishing an entities list for criminal gangs
– amending the automatic detention provisions of the Criminal Code by adding: “with an offence in the commission of which violence was allegedly used, threatened or attempted and the accused had previously been convicted of for the benefit of, at the direction of, or in association with, a criminal organization”
– amending the Criminal Code so that usage of the same firearm by two separate individuals in the commission of a crime would create a rebuttable presumption that a criminal organization committed the offences
– partnering with the private sector to create a Gang Exit Strategy program that will see the power of the private sector harnessed to give offenders the opportunity to escape a cycle of violence and start fresh in a new location with gainful employment and the support needed to leave behind a life of crime
– working with partner organizations across the country to develop and expand programs to keep youth out of gangs
Gun Violence
To keeping guns out of the hands of criminals, the party advocates pursuing smugglers, by:
– cracking down on “straw purchasing” of firearms, by amending the Firearms Act so that an individual who, on three separate occasions during a calendar year, transfers a firearm for financial consideration must have a firearms business license; amending the Criminal Code to add the following aggravating factors on sentencing: the number of firearms transferred, whether financial consideration was exchanged, and the amount of monetary consideration
– amending the Criminal Code provisions on unauthorized importing so that: it is an aggravating factor on sentencing if more than one firearm is imported otherwise than under the authority of the Firearms Act; a mandatory minimum penalty of three years applies where the unauthorized importing occurs for financial consideration
– supporting specialized enforcement against illegal firearms, including instructing CBSA and RCMP, working closely with American authorities in the United States, to target smuggling operations before illegal firearms reach the border, including by improving and expanding the RCMP contribution to the Integrated Border Enforcement Teams
To combat criminal use of firearms, the party advocates:
– amending the Criminal Code provisions on possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose to make it an aggravating factor on sentencing where an individual commits the offence while the subject of a prohibition order under the Firearms Act and had previously been convicted of an offence under that section or an offence against the person while in possession of a firearm, and to impose a sentence of from two to ten years
– amending the Criminal Code provisions on the unauthorized possession of a firearm by imposing a mandatory minimum sentence of two years if the person was the subject of a prohibition order at the time of the events giving rise to the conviction or had been previously convicted of an offence involving a firearm
– partnering with the Ontario Provincial Police to expand the Firearms Tracing and Enforcement database nationally and taking steps to ensure that all crime guns are submitted for testing and analysis and inclusion in this database, with a focus of keeping firearms out of the hands of criminals
– repealing C-71 and the May 2020 Order in Council and conducting a review of the Firearms Act with participation by law enforcement, firearms owners, manufacturers, and members of the public, and updating legislation by introducing a simplified classification system and codifying it in law so that it is clear what types of firearms fit into each category and classification decisions can be made quickly, and with the public and firearms owners having confidence that they are not arbitrary
– mandating the automatic surrender to law enforcement of firearms where an individual has been charged with an offence against the person while requiring law enforcement to return the firearms if the charge is dismissed
– amending the Firearms Act to authorize a hospital, mental institute, psychiatric clinic, or medical professional to give notice to the Chief Firearms Officer if they provide treatment for a mental illness to a person whom they reasonably believe possesses a firearm and may pose a danger to themself or others
– developing a suicide prevention strategy that encourages people – including legal firearms owners – to seek help when they need it
– amending firearms laws to ensure that no administrative expiry could lead to criminal charges or the seizure of a licence holder’s firearm(s). ° Until an expired licence is renewed, it would remain illegal for licence holders to acquire, by any means, new firearms or ammunition
Serious Crimes
The party advocates continuing against the Quebec Court of Appeal decision reducing the sentence for the Quebec City Mosque murderer and, if the law under which he was sentenced is eventually struck down, introducting new legislation to ensure that multiple murderers face more severe sentences
Human trafficking & slavery
The party advocates:
– strengthening human trafficking laws by making them consistent with the Palermo Protocol and removing the requirement to prove that a trafficker exercised fear or intimidation over a victim
– eliminating Preliminary Inquiries in cases of sexual assault to prevent the revictimization of individual victims, including children, who deserve our protection
– amending the Criminal Code to clarify that an offence takes place in Canada where, at the time of the offence, the victim was present in Canada
– implementing legislation to ensure human traffickers serve consecutive sentences for multiple human trafficking offences
– amending the Criminal Code by adding procuring offences to the list of designated offences that may be subject to the forfeiture of proceeds of crime. This will ensure that those who profit off sexual exploitation can have their profits seized, the same as drug dealers or criminal organizations
– providing $100 million over five years to support training for non-provincial police forces in the areas of: sexual exploitation; cyber-security and online offences; and investigation of sexual offences
Critical Infrastructure
– In order to protect critical infrastructure from intentional stoppage, the party advocates amending the Criminal Code to create an offence of interference with an infrastructure facility or a public transportation system punishable by either summary conviction or indictment, depending upon the severity of the crime.
Online Incitement
The party recognizes a connection between incitement to violence, especially online, and acts of violence in Canada and other countries. To fight such incitement, the party advocates:
– amending the Criminal Code to clearly criminalizing statements that encourage violence against other people or identifiable groups, while protecting forms of speech, criticism, and argument that do not encourage violence
Natural Disasters
The party states that climate change increases the risks of fires, droughts, flooding, and extreme weather events. Canada is already demonstrably feeling the impact of this given the fact that insurance payouts due to environmental events – particularly flooding – have dramatically increased in the last 12 years. As a result, homes are becoming harder to insure, costs for insurance are going up, and maximum payouts are going down.
To build resiliency and better prepare Canada for the impacts of a changing climate, the party advocates:
– appointing a national disaster resilience advisor to the Privy Council Office, analogous to the National Security and Intelligence Advisor established after 9/11, to advise Cabinet and the Prime Minister’s Office, helping ensure that the government is prepared for future risks
– implementing a national action plan on floods, including establishing a residential high risk flood insurance program to ensure all Canadians are financially protected while avoiding future government bailouts
– devising and implementing a national climate adaptation strategy based on measurable targets; addressing provincial concerns on flood readiness while leveraging private sector solutions to reduce government exposure and spending; and addressing wildfire and drought exposure in collaboration with farmers, ranchers, and foresters
– incorporating a mitigation and adaptation lens to the government’s infrastructure investments.
– working with provinces and territories to develop a natural infrastructure plan including development of a national standard to assess the value of natural infrastructure; requiring that public sector accounting practices be updated to include a proper valuation of existing natural infrastructure; requiring incorporation of natural infrastructure into community design; and Incentives for farmers and landowners to protect and restore natural infrastructure
– investing in technology that can improve the early detection of wildfires and better predict their behaviour
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