An Economy to Serve People

The Bloc’s most recently-published Programme states that:
– it is a party of economic nationalists, who believe that the Quebec economy must be the object of choices made in Quebec, and benefit all.  The economy must first and foremost serve the well-being of the population, by contributing to sustainable and equitable development.
– it advocates an economy that protects consumers, and therefore a healthy market competition.
– it believes that consuming local products encourages the work of local people supporting the ecological and energy transition, the main economic driver of the years to come.
– it supports the Québec economy, its core of SMEs and its creative and innovative side, particularly in terms of technologies contributing to the ecological transition.
– it recognizes the strong demand for Quebec products, technologies and resources, and consequently supports free trade when it is properly negotiated with partners of our choice, while respecting national prerogatives in social, fiscal, agricultural and environmental matters.  Consequently, it is opposed to any provision that would establish the sovereignty of multinationals above the democratic rights of nations under the guise of protection for foreign investors.
– it is committed to protecting Quebec ownership of natural resources.
– it believes that when Québec achieves sovereignty, it will have to propose its continued adherence to all treaties, particularly trade treaties, that currently bind it to other countries through Canada’s signature, and this until its own accession in subsequent rounds of negotiation or establishment of new multilateral treaties or agreements.
– it believes in  in defending and applying the maximum political weight to each of Quebec’s products, which have sometimes historically fallen victim to unfair trade conflicts.
– it denounces every Canadian decision to sacrifice important parts of the Quebec economy for the benefit of sectors in the rest of Canada during international negotiations.
– it encourages a Quebec economy that is as resilient and self-sufficient as possible.  It does not accept that Canada should support an economic sector in one province while ignoring the same sector in Quebec facing a comparable challenge. With this in mind, the federal government needs to recognize and act on key sectors of the Quebec economy, such as electric transport, shipbuilding, forestry, aeronautics and aerospace, artificial intelligence, video games, pharmaceuticals or the arts in French.
– it wants to see continued growth in Quebec’s leading-edge sectors, rather than these innovative sectors being imitated elsewhere in Canada.

Growth & Consumption
The Bloc’s most recently-published Programme states that:
– it is opposed to absolute growth. It believes in energy efficiency, productivity and scientific research and development, which simply implies a decrease in conspicuous consumption.
– in this way, it aims for a better quality of life rather than adhering to ever-higher living standards and the culture of over-consumption.

Housing
The Bloc’s most recently-published Programme states that:
– it believes that housing is a fundamental right, and that the State must do more to guarantee access to housing for the entire population. It sees the right to housing as the right to a decent home, rather than the right to home ownership, which implies no commitment on the part of the state to its citizens. It believes in a universal model that strengthens access to affordable social and community housing by including housing at high threshold acceptability.
– it also believes in ensuring access to accessible and adapted housing for people with disabilities.
– it believes that home ownership should remain an option for the middle class and young adults.

Jobs & dignity in employment
The Bloc’s most recently-published Programme states that:
– it is a workers’ party at the service of workers, irrevocably committed to the collective representation of workers.
– it believes that the economy is first and foremost the people who make it up. As a result, the economy serves people, not the other way around.
– it believes in equal pay for equal work.
– it believes that all workers have the right to a remuneration that enables them to earn a living by satisfying more than their basic needs, as an essential instrument of the right to happiness.
– it affirms that the language of work in Quebec is French.  It believes that all Quebec workers have the right to work in French.
– it always gives priority to reaching a negotiated settlement in labor disputes.
– it defends the right of association, the right to bargain and the right to strike for all employees.  In the event of a labor dispute, workers must be able to assert their rights without fear of being replaced by strike breakers.
– it recognizes the crucial role unions play in improving working conditions for Quebecers and their essential contribution to Quebec society as a whole.
– it notes that the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted gaping holes our social safety net, first and foremost the outdated employment insurance program, which is very difficult for contributors to access.  It is are campaigning for all workers to have access to employment insurance. Employment insurance must be a real insurance policy for all and once again become a real social safety net.
– it recognizes that remote regions have their own unique characteristics in terms of work force, and that urgent reform of the system must take these characteristics into account to meet the needs of these regions.
– it considers workers in non-standard jobs to be workers like everyone else: seasonal workers, self-employed workers, workers in the arts sector,…; and that that foreign workers deserve dignity and respect.
– it defends the right to health and safety of all workers.

Pensions and Retirement
The Bloc’s most recently-published Programme states that:
– it believes that all workers are entitled to a dignified retirement from the age of 65.
– it sees retirees as workers who continue to contribute to the community and to Quebec society and deserve Quebec’s gratitude for their years of dedication.
– it believes that the state must ensure that all retirees can rely 100% on their long-term financial security and retirement funds.
– it welcomes people of retirement age who freely choose to remain in the workforce, and it believes they should be encouraged by tax measures that benefit both these young retirees and the economy of Quebec and Canada.

Gender Equity and Family Supports
The Bloc’s most recently-published Programme states that:
– it is delighted by the ever-increasing role played by women in the job market and want to see all glass ceilings shattered.
– it is in favor of concrete measures to promote work-family balance, and believes in helping parents make the most of the precious moments of family life

Industries, Corporations & Consumers

The Bloc’s most recently-published Programme states that:
– it is working hard to be Ottawa’s ambassadors for workers, businesses, communities, and industries of Quebec’s regions, often battered by public policies that ignore their realities.
– it is in favor of food resilience.
– it supports Quebec’s public and private forestry, as well as its human-scale, sustainable agriculture, with its emphasis on short supply chains, notably through reclamation of  devalued farmland, supply management, quality local products and its role as a driving force for agricultural regions.
– it will promote short distribution channels and increased regional processing capacity, particularly for slaughtering.
– it is proud to support Quebec’s artisan cheesemakers, microbrewers, winemakers and distillers, its maple syrup producers and all our Quebec terroir producers who highlight the traditions and ingredients of their respective regions, in addition to offering us new reasons to visit every year.
– it supports the social economy and the democratization of economic activity for the benefit of all. It therefore welcomes and defends the essential role played in Quebec businesses by communities by organizations.
– it believes in government intervention to identify, support and maintain sectors. To that end, it believes that the Quebec government should have exclusive jurisdiction over funding allocated to the following sectors to research carried out at universities and institutions based in Quebec.
– it believes that it is Quebec’s interest to intervene to protect Quebec companies from foreign takeover.
– it supports young, innovative companies that work in French and respect the Quebec Charter of the French Language, and would like them to have the support and growth potential they need to stay in Quebec for the long term.

Competition
The Bloc’s most recently-published Programme states that:
– it believes it is necessary to reform the Competition Act to prevent abusive price hikes resulting from corporate monopoly power, and thus protect consumers.

Agriculture
The Bloc’s most recently-published Programme states that:
– it working to limit the often harmful impacts of foreign supply chains and farming practices, as well as the speculative acquisition of Quebec farmland for non-agricultural use.
– it believes that agriculture and the environment exist in partnership. This partnership must be reflected in the relationship between the State and producers through concrete recognition of good environmental practices and innovative gestures.
– it sees already the impacts of climate change on the agricultural sector: recent difficulties with several crops, invasive species, repeated heatwaves, water supplies, preservation of ecological practices and irresponsible competition from less rigorous countries, etc.
– to help Quebecer know what’s on their plates, it advocates product traceability measures clearly identified on packaging, and supports high quality standards for Quebec products and expect reciprocity from our trading partners.

Fishing and Mariculture
The Blocs’ most recently-published Programme states that:
– like agriculture, it considers the fishing and mariculture industries to be of paramount importance to the regions of Eastern Quebec. The fisheries are an essential economic engine for the Québec maritime sector, both for the men and women who work the sea – at sea, in factories and restaurants – and for the export of seafood products to Quebec and foreign consumers looking for quality products.
– it supports the efforts of all producers to ensure sustainable fishing.
– the fisheries sector is an essential activity for Eastern Quebec, and its long-term survival must be ensured, particularly by supporting small-scale fishers who all too often bear the brunt of poorly thought-out decisions by Fisheries and Oceans Canada, as well by monitoring the industry’s development of Quebec’s waters and resources, while claiming exclusive jurisdiction over fisheries.

Revitalization and Innovation
The Bloc’s most recently-published Programme states that:
– it defends the political weight of the regions, each of which deserves to have its voice heard and respected in our parliaments, and is concerned about the increasing weight of major centers to the detriment of Quebec’s French-speaking, agricultural, forestry and mining regions; and it supports – or proposes – all kinds of initiatives aimed at revitalizing regions and countering their demographic decline.
– it believes that people wishing to settle in the regions should be encouraged to do so through various incentives; and emphasizes the need to connect and enhance the regions, both for those who wish to travel them and for those who live there, as well as to foster sustainable economic development. This includes inter-municipal and inter-regional mass transit, in particular by supporting regional air transport and regional airports, as well as efficient, accessible and universal mass transit, and the development of a high-speed transport network to link the various urban centers. It wants to facilitate Quebecers, increase regional tourism, and reduce automobile use.  It wants to improve the maritime transport offer for people and goods to develop the use of Quebec’s blue route, the St. Lawrence River – in an ecological and sustainable way.
– in the 21^st century, a decent high-speed Internet connection and a reliable cellular network are needs as basic as electricity.  Every home and business in Quebec needs to know in the near future when it will be connected to the planet at high speed.
– it believe that the ecological and energy transition is an economic opportunity for the regions of Quebec, given Quebec’s abundance of clean energy sources and extensive networks of research centers, colleges, universities and training centers. An increased entrepreneurial commitment and innovation that will open up international markets, and through increased processing of natural resources in Quebec, increasing number of high-quality, diversified jobs in the regions, reducing pressure on resources, ecosystems and endangered species, and lessening the impact of punitive measures in the U.S. market.

Tourism, Resources, Environment
– it believes in protecting the flora, fauna and waterways that are both the face of our regions and the signature of their tourism industry, namely the woodland and migratory caribou, the right whale, the copper redhorse, the chorus frog and species whose habitats have been compromised by human activity.
– it believes that Quebec should have exclusive jurisdiction over all natural resources on its territory: its water, its fisheries, its forests, its mines, its agriculture… everything!  Since these economic activities are intimately linked to Quebec’s relationship with the environment, and since the federal government is both incompetent and hypocritical in such matters, it is only logical that Quebec should have full powers in environmental matters.
– it believes that it is the stakeholders in the regions themselves who are best placed to plan their economic development while protecting resources, rather than bodies established hundreds of kilometers away in major cities.  It therefore believes that the economic priorities and preferred sectors of Quebec’s regions should be established by regional and municipal institutions, in collaboration with the Aboriginal communities concerned, and provided with autonomous, sustainable budgets to ensure their realization through research, technology transfer, innovation and direct business support.
– it is in favor of resilience and food independence of Quebec, communities, and encourages all measures aimed at increasing the presence on Quebecers plates of products caught in the St. Lawrence.

Resources; Oil & Gas
The Bloc’s most recently-published Programme states that:
– federal support for the oil and gas sector is harmful to the planet and Quebec’s economy. It affirms that Quebec’s economy is unfairly penalized by diversion of Quebec tax contributions to the toxic hydrocarbon industry.  It  believes that all funding for the hydrocarbon sector must be halted, and that a rapid transition to clean, renewable energies must be initiated, in keeping with Canada’s international commitments.
– Quebec must receive a substantial share of the investments the federal government makes from taxes collected in Quebec to support its own energy and natural resources sector.

Transportation
– it believes in the development of public, inter-municipal and inter-regional mass transit.  It wants to open up Quebec’s regions by encouraging the development of public, inter-municipal and inter-regional mass transit. This implies the creation of structured transportation networks.
– it values polycentrism, and recognizes the importance of supporting Quebec’s industrial sectors that need to modernize or accelerate their green transition.

The Dignity of Work
The party states that work is a good thing; people are happiest when they are working and contributing to society.

The party advocates:
– equal pay for equal work
– no mandated affirmative action; ie. no hiring quotas
– protecting essential services from risk due to strikes or lockouts

Housing & Poverty Reduction
The party states:
– Canadians must always be ready to care for the “deserving poor”—those in poverty through no fault of their own.
– all those capable of working should be encouraged to do so; taxpayers ought not to be forced to carry the unnecessary burden of supporting those unwilling to work
– it also strongly opposes corporate welfare: the granting of federal funds to corporations, financial institutions and global cabals

To make housing more affordable, the party advocates:
– reducing foreign purchases of homes, businesses and farmland
– strengthening the family unit, reducing divorce and the necessity of one couple maintaining two homes
– making stay-at-home parenting more affordable

Industries, innovation & agriculture
The party states that a nation that cannot feed itself cannot survive

The party advocates:
– development of a national food strategy
– making food production a high national priority
– support of and encouragement for the institution of the Family Farm

Supply Management
The party states that:
– the Supply Management system for Canadian dairy, egg and poultry producers and the marketing boards which regulate the system were designed to protect essential agricultural producers from crippling market fluctuations and unfair “dumping” of lower-cost foreign products
– Supply Management is not perfect but is essential in order to ensure Canadian producers of these products are able to continue to exist and to provide Canadians with a consistent supply of high-quality food products

The party advocates:
– review of agricultural marketing boards on a case-by-case basis to ensure they are still meeting the needs of the producers they represent as well as Canadian consumers
– where possible, provision for small, independent producers to serve niche markets without undermining the quota system.

Unions and workers’ rights
The party has released no official statement concerning its policies on unions and worker’s rights.

Corporations, Competition & Consumerism
The party strongly opposes corporate welfare: the granting of federal funds to corporations, financial institutions and global cabals.

An Economy to Serve People
The party states that every Canadian deserves the security and dignity that comes with a secure, stable, well-paid job.

The party advocates:
– enacting a comprehensive jobs plan to get Canadians back to work across the country.
– taking immediate action to help the hardest hit sectors, helping those – including women and young Canadians – who have suffered most.
– Rebuilding “Main Street” by assisting small businesses and providing incentives to invest in, rebuild, and start new businesses
– creating opportunity in all sectors of the economy and all parts of the country.

Trade War
-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.
-iImmediately implement 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.

Poverty Reduction
Homelessness
To address homelessness, the party advocates:
– re-implement the Housing First approach to aid in the fight against Canada’s addictions crisis
– revising the federal government’s substance abuse policy framework to make recovery its overarching goal
– investing $325 million over the next three years to create 1,000 residential drug treatment beds and build 50 recovery community centres across the country
– support for innovative approaches to address the crises of mental health challenges and addiction, such as land-based treatment programs developed and managed by Indigenous communities as part of a plan to enhance the delivery of culturally appropriate addictions treatment and prevention services in First Nations communities with high needs

Living Wage & Wealth Inequality
The party states that it’s time to make work pay and help those most in need. To that end, it advocates:
– doubling the Canada Workers Benefit up to a maximum of $2,800 for individuals or $5,000 for families and pay it as a quarterly direct deposit rather than a tax refund at year-end.  This amounts, on average, to an extra thousand dollars into the pockets of the most vulnerable workers, helping three and a half million families put food on the table.
– doubling the disability supplement from $713 to $1,500, to help almost 90,000 disabled workers
– to help protect workers during recessions without breaking the budget or hitting workers with soaring EI premiums, launching a Super EI that temporarily provides more generous benefits (75% of salary instead of 55%) when a province goes into recession (a 0.5% increase in the unemployment rate, as defined by the “Sahm Rule”), with EI will returning  to normal levels once the recession is over, as evidenced by three months of job gains
– to support workers suffering from serious illness, the party advocates increasing EI sickness benefits to 52 weeks, from the current EI sickness benefit limit of 15 weeks
–  to support workers who are required to temporarily locate in order to work, for example on Northern infrastructure projects, the party advocates introduction of a Construction Mobility Tax Credit of up to $4,000 per year toward temporary relocation expenses (moving, temporary lodging) from taxable income
– to help families and help retail stores recover from the pandemic and increased levels of inflation, implementation of a month-long GST holiday

Gig Economy
The party states that millions of Canadians don’t qualify for Employment Insurance because they are gig workers, independent contractors, online platform workers, contract, on-call, and temporary workers, or are otherwise engaged in independent, temporary work that does not provide the insurable hours and contributions of a typical employee

To support temporary workers and make contract employers pay their fair share for worker protection, the party advocates requiring gig economy companies to make contributions equivalent to CPP and EI premiums into new, portable Employee Savings Accounts every time they pay their workers, so that the money will grow tax-free and can be withdrawn by the worker when needed

Labour & Employment
The party states that:
– the number of Canadians who have been unemployed for more than six months is stuck near its highest level ever
– when people can find jobs, most are part-time
– it is concerned that millions of Canadian workers and small businesses are being left behind
– its top priority is getting as many people back to work in good jobs, in every part of Canada, in every sector, as quickly as possible.
– it will do whatever it takes to get people working and get the economy back on track

To get Canadians back to work, the party advocates:
– a Canada Job Surge Plan: paying up to 50% of the salary of new hires for six months following the end of Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy
– Canada Investment Accelerator, providing a 5% investment tax credit for any capital investment made in 2022 and 2023, with the first $25,000 to be refundable for small business
– a rebuilding Main Street Tax Credit, providing a 25% tax credit on amounts of up to $100,000 that Canadians personally invest in a small business over the next two years
– a Main Street Business Loan: providing loans of up to $200,000 to help small and medium businesses in hospitality, retail, and tourism get back on their feet, with up to 25% forgiven

Job Training
The party states that:
– skilled trades in construction, energy and other industries face chronic employee shortages
– the construction industry alone may have as many as 100,000 unfilled jobs in five years as current employees retire

To enable women and others to find work in skilled trades, the party advocates:
– supporting union and similar training programs and encouraging employers to invest in their workers
– doubling the Apprenticeship Job Creation Tax Credit for the next three years to help create more places for apprentices
– investing $250 million over two years to create the Canada Job Training Fund, to provide grants to organizations including employers, apprenticeship training delivery agents, unions, post-secondary institutions, and community organizations for projects that (i) give laid-off workers immediate access to training (ii) reach out to traditionally underrepresented groups (iii) support the talent needs of small businesses
– creating a Working Canadian Training Loan to provide low interest loans of up to $10,000 to people who want to upgrade their skills

Pensions
To protect workers from employer bankruptcies and other pension failures, the party advocates:
– changing legislation to ensure that pensioners have priority over corporate elites in bankruptcy or restructuring
– preventing executives from paying themselves bonuses while managing a company going through restructuring if the pension plan is not fully funded
– no longer forcing underfunded pension plans from being converted to annuities, something that currently locks in losses and results in workers getting less money
– requiring companies to report the funding status of their pension plans more clearly

Unions and workers’ rights
To support workers employed by major multinational corporations, the party advocates:
– requiring federally regulated employers with over 1,000 employees or $100 million in annual revenue to include worker representation on their boards of directors
– consulting with union leaders and then implementing changes to the Canada Labour Code to remove barriers that prevent unions from organizing large employers with a history of anti-labour activity
– working with unions to modernize the Canada Labour Code to provide more flexibility in working hours and working from home
– giving unions standing at the Canada International Trade Tribunal to allow them to bring actions on issues like dumping

Industries & Innovation

Innovation
To promote innovation, the party advocates investing $5 billion over five years, through a new Canada Advanced Research Agency headquartered in Calgary, to take advantage of Alberta’s highly educated workforce and help diversify the Alberta economy, to fund programs aimed at:
– making major advances in use of hydrogen and Small Modular Reactors
– private sector innovation in the space sector
– Electric vehicle development and manufacturing, including electric trucks, micro-mobility, batteries, and parts manufacturers
– pharmaceutical research and production

The party also advocates:
– cutting taxes on innovation and making Canada a leader in patents by cutting the tax rate in half on income earned from patents on innovative products developed in Canada, and covering up to $10,000 of the administrative and legal costs of each of the first five patents filed by any Canadian small or medium-sized business
– streamlining and accelerating the SR&ED program, among other things to reduce the percentage of SR&ED funding that goes to consultants rather than innovators and make it easier for software development to qualify for SR&ED
– launching a review of all innovation programs at ISED and across the government to ensure they are as simple as possible, to remove duplication, and to ensure that all innovation spending benefits Canada, including a requirement that recipients demonstrate that intellectual property, production, ownership, and profits are likely to stay in Canada
– prohibit foreign state-owned entities or those with ties to foreign militaries from receiving SRED funding
– creating improved share and tax structures to benefit startups

Manufacturing
The party states that scrambles during the pandemic were a stark reminder of the importance of domestic manufacturing capacity, particularly in national emergencies.  It therefore advocates:
– pursuing free trade agreements only with free countries that respect workers’ rights and maintain high environmental standards
– bringing manufacturing of critical equipment like PPE and pharmaceuticals back to Canada by ensuring that government and government-funded procurement of these essential products favours Canadian producers
– rebuilding domestic vaccine manufacturing capacity.

Agriculture
The party states that as global population grows and living standards rise, the need for trusted food sources will grow.  In that light, the party advocates:
– respecting and defending supply management for our dairy and poultry farms, and ensuring that farming families are engaged in any trade negotiations or programs impacting the sector, and that the Minister of Agriculture is also involved in negotiations
– including new markets for our livestock, grain, and oilseed producers in free trade negotiations
– as a priority, finalizing compensation program for supply managed processors under CPTPP and CETA and negotiate a compensation package for farmers and processors impacted by CUSMA
– working with the US Administration to remove the CUSMA limits on Canadian exports of powdered milk to third-party countries and establish reciprocal norms to ensure that our quality standards are respected
– working with the provinces to adopt a grocery supply code to deal with retailers’ abusive pricing and contracting practices against farmers, producers, and processors, including development of a code of conduct to guarantee Canadian consumers a reliable, affordable supply of food
– ending unfair tax treatment of family farms by advancing implementation of Bill C-208and ensuring that the sale of a family farm to a family member is not taxed at a higher rate than a sale to a stranger
– improving payment security for farmers and food processors by creating a statutory deemed trust for suppliers of perishable produce in bankruptcy and harmonizing our regime with that of the US to regain reciprocal protection under the U.S. Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act (PACA); and working towards greater harmonization of farm product regulations with our trading partners, especially the United States
– ensuring that farm safety net programs are predictable, bankable, and manageable, implementing a plan to address rural crime
– amending existing laws to allow livestock owners to use local abattoirs, reducing both stress to the animals and the production of greenhouse gas emissions resulting from transportation to distant facilities, and making permanent the temporary measures to enable collaboration across provinces for use of provincial abattoirs
– implementing a food security strategy, including development of methods to grow more crops in Canada year-round in greenhouses
– bringing agricultural stakeholders together for a summit-like meeting with the Minister of Agriculture to develop a way forward on insurance programs like AgriStability
– modernizing the Canada Grain Act and Canadian Grain Commission
– implementing an Agriculture and Agri-Food Labour Strategy, including recognition of the need for international farm workers and facilitating their timely entrance into Canada to work on Canadian farms, and developing a long-term strategy to attract skilled workers to the meat processing sector, which is currently facing a 30,000 worker deficit
– extending “right to repair” to farm vehicles to provide farmers with choice on where to repair their vehicles

Aquaculture
The party states that:
– it supports sustainable development of Canada’s aquaculture sector due to its ability to provide a solid economic base in coastal communities, create stable, long-term employment, and contribute to Canadian food security
–  many shellfish and finfish species are grown throughout Canada, and many First Nations have pursued aquaculture as a business that can support their communities and provide meaningful work for their members
– salmon farming on Canada’s West Coast has been controversial, with local communities being confused and torn by conflicting studies and claims
– it will not take an ideological position on this issue. It wants the aquaculture industry to succeed, but only as long as Canadians have confidence in our ability to protect wild salmon. Therefore, any decisions related to salmon aquaculture must be based on robust science, guided by conservation, and be respectful of the communities and families that rely on these jobs

To that end, the party advocates:
– maintaining the decision to remove salmon farms from the Discovery Islands, modelling the transition on the Broughton Archipelago project, to be more respectful of local First Nations, communities, and workers
– assigning responsibility for the management and sustainable growth of the sector to a department other than DFO so that DFO can be solely focused on enforcement
– creating a modern Aquaculture Act that can help restore public confidence
– developing a tax incentive program for the development and adoption of technologies that reduce contact between wild and farmed salmon

Transportation & infrastructure
To create jobs in construction, project finance and manufacturing, and to create more jobs by helping Canadian businesses get their products to market and helping Canadians get to work, the party advocates:
– immediate investment in critical projects that will put Canadians to work, cut commute time, and clean up the environment
– providing more flexibility to municipalities and First Nations to receive funding by removing requirements for tying projects to “green infrastructure”
– scrapping the Canada Infrastructure Bank and committing unspent money to projects that can strengthen our economy
– reprioritizing the Investing in Canada Plan towards infrastructure projects that would have the maximum benefit for economic recovery
– build digital infrastructure to connect all of Canada to High-Speed Internet

Small businesses, trades & crafts
The party advocates:
– a comprehensive review of the tax system, including SRED and other programs intended to encourage innovation, to ensure that the system promotes healthy and competitive industry within Canada
– repealing recent tax increases applicable to small businesses
– repeal new rules imposing significant tax burdens no dividends for partners of business owners, since contributions of spouses cannot be measured in terms of time and money
– create an information package for business owners on the CRA website
– reducing regulatory burden for businesses by 25 percent over four years, with targets for each minister and department, using a rule that for each new regulation two previous ones must be rescinded
– to enable women-led small businesses thrive, providing funding and support, cutting red tape to make it easier to get a business off the ground, simplifying the business-use-of-home deduction to provide more significant tax advantages for people starting businesses from their homes and allow new parents to start home-based businesses without facing any loss of parental leave income

Medical Research & Development
To protect Canada’s historical leadership in the production of radioisotopes used in nuclear medicine and in the sterilization of medical devices, the party advocates:
– development and implementation of a National Isotope Strategy to establish a framework for cooperation in which governments, nuclear reactor and accelerator owners and operators, and other stakeholders can work together to prevent, mitigate, prepare for, respond to, and recover from disruptions of critical infrastructure and continue moving forward with research and development of critical isotopes

Pharmaceuticals
To avoid being caught unprepared by another pandemic, the party advocates:
– reducing reliance on foreign countries, and improving Canada’s ability to protect the health of its citizens
– partnering with pharmaceutical companies to increase production of critical medicines and build domestic vaccine production capacity
– strengthening domestic production of PPE through government procurement
– overhauling Canada’s National Emergency Stockpile System to ensure that supplies are ready to face future threats

Airlines
The party states that the airline industry is essential for a united Canada, tying our massive country together and connecting us to the world

The party advocates legislation implementing strong protection of passengers’ rights based on the EU system, including provisions stating clearly that passengers are entitled to full refunds – not vouchers – when an airline cancels a flight and doesn’t offer an alternative

Corporations, Competition & Consumerism

Competition Bureau & Consumer Protection
To ensure a level playing field for new businesses and encourage real competition, the party advocates
– making foreign tech companies pay their fair share of taxes, including sales tax and a digital services tax representing 3% of the gross revenue in Canada if they don’t pay corporate income tax here
– giving Canada’s competition laws real teeth, including: prosecution of executives of companies that fix prices or abuse their dominant positions, breaking up companies that abuse their power, and ending the rubber-stamping of mergers that enrich executives while hurting workers and consumers
– rejecting mergers that substantially reduce competition or lead to layoffs and higher prices
– to reduce red tape in building and growing businesses, implementing regular review of regulations to eliminate any that are not serving the public interest, including appointment of a Minister Responsible for Red Tape Reduction tasked with introducing and passing at least one red tape reduction bill per year; creating an Office of Regulatory Best Practice with business members who evaluate the costs of new regulation;
– fixing the Impact Assessment process that is making it impossible to build major projects in Canada, based on the bipartisan Senate recommendations
– creating a Fast Track Certification Process that provides a faster path to approval for products that have already been approved in comparable jurisdictions
– overhauling the tax system, including appointment of an expert panel tasked with reviewing the tax system and making recommendations to make it simpler and fairer while improving Canada’s competitiveness to spur job creation.
– to help break down interprovincial trade barriers, convening a First Ministers Meeting on interprovincial trade and providing federal leadership to help move negotiations forward; working with the provinces to increase standardization and mutual recognition of credentials to increase labour mobility within Canada and smooth the trade in services between provinces; and introducing an Admitted Free Act clarifying federal intention with respect to interprovincial trade and s.121 of the Constitution to provide modern context for the Supreme Court to consider.

– to reduce abuse in communications, holding big telecom service providers accountable for anti-competitive behaviour and practices that hurt consumers;  allowing foreign telecommunications companies to provide services to Canadian customers, provided that the same treatment is reciprocated for Canadian companies in that company’s country
– to support lower food prices, increasing the maximum fine for price-fixing from $24 million to $100 million and introducing criminal penalties for executives for price-fixing
– creating a technology task force within the Competition Bureau to examine whether dominance and anti-competitive behaviour of big tech is damaging to Canadian industry, and to examine ways in which algorithms and data give big tech an advantage over Canadian business, as well as how fintech and new technologies could foster improved competition

Consumer Banking
To protect personal banking customers, the party advocates:
– enacting legislation on open banking so that Canadians can connect with fintech companies that can give provide a better offer for banking services such as a mortgage, line of credit or credit card
– ordering the Competition Bureau to investigate bank fees
– requiring more transparency for investment management fees so that seniors and savers don’t get ripped off, including requiring the banks to show investment returns net of fees

Credit Card Protection
To protect consumers from fraud, unwarranted and potentially devastating chargebacks, etc., the party advocates:
– updating the Code of Conduct for the Credit and Debit Card Industry to protect consumers and small businesses in view of newly developed technology and new issues it has brought forth.

CRA Protections for Small Businesses and the Middle Class
In response to reports of overly-aggressive and unaccountable behavior by the Canada Revenue Agency, the party advocates:
– making the Taxpayer Ombudsman an officer of Parliament with order-making authority
– measuring and reporting on the tax gap, in detail, by type of taxation and reason for the shortfall (similar to the UK model) so that CRA resources can be allocated where the problems exist
– imposing a duty of care (a legal obligation to a reasonable standard) on CRA
– launching a comprehensive review of Canada’s tax system to improve competitiveness, bring down rates and simplify the rules
– revising CRA’s penalties so that first-time problems or errors receive only minor fines, with increasing severity for repeat offenders
– creation of a “welcome to CRA” program and materials for new small businesses; and
– allowing businesses with less than $60,000 in revenues to use simple cash accounting

An Economy at the Service of All
The party’s constitution lists, among the party’s principles, the principle of Social Justice.  Specifically, the party states that:
– the key to social justice is the equitable distribution of social and natural resources, both locally and globally, to meet basic human needs unconditionally, and to ensure that all citizens have full opportunities for personal and social development.
– there is no social justice without environmental justice, and no environmental justice without social justice.

The party advocates:
– a just organization of the world and a stable world economy which will close the widening gap between rich and poor, both within and between countries; balance the flow of resources from South to North; and lift the burden of debt on poor countries which prevents their development.
– the eradication of poverty, as an ethical, social, economic, and ecological imperative.
– the elimination of illiteracy;
– new vision of citizenship built on equal rights for all individuals regardless of gender, race, age, religion, class, ethnic or national origin, sexual orientation, disability, wealth or health.

The Dignity of Work
The party has published no official statement concerning its understanding of the dignity of work.

Poverty Reduction

Housing
In an online policy publication presented as current as of March 2025, the party states that:
– housing is a human right, yet today’s housing market is being treated like the stock market. Families across Canada can’t keep up with rising housing costs. Big companies are buying up homes. The government has done too little to help. The Green Party has a plan to fix this. We’ll set clear rules for what “affordable” really means. We’ll strengthen housing market regulations. Most importantly, we’ll get the federal government back in the business of building housing.
– the government has programs to fund the construction of affordable housing. But most of these programs still base the cost of units on the inflated housing market. This makes no sense. People can’t afford these government-funded “affordable” homes on their actual incomes. We will fix this by setting clear rules. When public money builds housing, it must be truly affordable. This means an individual or family should be able to pay their rent or mortgage with 30% of their regular income.
– big corporations see homes as a way to make easy money. They buy up properties, driving prices higher and higher. In cities like Vancouver and Toronto, investors own more than 30% of all condos. Regular families who need homes can’t compete.  Profits are being put before people.
– Canada knows how to build good housing. We have the workers, the materials, and the know-how right here at home. What’s missing is government leadership.

Universal Programs
In addition to Guaranteed Livable Income, the party advocates:
– universal post-secondary education
– universal pharmacare
– universal dental care
– universal child care

The party states that the solutions are clear, feasible and interconnected – all that is left is the political will to enact them. Embracing further universal and progressive social policies will support our more vulnerable communities and lead to a higher quality of life for all.

Labour, Unions, and Employment

In an online policy publication presented as current as of March 2025, the party states that:
– the world is moving to clean energy, but Canada is falling behind.
– other countries are creating new industries and good jobs. But the current government keeps supporting oil and gas companies instead.
– Canada is missing out on millions of good jobs in the industries of tomorrow.
– it undertakes to build an economy that works for people, not polluters.

Clean Energy Future
The party states that Canada has everything needed to lead in clean energy.

The party advocates investment in:
– clean power projects that create thousands of good jobs.
– a national electrical power grid to connect all of Canada.
– a nation-wide retrofit program for buildings and homes, to save energy and cut costs.
– research and innovation for clean technology and climate adaptation.

Because clean technology should not create new environmental problems and because mining for critical minerals can damage land and water, the party advocates:
– enforcement of strict rules to protect the environment.
– requiring the consent of Indigenous communities about mining activity on their lands.
– ensuring that AI data centers run on clean energy.

Care for Workers
The party states that:
– moving to clean energy means big changes for some workers and communities.
– it undertakes to leave no one behind, and guarantees good wages during the change.
– it will provide training for new jobs, and support strong unions to protect workers’ rights.
– it will make it easier for skilled workers to work in any province, and ensure Indigenous and rural communities benefit from new opportunities in clean energy.

Artificial Intelligence
The party states that:
– AI will change how many people work. Some jobs will disappear entirely. Others will change dramatically.
– it undertakes to create a Guaranteed Livable Income to protect people through these changes.

Trade War

In a media release dated April 8, the party stated that it will build affordable houses and in the process create a new industry that can take on the world, by unleashing the private sector by reducing costs and red tape, and getting the government back into the business of affordable housing – partnering with workers and industry and using Canadian solutions, such as softwood lumber and mass timber, to build a stronger Canada.

The party advocates using the softwood lumber industry and mass timber technologies to double the pace of residential construction to almost 500,000 new homes a year over the next decade, including:
-creating Build Canada Homes (BCH) to get the federal government back into the business of building affordable homes at scale, including on public lands.
-through BCH, catalyzing the housing industry with over $25 billion in financing for innovative prefabricated home builders in Canada, prioritizing Canadian technologies and resources such as mass timber and softwood lumber, as well as create more apprenticeship opportunities to grow a skilled trades workforce.
-cutting municipal development charges in half for multi-unit residential housing for a period of five years.
-reintroducing a major tax incentive which, when originally introduced in the 1970s, spurred tens of thousands of rental housing across the country.
-investing $1 billion to power more homes with efficient and affordable electric heating and cooling and make homes more resilient to extreme weather by funding home retrofits and lowering utility bills and making it easier for low- and middle-income households, including renters, to adopt heat pumps and energy efficiency upgrades including insulation upgrades, heat pump installation, and window replacements.
-lowering household risks to floods and wildfires, including funding oriented towards adaptation measures such as repairing or replacing roofs, installing sump pumps, and sealing foundation cracks.
-using a reformed carbon credit market to finance climate conscious choices, so that big polluters pay, and not taxpayers.

An Economy to Serve People
The party states that:
– the world’s major economies are moving at an unprecedented pace to fight climate change, retool their economies, and build the net-zero industries of tomorrow. At the same time, our closest allies are looking to shift their economic dependence away from dictatorships and towards stable, reliable democracies like our own
– these two shifts represent a significant economic opportunity for Canada
– since 2015, its focus has been investing in the middle class, growing the economy, strengthening Canada’s social safety net, and making life more affordable for Canadians
– like the Transcontinental Railway at the turn of the last century, building the global clean can be a major national project – one that will protect the environment, grow the national economy, and ensure every single Canadian can share in the prosperity we will create together

In its mandate letter to the Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion at the beginning of its current term in office, the party instructed the Minister that:
– the ministry’s immediate priority was to support workers whose work had been interrupted by public health measures
– the ministry was also expected to build a better, more inclusive employment insurance system, complete and advance early and significant actions under Canada’s Disability Inclusion Action Plan, and help workers and communities prosper as the country moves toward net-zero, including through the launch of a Clean Jobs Training Centre.

During its prior term in office,
– introduction of the Canada Child Benefit, has lifted hundreds of thousands of children out of poverty and helped millions of Canadian families with the costs of raising children
i- Increases to the Guaranteed Income Supplement, Old Age Security, and the Canada Pension Plan have allowed more seniors can enjoy secure and dignified retirement
– historic investment in a Canada-wide system of affordable early learning and child care delivered a 50 per cent average reduction in fees for regulated child care, brought fees down to just $10 a day in six provinces and territories, with the rest on track to reach this milestone by 2026, and strengthened the existing child care system in Quebec

 As examples of recent major investment decisions, the party cites:
– spring 2022: Honda, General Motors, and Stellantis all announced plans to invest in their existing assembly plants to help support the production of hybrid and electric vehicles in Canada. Together these multibillion projects will be supported by $919.6 million in federal funding
– summer 2022: the party announced support for projects across Canada, including up to $100 million to minimize the carbon footprint and improve worker safety at BHP’s $7.5 billion Jansen Stage 1 mine in Saskatchewan. In Ontario, Umicore announced its plan to invest $1.5 billion in a net-zero facility that will produce essential components of electric vehicle batteries
– in Quebec, Rio Tinto Fer et Titane announced its plans to increase its production of critical minerals, cut emissions, and help build clean technology supply chains, supported by up to $222 million in federal funding. Nokia also announced a $340 million project to expand its Ottawa facility and revitalize its laboratories with the goal to further advance wireless technology research and development in Canada
– winter2022-23: Volkswagen announced that its subsidiary, PowerCo, will build its first overseas electric vehicle battery manufacturing ‘gigafactory’ in St. Thomas, Ontario. MEDTEQ+ announced it will invest in a $154 million envisAGE Network, supported by $47 million in federal funding, that will help bring together industry, health experts, and investors to commercialize new health technologies. Together with Ontario, the federal government announced it will support the Oneida Energy storage project, which will be the largest electricity battery storage project in Canada

Economic Growth
The party states that Canada has made a remarkable recovery from the COVID recession, including:
– the strongest economic growth in the G7 over the last year
– 830,000 more Canadians employed than before the pandemic, with near-record low unemployment
– a record 85.7 per cent labour force participation rate for Canadian women in their prime working years, supported by our Canada-wide system of affordable early learning and child care
– inflation has fallen for eight months in a row (as of March 2023), and the Bank of Canada predicts that it will fall to just 2.6 per cent by the end of the year
– at the same time, many Canadians are faced with real affordability challenges, and are feeling the effects of higher grocery prices and housing costs. While inflation has fallen in Canada for eight straight months, it remains elevated—both in Canada and around the world. For many advanced economies, interest rates have risen to their highest levels in more than 15 years. This is resulting in slowing economic growth, both in Canada and around the world. The rapid rise in interest rates has also led to turmoil in some parts of the global banking system and volatility in global financial markets, highlighting the considerable uncertainty about how economic conditions will evolve going forward
– The nation’s strength and resilience in the face of global economic challenges has been underpinned by steps the government has taken since 2015, including support for:
(1) People, by investing in our public health care system, making childcare more affordable, and reinforcing Canada’s social safety net, including supports for children and seniors
(2) Growth, by investing in infrastructure, supporting investment in Canada’s clean economy, and helping Canadian businesses grow and create jobs
(3) Jobs, by helping workers acquire the skills they need, and helping our lowest-paid—and often most essential—workers and their families achieve a good standard of living
(4) Communities, by investing in infrastructure, more affordable housing, public transit, and broadband

However, the party warns that:
– while the Canadian economy has remained solid, higher interest rates are beginning to work their way through both the global and Canadian economies. This is resulting in weaker economic activity
– while business activity is at a healthy level and most businesses continue to report strong sales, many are also under financial pressure as the significant rise in interest rates boosts borrowing costs. A growing proportion of businesses expect activity to weaken in the coming year as the lagged impact of higher interest rates continues to feed into weaker consumer spending. As a result, many businesses have started to dial back their investment plans in recent months.

The party reports that since it came to power in 2015:
– 2.7 million fewer Canadians are living in poverty, a 56 per cent decrease
– income inequality has declined by 11 per cent
– the gender wage gap is getting smaller, having decreased by 12 per cent
– women are closing the labour force participation gap, which has decreased by 28 per cent
– more young people have good jobs, with the youth unemployment rate down by 22 per cent

Housing & Poverty Reduction
The party states that:
– everyone should have a safe and affordable place to call home
– for too many Canadians, including young people and new Canadians, the dream of owning a home is increasingly out of reach, and paying rent has become more expensive across the country. This is undermining the financial stability of an entire generation of Canadians
– a lack of affordable housing also has an impact on our economy. Without more homes in our communities, it is difficult for businesses to attract the workers they need to grow and succeed, and when people spend more of their income on housing, it means less money is being spent in our communities
– this is a complex and longstanding issue

In its Mandate Letter to the Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion at the beginning of its current term in office, the party instructed the Minister that:
– the Ministry’s overarching goal was to help ensure Canadians can get a home of their own, through work to improve housing affordability and end chronic homelessness, and to champion the full breadth of Canadian diversity through greater inclusion
– continuing the party’s rights-based approach to housing, the Ministry was to work with provinces, territories and municipalities to prioritize the launch of the new Housing Accelerator Fund and take action to protect consumers from anti-competitive practices in the real estate market
-to help address critical gaps, the Ministry was also to engage with Indigenous partners to begin co-development of an Urban, Rural and Northern Indigenous Housing Strategy
– the Ministry was also to lead a whole-of-government approach to build a more inclusive, equitable and just society, working to combat systemic racism, discrimination and xenophobia

The party reports that during its current term in office it has:
– introduced a two-year ban on non-resident, non-Canadians purchasing residential property to help curb speculation and ensure that houses are used as homes for Canadians to live in, rather than as financial assets for foreign investors;
– introduced a one per cent annual underused housing tax on the value of non-resident, non-Canadian owned residential property that is vacant or underused
– introduced a new Tax-Free First Home Savings Account to allow Canadians to save up to $40,000, tax-free, to help buy their first home
– ensured that profits from flipping properties held for less than 12 months are taxed fully and fairly
– doubled the First-Time Home Buyers’ Tax Credit to provide up to $1,500 in direct support to home buyers to offset closing costs involved in buying a first home
– introduced a new, refundable Multigenerational Home Renovation Tax Credit, to provide up to $7,500 in support for constructing a secondary suite for a senior or an adult with a disability, starting in 2023
– applied the Goods and Services Tax/Harmonized Sales Tax to all assignment sales of newly constructed or substantially renovated residential housing, to help address speculative trading in the housing market
– launched a new $4 billion Housing Accelerator Fund to remove barriers and incentivize housing supply growth, with the goal of creating at least 100,000 net new homes across Canada
– launched a $200 million stream under the Affordable Housing Innovation Fund to develop and scale up rent-to-own projects
– launched a third round of the Rapid Housing Initiative, which is providing $1.5 billion to create 4,500 new affordable housing units for Canadians in severe housing need, with 25 per cent of investments going to housing projects targeted towards women
– delivered more than $500 million towards the government’s goal of ending chronic homelessness, through Reaching Home, Canada’s Homelessness Strategy
– topped up the Canada Housing Benefit in December 2022, to low-income renters with a $500 payment to help with the cost of housing.

The party advocates:
– doubling the number of new homes that will be built in Canada within a decade, thereby helping more Canadians buy their first home and curb unfair practices that are driving up prices, including through reallocation of funding from the National Housing Co-Investment Fund’s repair stream to its new construction stream
– through the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada, publishing a guideline to protect Canadians with mortgages who are facing exceptional circumstances, including specifically ensuring that federally regulated financial institutions provide Canadians with fair and equitable access to relief measures that are appropriate for the circumstances they are facing, including by extending amortizations, adjusting payment schedules, or authorizing lump-sum payments. Existing mortgage regulations may also allow lenders to provide a temporary mortgage amortization extension—even past 25 years
– with provinces and territories, begun development of a Home Buyers’ Bill of Rights, to level the playing field for young, middle class, and new Canadians by making the process of buying a home more open, transparent, and fair, including for example by ensuring the legal right to a home inspection, requiring that real estate agents disclose whether they are representing both sides of a potential sale, and ensuring transparency on the history of sale prices

Living wage & Wealth Inequality
The party states that:
– despite Canada’s strong recovery from the pandemic, too many Canadians are struggling with the impacts of global inflation, which is making the cost of living a real challenge
– in the past year, it has strengthened Canada’s social safety net and provided targeted inflation relief to the Canadians who need it most
– it continues to introduce new, targeted measures to support Canadians, continuing efforts to avoid exacerbating inflation.  These include cracking down on junk fees and making post-secondary education more affordable

The party reports that its key continuing activities include:
– supporting about 3.5 million families annually through the tax-free Canada Child Benefit, with families this year receiving up to $6,997 per child under the age of six, and up to $5,903 per child aged six through 17
– increasing Old Age Security benefits for seniors age 75 and older by ten per cent as of July 2022, providing more than $800 in additional support to full pensioners
– reducing fees for regulated child care by 50 per cent on average, delivering regulated child care that costs an average of just $10-a-day by 2026—with six provinces and territories reducing child care fees to $10-a-day or less by April 2, 2023—and strengthening the child care system in Quebec with more child care spaces
– strengthening the Canada Pension Plan, which will eventually raise the maximum retirement benefit by up to 50 per cent
– enhancing the Canada Workers Benefit for our lowest-paid—and often most essential—workers, to provide up to $1,428 for a single worker without children, up to $2,461 to a family, and an additional $737 for workers with disabilities
– permanently eliminating interest on Canada Student Loans, and ensuring borrowers do not need to make payments on their loans until they earn at least $40,000 per year
– fighting climate change while making life more affordable with a federal price on pollution that puts more money back in the pockets of eight out of every ten Canadians in the provinces where it applies

The party reports that it plans:
– a one-time Grocery Rebate, providing $2.5 billion in targeted inflation relief, to be delivered through a one-time payment from the Canada Revenue Agency as soon as possible following the passage of legislation

Labour & Employment
In an online commitment dated April 5, 2025, the party:
-states that responding to US tariffs starts by supporting workers. The work of bricklayers, crane operators, welders, and others are essential in building the future of Canada.
-announced a plan to cover apprenticeship training costs of up to $8,000 and to create more training opportunities in the skilled trades, so more Canadian workers can join these professions and secure higher-paying careers.
states that the US tariffs are already impacting Canadian industry, but by investing in workers, a much stronger economy can be built.

In addition to $8000 grants for registered apprentices grants, the party advocates:
-increasing access to union-led training initiatives by doubling the funding of the Union Training and Innovation Program from $25 million to $50 million annually.
-establishing a new $20 million capital funding stream for colleges to support new training spaces for apprenticeships.
-upholding Apprenticeship Service program to support employers in hiring new apprentices in Red Seal trades, with up to $10,000 for eligible employers for each new apprentice hired.
-increasing labour mobility for skilled trades people between provinces and territories through the vital work of breaking down internal trade barrier and expanding the Labour Mobility Tax Deduction to ensure workers who travel more than 120 km from their home to a job site can deduct more of their expenses, and commit to significantly increasing the per-year tax deduction limit.

 The party further states that:
– as a core objective it prioritizes the creation of meaningful middle class jobs
– higher immigration and higher labour force participation are expanding the pool of available workers, and offsetting population aging more than in other G7 economies
– the resulting boost to employment has helped maintain real household disposable income per capita, even as it declined in peer economies. This is expected to continue..

The party further states that in order to promote skills and labour mobility for a clean economy, during its current term in office it has:
– Implemented Labour Market Transfer Agreements enabling provinces and territories to deliver training and employment supports tailored to their unique labour market needs, including with a $1.5 billion top-up in 2020 to enable workers to return to work in sectors hit hardest by the pandemic
– provided nearly $3 billion annually to provinces and territories for training and employment supports and a top-up of $2.7 billion over six years, starting in 2017-18
– invested over $200 million to expand the Union Training and Innovation Program to train more than 30,000 additional apprentices and journeypersons
– invested $250 million over three years for the Upskilling for Industry Initiative to support more than 15,000 workers, and $125 million over five years to launch the Sustainable Jobs Training Centre
– introduced a Sectoral Workforce Solutions Program to help key sectors of the economy implement solutions to address their current and emerging workforce needs and the Apprenticeship Service to support first-year apprentices in construction and manufacturing trades by providing employers with $5,000 for upfront costs like salary and training, or $10,000 for members of underrepresented groups
– introduced an Apprenticeship Service to help first year apprentices in construction and manufacturing Red Seal trades connect with opportunities at small and medium-sized employers
– to help workers at all skill levels improve their foundational and transferable skills, like problem solving and digital skills, provided free training resources and online skills assessments
– provided $815 million over five years for the Canada Training Credit, which covers up to 50 per cent of eligible training fees, and $595 million over six years for the Labour Mobility Deduction for Tradespeople to make it more affordable to travel to where the jobs are
– to promote creation of jobs, tied many of the above credits and solutions to requirements for payment of prevailing wages by employers and ensuring that apprenticeship opportunities are being created, the definition of prevailing wage being based on union compensation, including benefits and pension contributions from the most recent, widely applicable multi-employer collective bargaining agreement, or corresponding project labour agreements in the jurisdiction within which relevant labour is employed
– additionally, at least ten per cent of the tradesperson hours worked must be performed by registered apprentices in the Red Seal trades
To help tradespeople invest in the equipment they need, Budget 2023
– doubled the maximum employment deduction for tradespeople’s tool expenses from $500 to $1,000

Employee Business Ownership
To promote employee ownership and management of businesses, the party proposes to introduce legislation to support creation of Employee Ownership Trusts, and seeks stakeholder feedback on how best to enhance employee rights and participation in the governance of Employee Ownership Trusts

Seasonal and Gig Workers
The party states that:
– many seasonal workers, including within the fishing and tourism sectors, rely on Employment Insurance for the support between work seasons
– to address gaps in Employment Insurance support between seasons, it previously introduced temporary rules to provide up to five additional weeks—for a maximum of 45 weeks—for eligible workers in 13 economic regions
– it now proposes to to extend this support for seasonal workers until October 2024
– to protect workers who are classified as contractors but in reality qualify as regular employees, the party proposes to amend the Canada Labour Code to strengthen

prohibitions against employee misclassification

Union Rights
To support the right form unions, bargain collectively, and strike, the party proposes amendments to the Canada Labour Code that would prohibit the use of replacement workers during a strike or lockout, and improve the process to review activities that must be maintained to ensure the health and safety of the public during a work stoppage

Industries, Innovation & Agriculture

Mining & Critical Minerals
The party states that:
– as a global leader in mining, Canada is in a prime position to provide a stable resource base for critical minerals that are central to major global industries such as clean technology, auto manufacturing, health care, aerospace, and the digital economy
– for nickel and copper alone, the known reserves in Canada are more than 10 million tonnes, with many other potential sources at the exploration stage
– US legislation pertaining to critical minerals and electric vehicles in create opportunities for Canada, including in particular, requirements for robust supply chains of critical minerals that Canada has in abundance, to support acceleration of clean technology & manufacturing in the US
– to fully unleash Canada’s potential in critical minerals, a framework to accelerate private investment is required
– during its current term in office, previous budgets committed $3.8 billion for Canada’s Critical Minerals Strategy to provide foundational support to Canada’s mining sector to take advantage of these opportunities. The Strategy was published in December 2022
– in March 2023, it launched the Critical Minerals Infrastructure Fund to allocate $1.5 billion towards energy and transportation projects needed to unlock priority mineral deposits. The new fund will complement other clean energy and transportation supports, such as the Canada Infrastructure Bank and the National Trade Corridors Fund

The party proposes:
– a new Investment Tax Credit for Clean Technology Manufacturing to boost private investment in Canadian critical minerals projects and create new opportunities and middle class jobs in communities across the country

Clean Technology Manufacturing
The party states that:
– manufacturing and processing of clean technologies, and in the extraction and processing of critical minerals, can create good middle class jobs for Canadians and ensure that our businesses remain competitive in major global industries
– but investment will be required

The party proposes a refundable tax credit equal to 30 per cent of the cost of investments in new machinery and equipment used to manufacture or process key clean technologies, and extract, process, or recycle key critical minerals, including:
– extraction, processing, or recycling of critical minerals essential for clean technology supply chains, specifically: lithium, cobalt, nickel, graphite, copper, and rare earth elements;
– manufacturing of renewable or nuclear energy equipment;
– processing or recycling of nuclear fuels and heavy water;
– manufacturing of grid-scale electrical energy storage equipment;
– manufacturing of zero-emission vehicles; and,
– manufacturing or processing of certain upstream components and materials for the above activities, such as cathode materials and batteries used in electric vehicles

The investment tax credit is expected to cost $4.5 billion over five years, and an additional $6.6 billion from 2028-29 to 2034-35

Battery Manufacturing

The party states that:
– globally, major automakers are pivoting to building electric vehicles at historic speeds. Canada can capitalize on this shift by rapidly developing global supply chains for electric vehicle manufacturing, including in battery manufacturing and the critical minerals and high-value midstream components that play an essential role in their production
– such segments of the electric vehicle supply chain can create and secure more high-quality jobs for Canadian workers for a generation to come
– Volkswagen announced in March 2023 that its subsidiary PowerCo will build its first overseas ‘gigafactory’ in St. Thomas, Ontario.  This massive facility will represent a significant portion of the North American battery manufacturing sector and will help to cement Canada’s place in the North American and global battery value chains

The party proposes investments directed toward:
– anchoring the future Canadian supply chain: Around 50 per cent of the battery’s total value accrues in battery cell and pack production activities
– accelerating investment across the value chain, including critical minerals
– promoting growth in the automotive sector of the future, including integration between battery and automotive manufacturing
– securing good jobs for Canadians, including factories such as battery gigafactories that can employ thousands of people, create valuable economic spin-off benefits for local communities, and support even more good jobs across their supply chains
– supporting the shift to a net-zero economy: the shift to using batteries and EVs is a vital part of Canada’s plan to reach net-zero by 2050

Research & Development
The party states that:
– Canada’s research community and world-class researchers solve some of the world’s toughest problems, and Canada’s spending on higher education research and development, as a share of GDP, has exceeded all other G7 countries
– during its current term in office it has committed more than $16 billion of additional funding to support research and science across Canada, including:
* $2.4 billion for the Canada Foundation for Innovation and the granting councils—the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research
* more than $500 million in total additional support to third-party research and science organizations, in addition to the creation of the Strategic Science Fund
* $1.2 billion for Pan-Canadian Genomics and Artificial Intelligence Strategies, and a National Quantum Strategy
* $1 billion in Budget 2021 to the granting councils and the Canada Foundation for Innovation for life sciences researchers and infrastructure
– it intends for Canada to become a full member in the Square Kilometre Array Observatory, which will provide Canadian astronomers with access to its ground-breaking data, with up to $269.3 million in support
– it has been consulting with stakeholders, including through the independent Advisory Panel on the Federal Research Support System, to seek advice on how to further strengthen Canada’s research support system

The party further proposes:
– in order to help more Canadian businesses access expertise and research and development facilities they need, providing $108.6 million over three years to expand the College and Community Innovation Program, administered by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council

Space Exploration
The party states that:
– Canada’s participation in the International Space Station has helped to fuel important scientific advances, and showcased Canada’s ability to create leading-edge space technologies, such as Canadarm2
– Canadian space technologies have inspired advances in other fields, such as the NeuroArm, the world’s first robot capable of operating inside an MRI, making previously impossible surgeries possible

It proposes:
– to provide $1.1 billion over 14 years, on a cash basis, to the Canadian Space Agency to continue national participation in the International Space Station until 2030
– to join efforts to return to the moon, by contributing a robotic lunar utility vehicle to perform key activities in support of human lunar exploration. Canadian participation in the NASA-led Lunar Gateway station—a space station that will orbit the moon—also presents new opportunities for innovative advances in science and technology. Canada is providing Canadarm3 to the Lunar Gateway, and a Canadian astronaut will join Artemis II, the first crewed mission to the moon since 1972
– in support of the moon project, to provide $1.2 billion over 13 years to the Canadian Space Agency to develop and contribute a lunar utility vehicle to assist astronauts on the moon
– to provide $150 million over five years to the Canadian Space Agency for the next phase of the Lunar Exploration Accelerator Program to support the Canada’s space industry
– to $76.5 million over eight years, on a cash basis, to the Canadian Space Agency in support of Canadian science on the Lunar Gateway station

Forestry
The party:
– states that the forestry sector plays an important role in Canada’s natural resource economy, and is a source of good careers in many rural communities, including Indigenous communities. As global demand for sustainable forest products grows, continued support for Canada’s forestry sector will help it innovate, grow, and support good middle class jobs
– proposes to provide $368.4 million over three years to Natural Resources Canada to renew and update forest sector support, including for research and development, Indigenous and international leadership, and data. Of this amount, $30.1 million would be sourced from existing departmental resources

Agriculture

In its mandate letter to the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food at the beginning of its present term in office, the party instructed the Minister:
– to develop a sector-specific strategy to address persistent and chronic labour shortages in farming and food processing
– to prioritize measures to support efficiency and climate-resiliency in the agriculture and food sector to strengthen food security and significantly cut agriculture’s environmental footprint, as well as working closely with provinces and territories and producers to support the sustainable growth of the agricultural and agri-food sectors, with an aim to establish Canada as a global leader in the sector
– to strengthen Canada’s food system, with particular emphasis on developing a National School Food Policy

In addition, the party:
– states that Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine has resulted in higher prices for nitrogen fertilizers, which has had a notable impact on Eastern Canadian farmers who rely heavily on imported fertilizer.  It proposes to provide $34.1 million over three years to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s On-Farm Climate Action Fund to support adoption of nitrogen management practices by Eastern Canadian farmers, that will help optimize the use and reduce the need for fertilizer
– states that farm production costs have increased in Canada and around the world, including as a result Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine and global supply chain disruptions.  It proposes to provide $13 million in 2023-24 to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada to increase the interest-free limit for loans under the Advance Payments Program from $250,000 to $350,000 for the 2023 program year. Additionally, it undertakes to consult with provincial and territorial counterparts to explore ways to extend help to small agricultural producers who demonstrate urgent financial need
– states that Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) is a highly transmissible illness that can affect cattle, pigs, and other cloven-hoofed animals. Recent outbreaks in Asia and Africa have increased the risk of global spread.  An FMD outbreak in Canada would cut off exports for all livestock sectors, with major economic implications.  The party proposes to $57.5 million over five years to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to establish an FMD vaccine bank for Canada, and to develop FMD response plans. The government will seek a cost-sharing arrangement with provinces and territories.

Dairy
The party:
– states that the dairy sector is facing a growing surplus of solids non-fat (SNF), a byproduct of dairy processing. Limited processing capacity for SNF results in lost opportunities for dairy processors and farmers
– proposes to provide $333 million over ten years for Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada to support investments in research and development of new products based on SNF, market development for these products, and processing capacity for SNF-based products more broadly

Transportation & Infrastructure

In its Mandate Letter to the Minister of Transport at the beginning of its present term in office, the party instructed the Minister that:
– the Ministry’s immediate priority should be to enforce vaccination requirements across the federally-regulated transport sector that are in place and to continue to advance the restart and rebuilding of the commercial air sector
– it should also prioritize work to make High Frequency Rail a reality, and to advance measures that support Canada’s transition to net-zero, including accelerating the transition to zero emission vehicles.

The party states that:
– the expansion and transformation of Canada’s electricity system will require major investments and enhanced partnerships between governments and the private sector
– during its current term in office the Canada Infrastructure Bank has made investment commitments of $8.6 billion in 37 projects, in support of its mandate

The party proposes:
– to position the Canada Infrastructure Bank to play a leading role in electrifying Canada’s economy, supporting lower energy bills for Canadians and businesses, and ensuring that cleaner, affordable electricity is available from coast-to-coast-to-coast
– the Canada Infrastructure Bank invest at least $10 billion through its Clean Power priority area, and at least $10 billion through its Green Infrastructure priority area
– to support the building of a more sustainable, secure, and affordable electricity grid, providing $3.0 billion over 13 years, starting in 2023-24, to Natural Resources Canada to recapitalize funding for the Smart Renewables and Electrification Pathways Program to support critical regional priorities and Indigenous-led projects, and add transmission projects to the program’s eligibility; renew the Smart Grid program to continue to support electricity grid innovation; and create new investments in science-based activities to help capitalize on Canada’s offshore wind potential, particularly off the coasts of Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador
– advancing the Atlantic Loop—a series of interprovincial transmission lines that will provide clean electricity between Quebec, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia—including negotiating with provinces and utilities to identify a clear path to deliver the project by 2030

 VIA Rail
To ensure proper train service, the party proposes to provide $210.0 million over five years to VIA Rail to conduct maintenance on its trains on routes outside the Québec City–Windsor Corridor and to maintain levels of service across its network. This is in addition to the $42.8 million over four years, with $169.4 million in remaining amortization, provided in prior budgets to construct, maintain, and upgrade stations and maintenance centres in the Québec City–Windsor Corridor

 Air Transport
The party states that in order to strengthen the Canadian Transportation Agency, make airlines more accountable, and ensure that passengers are fairly compensated for delays and cancellations, it proposes to:
– amend the Canada Transportation Act to strengthen airline obligations to compensate passengers for delays and cancellations, in alignment with the national air passenger rights regime with those of leading international approaches and ensure that Canadians are fairly compensated for travel delays that are within airlines’ control
– amend the Canada Transportation Act to make the Canadian Transportation Agency’s complaint adjudication process more efficient, and to provide the Minister of Transport with the authority to impose a regulatory charge on airlines to help cover the costs of resolving air passenger complaints
– allocate $75.9 million over three years to ensure the Canadian Transportation Agency has the resources for enforcement and compliance, and dispute resolution services

Banking & Finance
The party states that:
– Canadians must be confident that federally regulated financial institutions and their owners act with integrity, and that Canada’s financial institutions are protected, including from foreign interference
– it intends to amend the Bank Act, the Insurance Companies Act, the Trust and Loan Companies Act, the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions Act, and the Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) and Terrorist Financing Act (PCMLTFA) to modernize the federal financial framework to address emerging risks to Canada’s financial sector

The party advocates amending the above acts to:
– expand the mandate of the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI) to include supervising federally regulated financial institutions (FRFIs) in order to determine whether they have adequate policies and procedures to protect themselves against threats to their integrity and security, including protection against foreign interference
– expand the range of circumstances where OSFI can take control of an FRFI to include where the integrity and security of that FRFI is at risk, where all shareholders have been precluded from exercising their voting rights, or where there are national security risks
– expand the existing authority for the Superintendent to issue a direction of compliance to include an act that threatens the integrity and security of an FRFI
– provide new powers under the PCMLTFA to allow the Minister of Finance to impose enhanced due diligence requirements to protect Canada’s financial system from the financing of national security threats, and allow the Director of FINTRAC to share intelligence analysis with the Minister of Finance to help assess national security or financial integrity risks posed by financial entities
– improve the sharing of compliance information between FINTRAC, OSFI, and the Minister of Finance
– designate OSFI as a recipient of FINTRAC disclosures pertaining to threats to the security of Canada, where relevant to OSFI’s responsibilities

Corporations, Competition & Consumerism
To assist consumers and small businesses, the party proposes:
– to protect consumers from hidden fees, in collaboration with regulatory agencies, provinces, and territories, to reduce junk fees for Canadians, including higher telecom roaming charges, event and concert fees, excessive baggage fees, and unjustified shipping and freight fees, building on recent amendments to the Competition Act to strengthen protections against hidden prices; and introducing amendments to the Bank Act and Financial Consumer Agency of Canada Act to protect Canadians’ rights and interests when dealing with their banks; and a new policy direction to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission to ensure Canadians can affordably and easily change, downgrade, or cancel services
– to address problems with predatory lending that affects the most vulnerable people, including low-income Canadians, newcomers, and seniors—through very high interest rate loans, by amending the Criminal Code, which currently allows rates equivalent to 47 per cent APR (annual percentage rate), to a maximum of 35 per cent APR, and to launch consultations on whether the criminal rate of interest should be further reduced; and to adjust the Criminal Code’s payday lending exemption to require payday lenders to charge no more than $14 per $100 borrowed
– in order to support owners of small businesses, to implement commitments secured from major card issues to lower fees processing for small businesses by up to 27 percent from current rates, while also protecting reward points for Canadian consumers offered by Canada’s large banks, and to provide free access to online fraud and cyber security resources to help them grow their online sales while preventing fraud and chargebacks
When it comes to broken appliances or devices, high repair fees and a lack of access to specific parts often mean Canadians are pushed to buy new products rather than repairing the ones they have. This is expensive for people and creates harmful waste
– to reduce waste and control costs for consumers and farmers, implementing a right to repair equipment and home appliances and electronics in 2024, by preventing companies from blocking repairs with complex programming or hard-to-obtain bespoke parts, etc.
– to reduce the number of charging devices consumers are required to purchase and recycle, explore following the lead of the European Union and mandate universal charge interfaces

The Dignity of Work

The party believes that:
– life in Canada is becoming harder, that young people struggle to find good jobs, that parents struggle with multiple jobs and enjoy less time with their children; and that the richest are richer than ever, while too many workers earn less than a living wage, and without the benefits and security of unions.
– the federal government has an important role to lay in creating better, fairer, and more secure jobs

The party advocates creating 300,000 good jobs with a new deal for climate action and good jobs.

Poverty Reduction
The party seeks to build a Canada without poverty, where all Canadians can count on quality public services and community supports to help them lead dignified lives.  A core component of its plan is to enshrine the right to housing in law, and to end homelessness in Canada within a decade.

The party advocates:
– as a core component of its plan to end poverty, enshrining the right to housing in law, and to end homelessness in Canada within a decade
– because poor health and poverty are linked, national pharmacare and better access to mental health and additions support

Living wage & Wealth Inequality
The party states that too many Canadians live below the poverty line, while working 40 hours per week.

To ensure a living wage, the party advocates:
– working with provinces to launch a national basic income pilot project
– implementing a federal minimum wage of $15 per hour to cover more than 900,000 workers
– implementing a foreign buyer’s tax on sales of homes to non-residents, in order to end housing speculation which inflates housing prices

Pensions
The party believes that every Canadian should be able to count on a dignified, secure retirement.

The party advocates:
– ensuring that pension holders and employees entitled to severance pay have first priority in bankruptcy proceedings, rather than other investors
– prohibiting payouts and dividends from under-funded pension funds, and participation in a mandatory, industry financed insurance program to ensure that no worker is deprived of pension rights
– creation of a pension advisory commission to develop a long-term plant to protect Canada’s Old-Age Security and Guaranteed Income Supplements and improve the amount of payments

An Economy to Serve People
The party advocates ensuring that public investments are directed to clean energy, sustainable infrastructure and boosting energy efficiency in communities across the country.

Jobs & dignity in employment
The party advocates, as a part of shifting to a new green economy, creating 300,000 new good jobs across Canada

The party states that without benefits like extended health coverage and dental care, temporary workers earn roughly 75 per cent of what permanent employees do, resulting in harm to the most vulnerable workers and giving employers an incentive to prefer part-time to full time workers.

The party advocates implementing rules to require that part-time and contract workers be compensated equally to full time workers.

Small businesses, trades & crafts
The party believes that small businesses need a government that will help them access the services and infrastructure they require to thrive and expand, while investing in a healthy and talented workforce.

The party advocates:
– reduction of small business taxes
– elimination of unfair merchant fees
– implementation of universal pharmacare to save small businesses approximately $600 dollars per employee per year
– enactment of legislation to end the unfair tax treatment of family transfers of small businesses to future generations
– simplification of access to government export services for entry into foreign markets
– increased investment of worker training to boost traditionally underemployed groups

Industries, innovation & agriculture
The party states that with the right choices now, Canadian industry can be a global leader as market needs evolve, with workers at the centre of a robust strategy to drive innovation and boost competitiveness.

The party advocates:
– as a start, updating and strengthening the Investment Canada Act to protect Canadian jobs to curb takeovers of Canadian companies without national security reviews
– replacing the Invest in Canada Agency with a new iCanada, a one-stop federal service bureau to help attract investors while championing Canadian industry

 Automotive
– convening a summit with provincial, municipal, industry, and labour leaders to develop a National Automotive Strategy to attract and retain jobs and investment, including protection of Canadian product lines and manufacturing processes, and workers
– creating a tax-free Automotive innovation fund
– ensuring that federal incentives for zero-emissions vehicles prioritize made-in-Canada vehicles; and buying Canadian-made zero emissions vehicles for government fleets, to lead by example on sustainability while creating good jobs

 Manufacturing
– convening all levels of government, business and labour leaders to develop a national industrial strategy to build an advanced low-carbon manufacturing economy, and grow the domestic market for Canadian manufactured goods
– providing strategic supports to our long-neglected steel and aluminum industries, to attract and retain investment and jobs
– resisting all tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum
– requiring use of Canadian steel and aluminum for infrastructure products across the country

Aerospace
– implementing a comprehensive National Aerospace Strategy to allow Canadian aerospace companies of all sizes commercialize new technologies, strengthen competitiveness, and train workers for good jobs in the sector
– positioning the aerospace sector to transition to a low-carbon economy and lead world clean aviation industry

Technology
– investing in R&D on a sector-specific basis with particular focus on technologies to support a low-carbon future
– stepping up as a partner to foster entrepreneurship and support a Canadian start-up culture, with a focus on helping companies scale up and retain employees

Agriculture
The party recognizes agriculture as the backbone of the economy, a source of community pride, and high-tech industry that requires a talented and skilled workforce.

The party advocates:
– implementing a national food strategy to invest in agricultural communities, support young and new farmers, and help ensure sustainable rural livelihoods
– protecting domestic supply management policies, ensuring reciprocity in all trade negotiations, and supporting supply-managed sectors in growth and innovation
– ensuring high-speed internet and wireless connectivity in farming regions
– to help young people and women establish farming livelihoods, working with provinces to improve training opportunities and provide low-cost start-up loans for new farmers
– ending unfair tax treatment of family farm transfers, to assist inter-generational passing of farms
– increased mental health support for farmers
– increased investment in public agricultural research, to keep canola farmers and others on the cutting edge of knowledge and innovation
– implementing a payment protection plan for food exporters
– working with producers to promote Canadian food products domestically

Unions and workers’ rights
The party states that although almost all workers pay into Employment Insurance, less than 40 per cent qualify for benefits when needed, and only one third of unemployed women can access benefits.

The party advocates:
– implementing a universal qualifying threshold of 360 hours to ensure that all workers can access needed benefits
– restoring the EI appeals system to make decisions fast and fair
– permanently restoring the Extra Five Weeks project, to address challenges faced by seasonal workers
– as an optional alternative to 18 months’ parental leave at 33 percent of salary, implementing shorter leave at a higher right, and allowing self-employed workers to opt in to benefits any time before they go on leave
– doubling parental leave benefits for parents of multiple children
– extending sick leave benefits to 50 weeks, and expanding re-training programs
– implementing a pilot program to allow workers with episodic disabilities to access EI benefits periodically, as needed
– instituting legal protections for the EI Operating account, to protect its funds for use as general revenue
– defending the Rand formula, so that unions can effectively advocate for workers, and continuing to oppose legislation that suspends rights to bargain and to strike
– ensuring that workers and employers work together to improve health and safety, and ensuring protection for whistleblowers
– updating the Labour Code to enhance safeguards for workers and ban use of replacement workers during labor disputes

Transportation and Infrastructure
The party believes that Canadians should be able to rely on the federal government to invest infrastructure projects that will make a real difference in communities across the country.

The party advocates:
– using Community Benefit Agreements to guarantee good jobs, training, apprenticeships, and support for local businesses are part of all infrastructure projects.
– implementing a permanent, direct, and allocation-based funding mechanism for modern public transit across Canada for the long term.
– increasing investment to help cities transition their bus fleets to electric drive, and expand affordable rail and bus options.
– working with communities for which it is a priority to develop fare-free transit
– increased federal funding to respond to disasters and adapt infrastructure to withstand floods, fires, and other extreme weather events
– ensuring that every community in Canada has access to affordable high-speed internet

Corporations, Competition & Consumerism
The party states that Canadians pay some of the highest prices for mobile and broadband internet in the world, while according to the CRTC the profit margins of Canada’s five largest telecom companies are almost 40%, and two million Canadians in rural and remote areas lack reliable internet access.

The party advocates:
– implementing a price cap to ensure that prices in Canada are no more than the global average.
– ensuring that every community in Canada has access to high-speed internet without delay
– requiring providers offer basic wireless and broadband plans that are available in other countries, and require unlimited data rates at affordable prices
– implementing a telecom consumer’s bill of rights
– ensuring that consumers have a right to repair electronic devices and other prices at affordable prices
– requiring financial institutions and advisors to provide advice that is in the best interest of the investor, rather than the bank
– creating a fair gasoline prices watchdog to investigate complaints of price gouging, to ensure gasoline prices are fair
– increasing the competition bureau’s power to proactively investigate anti-competitive activity in the gasoline market
– to protect traveller safety and consumer rights, strengthening the Air Passenger Bill of Rights

Economy at the Service of All
In a policy publication presented as current in March 2025, the party states that:
– there are only two ways to create more wealth and prosperity: we can either work more or work more efficiently through increased productivity.  Investments in R&D, innovation, more efficient production processes, machinery and equipment are critical to improvements in productivity and living standards.
– improved productivity leads to better, higher-paying jobs, therefore a better standard of living.
– in a context where there are manpower shortages in many sectors, investment is a way to increase production without necessarily having to employ more workers.
– unfortunately, in the last decade, Canada’s business climate has become less and less welcoming to both domestic and foreign investors, business investment has gone down, and our productivity is lagging that of most other industrialized countries.
– this slowdown of productivity, coupled with the current government’s mass immigration policies, means that Canada has more and more people to support with a stagnating economy. Instead of growing, GDP per capita and Canada’s standard of living are declining.
– more government intervention in the economy is not the answer to our economic challenges. Every time the government takes an additional dollar in taxes, or borrows it, this is a dollar that individuals or businesspeople will not be able to spend or invest.
– a 2018 study by the School of Public Policy at the University of Calgary found $14 billion worth of direct and indirect federal business subsidies. Most if not all of these create unfair market distortions by favouring some companies or sectors at the expense of others.
– Canada’s combined federal-provincial corporate income tax rate is the 12th highest amongst the 38 OECD countries.
– abolishing the capital gains tax encourage every Canadian to save and invest more and would give our entrepreneurs access to a larger pool of capital.
– Ottawa should stop taking billions of dollars from the private sector and redistributing them through subsidies. It should instead lower taxes for all businesses and encourage saving and investment to make the nation’s economy more productive.

The party advocates:
– eliminating all corporate subsidies and other inefficient government interventions (bailouts of failing companies, regional development grants, conditional loans and loan guarantees with an implicit subsidy, tax credits, etc.) that unfairly support some companies or business sectors. This will generate savings of tens of billions of dollars every year.
– gradually reducing over the course of one mandate the corporate income tax rate from its current 15% down to 10%. According to the Parliamentary Budget Officer, when completed, this measure will make about $16 billion available to businesses, allowing them to increase salaries or invest in productivity improvements.
– over the course of one mandate, gradually abolishing the personal capital gains tax by decreasing the inclusion rate from the current 50% down to 0%.
– ending the current government’s policy of mass immigration as a solution to manpower shortages, and focusing instead on encouraging businesses to invest and improve their productivity.

Housing
In a policy publication presented as current in March 2025, the party states that:
– housing has become out of reach for many Canadians, in particular for young families living in big cities. Vancouver and Toronto have become two of the most unaffordable large cities in the world.
– over the past decades, the federal government has spent billions of dollars and created various bureaucratic programs to presumably make housing more affordable, with no results. Among other things, it has manipulated the financial criteria to qualify for mortgages and mortgage insurance, provided tax breaks to first buyers, and funded social housing.
– the fundamental problem however is the mismatch between supply of and demand for housing, that Ottawa, the provinces and municipalities are making worse with other policies, in particular mass immigration and zoning restrictions.
– about 40% of immigrants to Canada end up settling in only two cities, Toronto and Vancouver, where the housing shortage is most acute. The current government has increased immigration targets from 250,000 per year under the Harper government, to 500,000 in 2025. In addition to regular immigration, Canada has also been welcoming in recent years more temporary foreign workers and foreign students, large numbers of illegal immigrants, and plans to accept hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian refugees under a special program. This skyrocketing number of newcomers is one of the main reasons for the constantly high level of demand for housing and the exorbitant prices in Canadian cities. Even if a lot more houses were to be built, supply cannot keep up with this level of demand.
– overall inflation has become a major problem in every sector of the economy and is a consequence of inflationary monetary policy – that is, the Bank of Canada having printed too much money in order to fund gigantic government deficits. This adds to the already overheated conditions in the housing market.
– housing is primarily a provincial or local responsibility. Ottawa’s involvement over the years has only resulted in distorting the housing market. There is nothing the federal government can do to change provincial or municipal zoning laws, but it can stop contributing to the overheating of the housing market in different ways.

The party advocates:
– substantially reducing immigration quotas, from about 500k planned by the Liberal government for 2025, down to 100k-150k per year. This will help reduce demand for housing and cool down these markets, especially in the large cities where most immigrants settle.
– modifying the Bank of Canada’s inflation target, from 2% to 0%. This will cool down inflation in all sectors, including housing.
– respecting local and provincial governments’ responsibility for housing policies. They must be accountable to their citizens and not be subject to federal pressure to “densify” neighbourhoods of single-family homes in order to accommodate mass immigration policies.
– privatizing or dismantling the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), a mammoth government agency that fuels the housing crisis instead of helping to cool it down. All it has ever done is encourage Canadians to buy houses they can’t afford, and accumulate massive amounts of debt that the federal government, and ultimately Canadian taxpayers, will be responsible for.
– working with provinces to curb speculation and money laundering by foreign non-resident buyers in Canada’s land and housing markets.

Agriculture
In a policy publication presented as current as of March 2025, the party states that:
– supply management is a government-imposed cartel that keeps the prices of dairy, poultry, and eggs artificially high through the control of production, the banning of imports, price fixing, and the prevention of competition in the market.  The system forces producers to buy quotas which grant permission to produce a set amount. For example, it cost  between $20,000 and $40,000 to get the right to milk one cow.
– supply management limits imports by imposing tariffs that range from150% for eggs to 300% for butter, and results in Canadian farmers being barred from exporting their products, and negatively impacts other sectors of the Canadian economy, such as the food processing and food preparation industries such as restaurants.
– although they account for only about 10% of all Canadian farms, farmers under supply management constitute one of the most influential lobbies in Ottawa. When Canada negotiates free trade agreements with other countries, protecting the system always ends up as the focus of talks. Canada could have obtained a better deal during negotiations with the U.S. and Mexico to renew NAFTA if supply management had been put on the table, as demanded by the U.S. government.
– in order to satisfy one small but powerful lobby, supply management restricts the development of other businesses and prevents the creation of thousands of jobs in these other sectors.
– according to the OECD, supply management caused Canadian consumers to pay $3.6 billion more every year between 2011 and 2015
-according to a study done by University of Manitoba economists, supply management imposes a financial burden of $339 annually on the poorest 20% of Canadian households, the equivalent of a 2.3% tax on their incomes.

The party advocates:
– creating a free, open, and fair system that will save Canadians billions of dollars annually by phasing out the supply management system over a number of years to allow farmers to adapt, and compensate them for the lost value of their quotas.
– allowing Canada’s dairy, egg and poultry farmers to thrive and sell their products internationally.

The party has published no specific direct statement concerning its policies on:
– The dignity of work
– Labour, Employment.