Platform
For peace, jobs, sovereignty and democracy
People’s needs, not corporate greed
A Harper majority would bring deeper involvement in U.S. wars, no action on global warming, and new attacks on Canadian sovereignty, democratic rights, jobs and living standards. We need policies for people’s needs, not corporate greed. To win real economic and social development, and an independent foreign policy of peace and disarmament, dump the Tories and support a broad plan to achieve these goals!
Peace and Disarmament
Adopt an independent Canadian foreign policy of peace and disarmament. Canada out of Afghanistan NOW, not in 2011! No war with Iran! Demand immediate US and UK withdrawal from Iraq, and oppose any new military aggression. Withdraw forces from Haiti. Respect international law – reject imperialist policies of “regime change”, pre-emptive aggression, and nuclear first-strike. Oppose the weaponization of space and the new U.S. arms build-up; support the global abolition of nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction; get out of the NATO and NORAD military alliances. Canada must be a ‘safe haven’ for U.S. war resisters – no deportations! Reduce the military budget by 50%, converting military to civilian jobs. Strengthen our historic friendship and trade with Cuba and expand relations with developing countries. Support a just peace in the Middle East based on UN Resolutions for an immediate and total withdrawal of Israel from all occupied territories and the formation of an independent, viable Palestinian state. Cancel Third World debts.
Nationalize energy and resources
Reverse the privatization of PetroCanada as a first step to full public ownership and democratic control of all energy and natural resource extraction, production and distribution. Lower energy prices, especially for home heating, by restoring the ‘two-price’ system (lower prices for domestic energy; higher price for energy exports) and enact a 100% tax on the windfall profits of the oil monopolies. Stop and reverse the privatization, deregulation and break-up of public energy utilities. Freeze and reduce energy exports. Expand shared power flows among provinces through an East-West power and energy grid. Impose a moratorium on further tar sands development. No to the Mackenzie Valley pipeline and to oil and gas exploration in coastal waters.
Save the environment – stop global warming
Adopt emergency legislation to surpass Kyoto targets by drastically cutting greenhouse gas emissions, and investing in renewable energy and conservation programs. Substantially improve and expand urban mass transit systems and eliminate fares by subsidizing the $2.5 billion in annual fare collections. Legislate stringent vehicle emission controls. Fund high-speed rail systems as a better environmental alternative to highways and airlines. Phase out coal-fired plants and nuclear power, and expand conservation and renewable energy. Ban “biofuels” derived from feed grains. Impose heavy fines and jail terms against polluters and destructive corporate practices, such as clear-cutting and over-fishing. Ban industrial developments in parks. Create jobs through protection and cleanup of the environment. Put strict controls on “factory” farms, and ban in-ocean fish farming and deep-sea draggers.
Get out of NAFTA – reject capitalist “globalization”
Abrogate the NAFTA and other so-called ‘free trade’ deals, and get out of the “Security and Prosperity Partnership” and other quasi-secret moves toward “deep integration” with the USA. Cancel the Trade, Investment and Labour Mobility Agreement (TILMA) which supersedes local government powers. Stop and reverse the expansion of U.S. and other transnational control over key sectors of the domestic economy. Promote multilateral and mutually beneficial trade with all countries.
Keep industrial jobs in Canada
The rapid loss of manufacturing and secondary industry has serious consequences for Canada’s economy and sovereignty. Foreign ownership and plant shutdowns are a grave threat to auto and steel, which are the heart of a strong value-added manufacturing sector. We need urgent measures to expand employment, raise wages and increase purchasing power, such as a publicly-owned steel industry, a Canadian car, a merchant marine, and stronger machine tool, ship-building, agricultural implement and household appliance industries.
Limit and reduce foreign ownership. Use tariff, currency exchange and other trade controls to protect jobs and prevent plant closures. Stop corporate giveaways; tie any government assistance to large corporations to job creation targets, and the right to seize corporate assets for non-fulfillment. Increase employer-paid severance pay and retraining, and strengthen bankruptcy laws to improve protection for workers’ wages and pensions. Enact plant closure legislation with teeth: corporations must show “just cause” or face fines or public takeover. Legislate a two-year notice of layoffs.
Full employment and shorter work week
Make full employment a top priority, and lift the real general wages of workers, which have fallen over the past twenty years by about $100/week. Raise the minimum wage to $15/hour; ban “two-tier wages”. Legislate a 32-hour work week with no loss in take-home pay and no loss in service to the public. Ban compulsory overtime, and legislate minimum four weeks annual paid vacations. Enact early voluntary retirement at the age of 60, and substantially increase pensions. Guarantee benefits for part-time, home-based and contract workers. “”Stop government theft of the EI fund; set benefits at 90% of previous earnings for the duration of unemployment. Put massive investments into rebuilding social programs, public infrastructure, and affordable housing. Enact a fair wage policy and full pay and employment equity for women workers.
Extend public ownership & democratic control
Keep public assets and services out of the hands of profiteers. Reverse the privatization and contracting-out of health, education and other public services. Stop P3s (Public-Private Partnerships). Reverse the privatization of Air Canada and CN Rail. Ban exports of fresh water. Put the banking and insurance system under public ownership and democratic control. Restore funding for the CBC, the arts and Canadian culture. Oppose any attempt to privatize Canada Post.
End “security state” laws
Repeal the Anti-Terrorism Act, and abolish secret detention without trial, “national security” certificates and the “no-fly list”. Ban “racial profiling” by the state. Defend the right to free speech and dissent. Stop government spying, police violence and the use of the courts to repress civil and democratic rights. Strengthen parliamentary oversight of the armed forces and civilian control of the RCMP and CSIS; strengthen and enforce punishments for police wrong-doing. Ban the use of tasers. Bring Omar Khadr home from Guantanamo.
Defend Medicare
No U.S.-style two-tiered health care! Strengthen and enforce the Canada Health Act; block provincial privatisation attacks on Medicare, and commit to a major reinvestment in the system. Halt and reverse the spread of private, for-profit clinics. Scrap the Drug Patent Act (which guarantees mega-profits for the big drug companies, and high costs for health care), and build a publicly-owned pharmaceutical sector. Introduce universal eye-, pharma- and denti-care. Stop the “war on drugs”; treat addiction as a medical problem, not a criminal act.
Expand universal social programs – end poverty
Act now to combat poverty, especially among Aboriginal peoples, new immigrants, women, youth, seniors and persons with disabilities. Ban “workfare” and introduce a liveable guaranteed, annual income. Re-establish and expand funding to provinces earmarked for health, education, social housing and welfare, and enhance all-Canada standards, while ensuring that Quebec retains control and administration of its own programs. Maintain equalization payments to provinces, and expand dedicated transfers for health, education, childcare, and social assistance. Introduce a publicly funded and administered system of universal, quality, affordable child care with Canada-wide standards. Improve wages for childcare workers. Protect and expand the public pension system. Extend full benefits and official recognition for Aboriginal, Mackenzie-Papineau Battalion (Spain, 1936-38), and WWII merchant marine veterans.
Affordable housing for all
Housing is a basic human right – take emergency action on the crisis of homelessness. A massive investment program in social, cooperative and non-profit housing – establish federal-provincial-municipal land banks and invest more than 1% of annual federal and provincial budgets for this purpose. Prohibit utility cut-offs that threaten health and safety.
Tax the greedy, not the needy
Enact progressive tax reform based on ability to pay! Increase the corporate tax rate to 29%, and impose taxes on 100% of capital gains. End tax loopholes and shelters; collect deferred corporate taxes and jail corporate tax evaders. Eliminate taxes on incomes under $35,000/yr. Abolish the regressive GST and provincial sales taxes. Impose wealth and inheritance taxes on estates over $750,000.
Justice for Aboriginal peoples and Quebec
Recognize the national rights of Aboriginal peoples and Quebec to self-determination, up to and including secession. Draft and adopt a new, democratic constitution based on an equal and voluntary partnership of the Aboriginal peoples, Quebec, and English-speaking Canada. Rescind the “Clarity” Act. Abolish the Senate. Remove vestiges of colonialism from all federal legislation; act now for just settlement of land claims, including natural resource-sharing agreements, without extinguishment of Aboriginal title. Take emergency action to improve living conditions, employment, health and housing of Aboriginal peoples, and immediately end the racist and discriminatory cap on educational and health funding for treaty First Nations.
Full equality for women
Reverse the Harper attacks on women’s equality programs. Close the wage gap – legislate full pay and employment equity. Guarantee accessible and publicly funded abortion and reproductive rights services in every province and territory. Establish a publicly financed and administered system of universal, quality, affordable childcare with Canada-wide standards. Protect women’s right to EI maternity coverage; expand parental benefits to 52 weeks. Fund equality-seeking women’s groups. End violence against women and provide adequate funding for crisis centres and transition houses. Develop a cross-Canada database of the 3,000 missing women and take immediate action on this crisis.
A future for youth – Education for all!
Increase federal support for universal, quality public education at all levels; rollback and eliminate tuition fees for post-secondary education. Stop the drive to ‘corporatize’ education, and protect free speech on campuses. Shift from loans to grants for student assistance. Significantly increase funding and access to training and apprenticeship programs. Build better schools and colleges, not more prisons and “boot camps.” Reject attempts to criminalize youth; restore the age of consent to 14.
Guarantee equality
Oppose all forms of racism and discrimination. Strengthen and enforce affirmative action and employment equity programs for Aboriginal peoples, people of colour, and persons with disabilities. Ban all discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. Guarantee the rights of Aboriginal peoples and people with disabilities for equal access to social, medical and educational facilities and services. Strengthen laws and enforcement against hate crimes and neo-fascist groups, and prosecute war criminals living in Canada.
A Democratic Immigration Policy
No one is illegal; reverse cuts to legal aid and stop deportations of immigrants and refugees. Repeal Bill C-50 and end the racist quota system which discriminates against immigrants from developing countries. Full redress for Chinese head-tax payers and their families. Scrap the “Live-in Caregiver” program and Temporary Foreign Worker program.
Make every vote count
Enact mixed-member proportional representation and the right to recall MPs. Guarantee equal treatment for all political parties: scrap the “2%” threshold which gives public funding only to “major” parties, and amend the Broadcast Act to give equal time to all registered parties, so that voters can make informed choices. Lower the voting age to 16. Conduct comprehensive voter enumeration before every election. Remove restrictions on the right of unions to donate to political parties; keep the ban on corporate donations. Members of Parliament to receive the average workers’ wages and benefits.
A Bill of Rights for Labour
Enshrine in the constitution the right of workers to organize, strike and bargain collectively, and to take collective political action. Ban strike-breaking and scabbing. Strengthen labour standards; block anti-labour “right-to-work” laws. Place farm workers under federal jurisdiction with full labour standards and the right to organize and bargain collectively. Make May 1 a statutory federal holiday.
A new deal for cities
Give constitutional status and wealth taxing powers to municipalities. Return 50% of gas and road user taxes to cities. Increase core funding for capital and operating costs of expanded mass urban transit. Rebuild crumbling municipal and provincial infrastructure. Reverse “downloading” which forces cities to pay for social programs. Re-establish low-interest loans to cities and towns.
Support family farms – defend Canada’s food sovereignty
Ensure Canada’s food sovereignty through policies that benefit family farms and fishers, including income supports – no more bankruptcies! Save the Canadian Wheat Board – expand or re-establish single-desk selling for more crops and livestock. Reduce rail freight rates and curb the agro-industrial monopolies; set price controls to reduce the cost of farm inputs. Increase food safety inspections. Set price controls on staple foods for Northern communities. Support organic farming; reduce the use of antibiotics, fertilizers, pesticides, and other potentially harmful farm inputs, and ban “terminator” seeds in Canada. Require labelling of genetically-modified food products as a first step towards reducing the scale of the GMO food system.