Where do the Liberals, Conservatives, NDP and Greens stand on major issues? Here is a breakdown of their positions on the issues of taxes, the economy, energy, climate change, infrastructure, child care and skills training.
Taxes
Liberals
•Luxury tax on new cars and private aircraft worth at least $100,000
•Tax vacation properties of non- residents
•3% digital service tax
•Strengthen CRA to combat tax avoidance
Conservatives
•Make foreign tech companies pay digital services tax representing 3% of their gross revenue if they don’t pay corporate income tax here
•Provide 25% tax credit on amounts of up to $100,000 invested in a small business over the next two years
•Appoint expert panel to review tax system
NDP
•1% tax on wealth over $20 million
•Excess profit tax on pandemic profits of large corporations
Greens
•Establish arm’s-length Federal Tax Commission to analyze the tax system for fairness and accessibility
•Apply a corporate tax on transnational e-commerce companies doing business in Canada
•Impose financial transactions tax of 0.5% in the finance sector as France has done since 2012
Economy
Liberals
•Expand EI sick benefits to 26 weeks
•$250 million, three-year aerospace pandemic recovery bailout
•Allow firms to expense up to $1.5 million in eligible investments in each of next three years
•$15 federal minimum wage
Conservatives
•Pay up to 50% of the salary of new hires for six months following the end of the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy
•Provide 5% investment tax credit for any capital investment made in 2022 and 2023
•Loans of up to $200,000 to help small and medium-sized businesses in hospitality, retail, and tourism, with up to 25% forgiven
NDP
•Create one million jobs by investing in infrastructure, public transit, homes, retrofitting and transitioning to a carbon neutral economy
•Increase federal minimum wage
•Provide 10 paid sick days for workers in federally regulated industries
Greens
•Prioritize transition to green economy
•Measure well-being, rather than gross domestic product, as a sign of progress
Energy
Liberal
•$1 billion over five years for large clean energy technology projects
•$35 million to create the B.C. Centre for Innovation and Clean Energy
Conservatives
•Introduce renewable natural gas mandate
•Implement LNG export strategy
•Tax credit for carbon capture, use and storage technology
NDP
•Create 300,000 jobs in the green economy
Greens
•No new pipelines, or coal, oil or gas drilling or mining, including offshore wells, will be approved
•Bitumen production phased out between 2030 and 2035
•Cancel the Trans Mountain pipeline as well as other subsidies to fossil fuel industries
Climate change
Liberals
•$5 billion over seven years for the Net Zero Accelerator to help companies reduce emissions
•Reduce corporate income tax rate by 50% for zero-emission technology manufacturers
•$200 million for a Natural Infrastructure Fund; $5 billion in green bonds to fund conservation and green infrastructure
Conservatives
•Implement Personal Low Carbon Savings Account
•Price carbon starting at $20/tonne and tie carbon price to the U.S. and European Union
•Introduce zero-emission vehicle mandate; $1 billion for electric-vehicle manufacturing; $1 billion for hydrogen technology; $3 billion investment by 2030 in natural climate solutions
NDP
•Modernize and expand public transit with the goal of electrification by 2030
•Establish Canadian Climate Bank to boost investment in renewable energy and low-carbon technologies
•Set up a climate emergency cabinet to focus on reducing emissions 50% by 2030
Greens
•Retool society to run on non-polluting, renewable energy sources
•Pass into law a Climate Change Act requiring a 60% cut in climate-changing emissions below 2005 levels by 2030, reaching net zero in 2050
Infrastructure
Liberals
•Build dedicated passenger rail tracks in the Toronto-to-Quebec City corridor for high-frequency trains
•$1 billion universal broadband fund
•$1.9 billion for upgrades to transportation routes
Conservatives
•Eliminate and replace the Canada Infrastructure Bank
•Provide the funding needed to complete the extension of the Surrey-Langley SkyTrain
NDP
•Infrastructure products to use Canadian inputs including steel and aluminum
Greens
•Expand charging stations for electric vehicles, including all parking lots associated with federal facilities
•Develop a Green Freight Transport program in partnership with the freight industry, shipping companies and delivery businesses
Child care
Liberals
•$30 billion over five years for child-care system, to be $10 a day in five years
Conservatives
•Replace Liberals’ child-care program with refundable tax credit for up to 75% of cost for low-income Canadians
NDP
•National child-care program
Greens
•Ramp up federal child care funding to achieve international benchmark of at least 1% of GDP annually, adding an additional $1 billion each year until benchmark is reached
Skills training
Liberals
•$470 million for new apprenticeship program
•$240 million to increase the wage subsidy in the Student Work Placement Program
Conservatives
•Double the Apprenticeship Job Creation Tax Credit for the next three years
•Invest $250 million over two years to create the Canada Job Training Fund
•Create the Working Canadian Training Loan to provide low interest loans of up to $10,000 to people who want to upgrade their skills
NDP
•Create a hiring bonus where the government covers the employer’s share of EI and CPP premiums for new hires or rehired laid-off employees
Greens
•Invest in retraining and apprenticeship programs for industrial trades workers for jobs in the transition to a zero-carbon economy
Note: As of press time, the Green Party of Canada had not released its 2021 election platform; entries above are taken from their platform as released in 2019.
