A REAL PLAN FOR THE MIDDLE CLASS © Copyright 2019 Liberal Party of Canada. All Rights Reserved. Authorized by the Federal Liberal Agency of Canada, registered agent for the Liberal Party of Canada. Table Of Contents Foreword.........................................................................................................................................................4 Building A Strong Middle Class.................................................................................................................6 Making Life More Affordable................................................................................................................... 7 Helping Working Canadians Get Ahead............................................................................................ 11 Building Stronger, Healther Families................................................................................................... 14 Ensuring A More Secure Retirement For Seniors............................................................................ 16 Investing In Good, Middle Class Jobs................................................................................................... 18 Helping Canada’s Entrepreneurs Succeed And Grow.................................................................... 19 Building Strong Communities, Creating Jobs.................................................................................... 21 Investing In Rural Success...................................................................................................................... 24 Supporting More Trade At Home And Around The World............................................................ 26 Protecting Our Environment And Moving Our Economy Forward............................................. 28 Fighting And Preparing For Climate Change.................................................................................... 29 Making Communities Cleaner, More Efficient, And More Affordable ��������������������������������������� 32 Protecting Canada’s Natural Legacy.................................................................................................... 35 Building A Stronger Canada.................................................................................................................... 37 Keeping Canadians Safe......................................................................................................................... 38 Supporting Veterans And Their Families............................................................................................ 42 Promoting Equality And Diversity........................................................................................................ 44 Arts And Culture...................................................................................................................................... 49 Protecting And Promoting Official Languages................................................................................. 51 Helping Canadians Get Better Service............................................................................................... 53 Strengthening Parliament And Public Institutions........................................................................... 54 Building A Better Future With Indigenous Peoples......................................................................... 56 Closing The Gap With Better Services............................................................................................... 57 Supporting Strong Indigenous Economies........................................................................................ 60 Continuing On The Path Of Reconciliation....................................................................................... 61 Supporting First Nations Priorities...................................................................................................... 63 Supporting Inuit Priorities...................................................................................................................... 65 Supporting Métis Nation Priorities..................................................................................................... 67 Securing Canada’s Place In The World................................................................................................. 69 Keeping Canada Strong, Secure, And Engaged................................................................................ 70 Leading With Our Values....................................................................................................................... 72 Supporting Diversity And Growing Our Communities................................................................... 74 A Responsible Fiscal Plan........................................................................................................................ 76 Gender Equality Statement..................................................................................................................... 83 In the last four years, we’ve accomplished so much together. Thanks to the trust you placed in us, and driven by your hard work, we’re helping more people make ends meet, we’re making life easier for parents who want to build a better life for their kids, we’re doing more to protect our environment, and we’re keeping our economy strong and growing in an increasingly difficult world. Here is just some of what we’ve been able to do in the last four years: Introduced and increased the Canada Child Benefit to help families keep up with the cost of living Increased the Guaranteed Income Supplement to help low-income seniors make ends meet Raised taxes on the wealthiest 1% and cut taxes for the middle class New NAFTA - Canada is now the only G7 country with free trade deals with every other G7 country Building more affordable housing with Canada’s first-ever National Housing Strategy Protecting our coastal communities and ecosystems with the Oceans Protection Plan More than 1,000,000 new jobs since 2015, and Canada’s lowest unemployment rate in 40 years Lifted 87 long-term boil water advisories in Indigenous communities, and are on track to eliminate all of them by 2021 Strengthened the Canada Pension Plan to give Canadians a secure retirement Moving forward with a ban on single-use plastics Lowered the small business tax rate to help small businesses grow and create more jobs Moving forward on implementing National Pharmacare This election, we all have a choice to make. We can keep moving forward and build on the progress we’ve made, or we can go back to the hurtful cuts of the Conservative years. We’re for moving forward – for everyone. CHAPTER ONE Building A Strong Middle Class Making Life More Affordable Canada’s economy is strong and growing, but the rising cost of living is making it harder for everyone to share in that success. For too many families, it’s still tough to make ends meet. We will move forward with a real plan to make life more affordable for Canadians – especially the middle class and people who are working hard to join it. More Money, Tax Free We will help Canadians keep more of what they earn. Four years ago, we gave Canadians the tax break they deserve – putting hundreds of dollars back into the pockets of the middle class by cutting their taxes and asking the wealthiest one per cent of Canadians to pay a little more. We invested in Canadians over these past four years, and in turn they invested in their communities – creating more than a million new jobs, and driving Canada’s unemployment and poverty rates to record lows. $600 per year average family savings To move forward with more help for the middle class and people working hard to join it, we will make sure that people don’t pay federal taxes on the first $15,000 they earn. This will save the average family nearly $600 a year. CHOOSE FORWARD : BUILDING A STRONG MIDDLE CLASS It will also mean that about 700,000 more Canadians, including seniors and young people starting their careers, will pay no federal tax at all, lifting nearly 40,000 more people out of poverty. While Andrew Scheer’s tax plan would give more to wealthy Canadians, our plan lowers taxes the most for people who make less, helps the middle class, and ensures that the wealthy don’t get an extra hand up. Our tax cut would also help lift twice as many Canadians out of poverty than the Conservative plan would. A Place to Call Home We will make it easier for more people to buy their first home. For many young people starting their careers, saving up enough to make a down payment on a home is a far-off dream – and for ten years, Stephen Harper’s Conservatives did nothing to address this growing problem. 7 The Liberal Plan The Conservative Plan Number of new low-income taxpayers who will not pay federal income tax under each plan 693,400 64,400 Number of people who will be lifted out of poverty 60,000 (1) 19,200 Middle class Canadians Higher income Canadians Up to $729 when you turn 75  Enhanced survivor’s benefit for seniors Up to $2,080 more each year  Increased Canada Child Benefit Up to $1,000 more for kids under the age of one  Tax-free maternity and parental benefits upfront on your cheque Yes  10% lower fees for before and after school care spaces  Lower cell phone bills 25% lower cell and wireless bills  Increased Canada Student Grants for post-secondary students Up to $1,200 more each year  Who will benefit the most? Old Age Security increase for seniors Lower fees for child care (1) Includes tax cut and OAS increase. To help more people buy their first home, we will move forward with the new First-Time Home Buyer Incentive, which gives people up to 10 per cent off the purchase price of their first home. We will also increase the qualifying value to nearly $800,000 in the places where houses cost more – like the greater Toronto, Vancouver, and Victoria regions. As market dynamics change in different regions, the program will be adjusted to reflect those realities. To limit the housing speculation that can drive up home prices, we will also put in place a consistent national tax on vacant residential properties owned by non-Canadians who don’t live in Canada. CHOOSE FORWARD : BUILDING A STRONG MIDDLE CLASS And we will work with interested provinces, territories and communities to establish a national approach to beneficial ownership so that law enforcement and tax authorities have the tools necessary to crack down on financial crime in the real estate sector, while respecting Canadian privacy rights. More Help for Families We will give families more time and money to help raise their kids. For parents, nothing is more important than spending time with their kids. But raising a family can be 8 up to 250k spaces before and after school care expensive – especially in the early years when many moms and dads are earning less, but baby gear and child care costs more. Building on the successful Canada Child Benefit (CCB) – which gives more money every month to nine out of 10 families and helped lift 300,000 children out of poverty – we will move forward with the next steps in helping families make ends meet. We will: ’’ give up to $1,000 more to families to help when the costs of raising kids are highest, by boosting the CCB by 15 per cent for children under the age of one; ’’ make sure families get more money right away, by making maternity and parental benefits taxfree; and ’’ make paid leave fairer for families, by introducing a 15-week leave for adoptive parents – including LGBTQ2 families – so they get the same benefits to help care for their kids as everyone else. With these changes, a family of two earning $90,000, who are just about to have a child and already qualify for Employment Insurance benefits, can expect to receive about $2,300 more tax-free, to help to make sure their child gets the best possible start in life. We will also move forward with Guaranteed Paid Family Leave – an ambitious program that will make sure that parents who don’t qualify for paid leave through Employment Insurance, or who don’t get enough because they’re between jobs, earn little, or haven’t worked enough hours, will receive a guaranteed income during the first year of their child’s life. This will be especially helpful for women, who typically carry more family responsibilities, and will mean that every single Canadian parent will be able to afford to spend the first year at home with their child, when it matters most. CHOOSE FORWARD : BUILDING A STRONG MIDDLE CLASS Residents of Quebec will receive a comparable benefit for the portion of federal taxes they pay as part of the Quebec Parental Insurance Plan, and we will ensure that Guaranteed Paid Family Leave is integrated effectively with Quebec’s provincial parental benefits system, which the province will continue to run itself. More Accessible and Affordable Child Care We will make before and after school child care more accessible and affordable for families. Parents work hard to support their families and give their kids a good start in life, but as working parents know, the need for good, affordable child care doesn’t stop when a child goes to school. For many families, before and after school care can be difficult to find and expensive to use. This is especially true for parents who work irregular hours due to things like overtime, late shifts, or multiple jobs. Andrew Scheer’s idea of helping families is to give tax cuts to those who attend private schools. Canadian families need high quality, affordable child care solutions, not tax breaks for the wealthy at everyone else’s expense. We’ve already created tens of thousands of new pre-school child care spaces, and will move forward with creating up to 250,000 more before and after school spaces for kids under 10, with at least 10 per cent of these new spaces set aside for care during extended hours. To help families with the high cost of care, we will also lower child care fees for before and after school programs by 10 per cent across the board. More than a million families will benefit from these lower fees. For an Ontario family of four with two kids, it will mean about $800 back in their pockets, every year. We will also move forward with more support for our early childhood educators, to ensure that across the country, they are better paid and trained to take care of our kids. This means lower tuition costs for people getting their early childhood educator degree, and extra help to cover the costs for early childhood educators seeking further training. 9 And to ensure that every parent – no matter where they live – has access to quality, affordable child care, we will work with provinces and territories to create a national secretariat that will lay the groundwork for a pan-Canadian child care system. An Affordable Education We will continue to help students afford college and university. These days, getting a degree or diploma isn’t a luxury – it’s a must-have for many good, well paying jobs. Because post-secondary education was unaffordable for many, we took action – increasing Canada Student Grants, reducing interest costs on Canada Student Loans, improving the repayment assistance program, and giving more help to adult students and people receiving EI. Still, the costs of rent, books, and groceries – along with cuts to student aid by provincial Conservative governments – are putting an immense amount of financial pressure and stress on students. To help more students prepare for good jobs while taking on less debt, we will move forward with more generous Canada Student Grants and more affordable and flexible student loans. We will give full- and part-time students up to $1,200 more per year, through increased Canada Student Grants, and will give students two years after graduation to get started in their career before they need to begin paying off their student loans, interest-free. We will also change the rules so that graduates won’t have to start repaying their loans until they make at least $35,000, and if their income ever falls below this level, their payments will be put on hold. To make it easier for parents to focus on their families rather than their debt, we will allow new parents to pause their student loan repayments, interest-free, until their youngest child reaches the age of five. New parents who have graduated but haven’t yet finished paying off their student loans will also get to hit pause until their child turns five. CHOOSE FORWARD : BUILDING A STRONG MIDDLE CLASS Additional compensation will be offered to provinces and territories that do not participate in the Canada Student Loan Program. Cell Phone Bills We will help cut the cost of cell and wireless services by 25 per cent. As Canadians, we pay some of the highest prices in the world for cell phone services, while Canadian telecom companies are among the most profitable in the developed world. To help lower monthly cell phone bills and bring costs in line with what people pay in other countries, we will move forward with cutting the cost of these services by 25 per cent in the next two years by using the government’s regulatory powers, saving an average middle class family of four nearly $1,000 per year. Travel for Northerners We will make life more affordable for people living in Canada’s North. Whether for school, medical appointments, or to visit with family, people who call Canada’s North home need to travel – but the high cost of airfare can make it unaffordable for many. The current Northern Residents Deduction only allows people who already receive travel benefits through work to deduct travel costs, with no help for people whose work doesn’t help cover those costs. To make travel more affordable for everyone in the North, we will move forward with improvements to the Northern Resident Deduction, giving people living in the Northern Zone at least $1,200 in deductible travel costs, with $600 in deductible travel costs for people in the Intermediate Zone. To make sure that these savings are not simply passed on to airlines and other transportation companies, we will direct the Competition Bureau to oversee the pricing of transportation in the North, and will review the communities covered by these zones to ensure that Northerners in all parts of the country get the help they need to make life affordable. 10 Helping Working Canadians Get Ahead Canadians are among the most skilled and highly educated workers in the world, but even at a time of record-low unemployment, the changing nature of work can make finding and keeping a good job a challenge. We will give working Canadians the help they need to get ahead and keep our economy moving forward. Help When People Need It Most We will give more help to long-term workers who are laid off. Canadians work hard every day – supporting their families and keeping our economy strong and growing. When people unexpectedly find themselves out of work because of a business closure, they shouldn’t struggle to get the support they need. To help workers transition to a new job following the loss of long-term work, we will move forward with a Career Insurance Benefit. This benefit will be available to people who have worked continuously for the same employer for five or more years and are laid off when the business closes. The Career Insurance Benefit will kick in after Employment Insurance ends, providing an additional 20 per cent of insured earnings in the first year following the layoff, and an extra 10 per cent in the second year. This will give workers up to an additional $15,900 over two years, providing significant new help at a difficult time. CHOOSE FORWARD : BUILDING A STRONG MIDDLE CLASS Unlike other Employment Insurance Benefits, the Career Insurance Benefit won’t be “clawed back” if other income is earned. It is guaranteed help that will give workers greater peace of mind, make it possible for workers to go back to school, or help pay the bills when money is tight. Help to Find and Keep a Good Job We will continue to help all workers get the skills they need to succeed. For generations, middle class Canadians and those working hard to join them could be assured that with a good job came a good quality of life. Families were able to pay their bills, save for their retirement, and set aside money for their kids’ education. Today, the evolving nature of work means that people may change jobs many times over the course of their working lives, presenting workers with a new challenge: how to get the training they need to keep their existing jobs, or prepare for a new one. 11 To help give people the time and money they need to keep their skills relevant and in-demand, we will move forward with the Canada Training Benefit, which gives workers money to help pay for training, provides income support during training, and will also offer job protection so that workers can take the time they need for training, knowing they will have a job to come back to when their training is done. Better Working Conditions We will strengthen employment benefits and make Canada an even better place to work. $15 per hour federal minimum wage In the last four years, we have helped make work more flexible and secure for more people, but many workers still struggle to live a balanced life. For some people, this means missing out on important family events because they have to work late or be constantly available online; for others, it means suffering in silence because they are afraid to talk about the mental health challenges they are facing at work. People deserve better. To help make life less stressful and to give people more time to do the things they love, we will move forward with new federal labour code protections, including: ’’ an extra day to spend with family and friends, through a new federal Family Day holiday; ’’ a federal minimum wage of $15 per hour, starting in 2020 and rising with inflation, with provisions to ensure that where provincial or territorial minimum wages are higher, that wage will prevail; ’’ better support for the mental health of workers, by including mental health as a specific element of occupational health and safety, and requiring employers to take preventative steps to address workplace stress and injury; ’’ greater labour protections for people who work through digital platforms; these are often contract or freelance workers (such as drivers CHOOSE FORWARD : BUILDING A STRONG MIDDLE CLASS for ride-sharing companies) whose status isn’t clearly covered by provincial or federal laws, so we will give them greater protection by developing relevant federal rules for this growing area of the economy; and ’’ new provisions, to be developed with employers and labour groups, that give workers the “right to disconnect.” This will preserve workers’ ability to work overtime, while giving people the right to request that they not work extra hours. To help workers who fall ill and need help to pay the bills while they rest and recover – such as those recovering from cancer treatments – we will also move forward with extending Employment Insurance sickness benefits from 15 weeks to 26 weeks. Guaranteed Training for Apprentices We will help Red Seal apprentices get the work experience they need to finish their certification and find good, well-paying jobs. People in the skilled trades are a vital part of our economy – helping to build our homes, feed our families, and keep our communities powered and moving – but too often, apprentices miss out on good jobs because they can’t get the job experience they need to complete their training on time. Today, only one out of five Red Seal apprentices is able to complete their certification on time, with the lack of stable jobs cited as the most common reason. This is true even for trades where workers typically earn more than $100,000 per year. To give apprentices more certainty and more opportunities to gain work experience, we will move forward with creating the Canadian Apprenticeship Service, in partnership with provinces, territories, employers, and unions. With this new help, apprentices who enter the Red Seal trades can be more confident about the future, knowing that jobs will be available when they need them. To support this effort, we will work with our partners to create more opportunities, providing up to $10,000 per apprentice, over four years, for every new position created. This investment will help 12,500 more apprentices finish their training on time. 12 We will also lead by example – directly hiring up to an additional 250 apprentices each year, requiring that government suppliers participate in the Canadian Apprenticeship Service, and requiring that federal construction contracts meet targets for greater inclusion of women in the trades. Help for Workers in Seasonal Industries We will make permanent changes to Employment Insurance, to give workers in seasonal industries more reliable support between jobs. Industries like tourism and fish processing are an important source of jobs in many communities, but their seasonal nature means that people are often without work for months at a time, through no fault of their own. To give these workers more security and support, especially when Employment Insurance is disrupted because of changing labour market conditions outside of their control, we will move forward with improvements to a recent pilot project that has given extra help to tens of thousands of workers in seasonal industries. More Accessible Workplaces and Schools We will make it easier for people with disabilities to work or attend school. Across Canada, nearly 650,000 people with disabilities have the potential to work or attend school, but aren’t able to do so because they don’t have access to the accommodations that would make this possible. To help more people with disabilities go to school, enter the workforce, and join the middle class, we will move forward with a new $40 million per year national workplace accessibility fund, with a special focus on making small and medium-sized businesses more accessible. This fund will match costs with employers and schools, providing up to a combined $10,000 to cover the cost of an accommodation. Employers and schools will continue to be required to meet their accessibility obligations under provincial and federal law. Once this pilot concludes, we will introduce a permanent program to give these workers more consistent and reliable benefits – making it easier for them to support themselves and their families between work seasons. We will also work with Statistics Canada to strengthen local labour market data, so that Employment Insurance can better reflect local labour market realities, especially in large and diverse regions. CHOOSE FORWARD : BUILDING A STRONG MIDDLE CLASS 13 Building Stronger, Healthier Families Strong, reliable, and publicly funded universal health care is important to everyone – and to our economy. When we are in good physical and mental health, with good access to health care and affordable access to the prescription drugs we need to get and stay healthy, we are better able to work, contribute to our communities, and care for our families. Public Health Care We will strengthen health care and make sure all Canadians get the high-quality care they deserve. For more than a decade, Conservative inaction put the future of our public health care system at risk. We reversed that worrisome trend, moving forward with new health accords, investing billions more, and making sure that home care and mental health services have the funding they need to make a real difference in people’s lives. ’’ continue to make home care and palliative care more available across the country; and ’’ take the critical next steps to implement national universal pharmacare so that all Canadians have the drug coverage they need at an affordable price. We will back up these commitments with an additional commitment of $6 billion over the next four years, tied to outcomes and negotiated with the provinces and territories. We will continue to collaborate with the provinces and territories to move forward with more accessible care, shorter wait times, and better health outcomes, and we will: Child Disability Benefit ’’ make sure that every Canadian has access to a family doctor or primary health care team, improving the quality of care for the nearly five million Canadians who today lack access; Parents who care for their special needs children go the extra mile every day. They take care of their kids’ physical, emotional, and education needs; they advocate to get the care and services their kids need to be healthy and happy; they often work multiple jobs to pay for expensive services; and they never stop worrying about what other challenges the future might bring. These hard-working parents deserve our respect – and need our help. ’’ set clear national standards for access to mental health services so Canadians can get the support they need quickly, when they need it most; CHOOSE FORWARD : BUILDING A STRONG MIDDLE CLASS We will double support to parents who care for special needs kids. 14 We will move forward with more help for these family caregivers by immediately doubling the Child Disability Benefit. This tax-free monthly benefit helps children whose impairment is severe, and prolonged by certain conditions such as learning and speech disabilities, psychological disorders, and autism spectrum disorder, among others. We also recognize that there is more to do to improve how children and families access this benefit. We will work closely with families and experts as the benefit is increased, to ensure children get the help they need. This increased benefit would give families of a child with a disability more than $2,800 in extra help, right away, with up to $5,664 in total financial support available each year – giving more than 150,000 children and their families more money to help with the costs of care. Pediatric Cancer Research We will increase our investments in pediatric cancer research next year. Each year, nearly 1,000 children are diagnosed with cancer – a life-threatening diagnosis for many children and a life-changing moment for everyone who loves them. To improve federal health research that can help lead to better outcomes and healthier lives for these young patients, we will move forward with investing an additional $30 million next year in pediatric cancer research. We will also work closely with families, experts, and researchers over the next year to develop a long-term plan to ensure pediatric cancer research has the funding it needs to be sustainable and to help families when they need help most. $2,800 increase in support for children with disabilities CHOOSE FORWARD : BUILDING A STRONG MIDDLE CLASS 15 Ensuring A More Secure Retirement For Seniors After a lifetime of hard work, Canada’s seniors have earned a secure and dignified retirement. They deserve a retirement filled with family and friends, not financial worries. We will continue to move forward with investments that give our seniors a better quality of life, with stronger supports to help make ends meet – especially for our most vulnerable seniors. More Generous Support for Seniors We will make life more affordable for people as they age, with more generous support for seniors and widows. Canadians are living longer than ever before, but today’s seniors are also facing rising health care costs, and the number of seniors who rely on monthly benefits to make ends meet rises as seniors age. Even though as many as 238,000 seniors continue to live in poverty, Andrew Scheer voted against lowering the eligibility age for Old Age Security from 67 to 65. We moved forward with this change because we know it boosts seniors’ retirement savings by thousands of dollars and lets them retire earlier, so they can spend more time with their family and friends. To make life more affordable for people as they age, we will move forward with increasing the Old Age Security benefit by 10 per cent for seniors when CHOOSE FORWARD : BUILDING A STRONG MIDDLE CLASS they turn 75, and will continue to raise it along with inflation. This will help to lift more than 20,000 seniors out of poverty – two-thirds of whom are women – and will give greater financial security to more than three million seniors every year. For most seniors, it will mean up to $729 in additional financial help every year once they turn 75. We will also move forward with more help for seniors who have lost their partners. Most often, the surviving partners are women. We will work with the provinces and territories to give even more support to survivors, by increasing the Canada Pension Plan and Quebec Pension Plan 25% increase in cpp/qpp survivor’s benefit 16 survivor’s benefit by 25 per cent. This increase, worth up to $2,080 in additional benefits every year, will give more than 1.2 million seniors more money and greater peace of mind at a time when they need it most. CHOOSE FORWARD : BUILDING A STRONG MIDDLE CLASS 17 CHAPTER TWO Investing In Good, Middle Class Jobs CHOOSE FORWARD : INVESTING IN GOOD, MIDDLE CLASS JOBS 18 Helping Canada’s Entrepreneurs Succeed And Grow Canada’s entrepreneurs create jobs. In recent years, their hard work – and the hard work of the people who work for them – have helped push unemployment to historic lows, and given Canada a strong record of economic growth. At the same time, the cost of doing business can be a barrier to continued success. We will make it more affordable for businesses to move forward, grow and create more good jobs. More Help For Entrepreneurs Lower Costs, Less Red Tape We will help entrepreneurs get access to the capital they need to succeed and grow. We will lower costs and cut red tape for small business owners. From small home-based startups to growing mid-sized companies, entrepreneurs help create the kind of good jobs we can raise our families on. Though we have made good progress supporting growing businesses in Canada – including those led by women and young people – nearly one in five entrepreneurs say it’s still a challenge to get the financing they need from traditional financial institutions like banks and credit unions. Canada’s small businesses create good jobs, support vibrant communities, and help keep our economy moving forward. That’s why we lowered their taxes and it’s why we will continue to make sure that our small and medium-sized businesses have the support they need to succeed, by: To make it easier and more affordable to start and grow a business, we will create the Canada Entrepreneur Account, administered through the Business Development Bank of Canada, to provide up to 2,000 entrepreneurs with as much as $50,000 each to launch their new businesses. CHOOSE FORWARD : INVESTING IN GOOD, MIDDLE CLASS JOBS ’’ cutting the cost of federal incorporation by 75 per cent, to $50 from $200; ’’ eliminating all fees from the Business Development Bank of Canada, Export Development Canada, and Farm Credit Canada, for business advisory services like mentorship and training; 19 ’’ eliminating the “swipe fee” on HST and GST for credit transactions – which will save businesses nearly $500 million a year in fees, according to the Canadian Federation of Independent Business; ’’ implementing a voluntary, real-time e-payroll system to automate records of employment so that small businesses no longer have to submit detailed records to Service Canada; and To take advantage of this opportunity to attract and grow businesses that will help us meet the ambitious goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050, we will cut in half the corporate tax paid by companies that develop and manufacture zero-emissions technology. These lower taxes will create a strong incentive for businesses to set up shop in Canada, and help make Canada a true world leader in zero-emissions clean tech. ’’ giving $250 to every new business looking to expand their online services. Lower Taxes For Clean Tech Businesses We will cut corporate taxes in half for businesses that develop technologies or manufacture products that have zero emissions. The market for clean technology – which uses renewable energy and emits less pollution – is expected to exceed $2.5 trillion by 2022. That’s good news for our economy, and for our environment. CHOOSE FORWARD : INVESTING IN GOOD, MIDDLE CLASS JOBS 50% tax cut for some clean tech businesses 20 Building Strong Communities, Creating Jobs Investing in infrastructure creates good, middle class jobs. It helps to keep our economy strong and growing, and from cities and towns to villages and outports, makes our communities good places to call home. We will continue to invest in our communities and deliver a better quality of life for people, no matter where they live. A Commitment To Communities We will make sure that provinces and territories spend the federal infrastructure money they receive on infrastructure, and on time. In the last four years, we have made real progress when it comes to moving forward with the infrastructure communities across the country need – from community centres that bring people together to more efficient and reliable public transit in our biggest cities. More than 48,000 projects have been approved under the Investing in Canada Plan, the vast majority of which are already underway, creating good, middle class jobs and making our communities better places to live. At the same time, some provinces are playing political games – delaying project approvals and putting good jobs and our quality of life at risk. CHOOSE FORWARD : INVESTING IN GOOD, MIDDLE CLASS JOBS To make sure that the infrastructure that people and communities need is built, we will require that all provinces and territories identify and approve all of their long-term infrastructure priorities within the next two years. Funds that aren’t designated for specific projects by the end of 2021 will be reinvested directly in communities through a topup of the federal Gas Tax Fund. Nation-Building Infrastructure We will establish a National Infrastructure Fund to support projects that benefit all Canadians. From the Canadian Pacific Railway to the St. Lawrence Seaway to the Trans-Canada Highway, the big projects that helped to build our country have always needed the vision and leadership of government. While the need for significant national infrastructure continues, there exists no permanent mechanism through which the federal government can play a national coordinating role. 21 To fill this gap, we will move forward with creating a National Infrastructure Fund. The Fund will seek out and support major nation-building projects that will benefit people across various regions, connect our country, and help improve the quality of life and standard of living of Canadians in significant and long-lasting ways. We will begin right away by supporting projects like the Newfoundland-Labrador fixed transportation link, which will give people living on the island of Newfoundland a permanent and secure way to travel to and from mainland Canada, while helping to make things like food and household goods more affordable. Further projects will be identified as the National Infrastructure Fund is established. Support For Communities That Rely On Tourism We will help people living in communities that rely on tourism get the infrastructure their communities need. Tourism in Canada is strong and growing. Last year, Canadian communities of all sizes welcomed more than 21 million international visitors, supporting local economies and good, middle class jobs. At the same time, communities that see a big influx of visitors can sometimes find it hard to keep up with local needs – like adequate housing and community spaces. To help these communities better serve their residents, we will build on the new Federal Tourism Growth Strategy and move forward with a Tourism Community Infrastructure Fund to invest $100 million in the local needs of communities that rely on tourism, over the next four years. These funds will be delivered and managed through regional economic development agencies. Universal High-Speed Internet We will ensure that every Canadian has access to high-speed internet by 2030. For small businesses looking to reach customers around the world, seniors who want to stay in touch with family and friends, or students who want to move home for the summer but still need CHOOSE FORWARD : INVESTING IN GOOD, MIDDLE CLASS JOBS to be able to take online courses or apply for work, high-speed internet is a necessity, not a luxury. To ensure that every person in Canada has access to reliable, high-speed internet – including the 1.5 million households that would otherwise be underserved – we will move forward with building a fully connected Canada, including our rural, remote and northern communities. Earlier this year, we set a national target to ensure that 95 per cent of Canadian homes and businesses will have highspeed internet by 2026, and 100 per cent by 2030, no matter where they are located in the country. This ambitious plan will help businesses grow, create new jobs, and connect more people to the resources, services and information they need to build a better future. Public Transit We will strengthen investments in public transit to shorten commute times, cut air pollution, and grow our economy. In the last four years, we have made the largest investments in public transit in Canadian history, but traffic congestion continues to be a serious problem in our cities, making it hard for families to spend time together, and costing our economy about $15 billion a year in lost productivity. To give cities the predictable transit funding they need to plan for the future, we will move forward with making the federal commitment to fund public transit permanent, and will make sure that it keeps up with the rising cost of construction over time. This will mean an additional $3 billion more per year in stable, predictable funding for our cities’ transit needs, on top of transfers through the federal Gas Tax Fund. $3b increase in stable transit funding 22 Canada’s Coastal Communities We will continue to invest in our coastal communities. The small craft harbours in Canada’s coastal towns and cities are an important source of jobs for about 45,000 people, supporting fishing, tourism, and recreation, and helping to build strong and resilient communities. CHOOSE FORWARD : INVESTING IN GOOD, MIDDLE CLASS JOBS To build on our investments in renewing and repairing small craft harbours, and to ensure that Canada’s coastal communities are home to good middle class jobs for years to come, we will move forward with increasing investments in small craft harbours by $40 million per year. We will also work with communities to develop local economic development plans so that these harbours better service the needs of the fishing industry and local residents. 23 Investing In Rural Success Canada’s rural communities are home to millions of Canadians. From the small businesses that create good jobs to the farmers and ranchers that feed Canada and the world, the strength of our economy depends on their hard work and success. We will help our family farms stay strong in challenging times, invest to make sure that our rural communities are home to more good jobs, help connect rural communities with high-speed internet, and continue to make rural success a priority with a dedicated Minister of Rural Economic Development. More Stability For Farmers And Their Families We will expand support for farmers facing major environmental and business risks. Across Canada, hard-working farmers and their families help to grow the food that keeps people healthy and keeps our economy strong and growing. At the same time, because of the dramatic cuts Stephen Harper made to Canada’s business risk management programs, many are in a weaker position today – unable to manage the serious losses in income that can happen when commodity prices fall unexpectedly, when climate-related floods or droughts strike, or when a major market downturn occurs. risk management programs, with a special focus on Agri-Stability, and are prepared to increase federal support to farmers to help them manage risks beyond their control. We will also continue to work with farmers on tax measures to facilitate the intergenerational transfer of farms, making it easier for farmers to transfer or sell family farms to family members or others. Agri-Food Businesses We will streamline services and boost investments to help Canada’s food producers and processors succeed and grow. Canada’s food sector is an important source of hundreds of thousands of jobs, with the potential to create many more good, middle class jobs in the years to come. To ensure that farmers have access to the help they need when they need it, we will move forward with a collaborative review of Canada’s business CHOOSE FORWARD : INVESTING IN GOOD, MIDDLE CLASS JOBS 24 To give food producers and processors better and more timely support, and to meet our goal of making Canada the world’s second-largest exporter of agricultural products by 2025, we will merge existing financial and advisory services currently scattered between several agencies into Farm Credit Canada, whose mandate will be expanded and enhanced. The new entity, Farm and Food Development Canada, will serve as a single point of service to help all parts of Canada’s food economy develop, grow, and export to new markets. To help more food businesses access the capital and support they need to succeed and grow, we will also move forward with increasing Farm and Food Development Canada’s capital lending capability by up to $5 billion per year, on top of the existing support delivered by Farm Credit Canada. Supply Management We will make sure that farmers in supply managed sectors get the help they need to succeed. Canada’s free trade agreements with countries around the world help create and sustain good, middle class jobs. At the same time, recent trade deals – including the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) – present challenges for farmers in supply managed sectors. CHOOSE FORWARD : INVESTING IN GOOD, MIDDLE CLASS JOBS To date we have concluded arrangements with dairy producers and processors with respect to CETA, and have recently announced supports for dairy farmers relating to CPTPP. We will move forward to finish this work for all supply managed sectors, including processors, so they receive full and fair support. As CUSMA is ratified, we will take the same approach. Going forward, we will continue to defend supply management – and will work with all supply managed sectors to develop a vision for the future. Cleaner Fuels We will help our natural resources producers succeed and grow. With our abundant natural resources, Canada is also home to many of the key ingredients for cleaner fuels, such as canola, waste from agricultural crops, and wood. To help producers get the technology and infrastructure they need to scale up and create more good jobs, we will move forward with a new technology and commercial support fund, administered through Western Economic Diversification. This fund will help connect farmers, researchers, agribusinesses, and energy companies, and help give producers an advantage in the clean economy. 25 Supporting More Trade At Home And Around The World Trade is essential to Canada’s economic success. It gives Canadian businesses access to new markets and new customers and creates good, middle class jobs – jobs that pay better wages, help families make ends meet, and build strong communities. We will make it easier to trade here at home, and around the world. Free Trade Within Canada We will take bold steps to make free trade within Canada a reality. Across Canada, the livelihoods of millions of workers depend on the good trade deals we have negotiated with our trading partners. And while Canada is a leader when it comes to international trade – we are the only G7 country to have free trade agreements with all other G7 nations – there is still more work to be done to make sure people benefit from greater trade right here at home. Building on 2017’s Canadian Free Trade Agreement and more recent efforts to break down the barriers that limit trade between provinces and territories, we will move forward with new collaborative rules to streamline trade by promoting mutual recognition of standards from coast to coast to coast. This could mean, for example, that a professional who is licensed in one province is more easily able to work or practice in another. CHOOSE FORWARD : INVESTING IN GOOD, MIDDLE CLASS JOBS We will actively assert federal jurisdiction where needed, to help move forward with free trade within Canada, and will create a Canada Free Trade Tribunal to hear, investigate, and help resolve cases where domestic trade barriers may exist. Help For Canadian Businesses To Export And Grow We will seek out more opportunities for exporting companies to succeed, grow, and create more good jobs. As the only G7 country with free trade agreements with all other G7 nations, and with comprehensive trade deals that give our businesses access to billions of customers around the world, Canada is uniquely positioned to help our businesses succeed and grow. 26 To help create more opportunities and more good jobs, we will move forward with new investments to promote Canada’s global brand and make sure that our companies have the support they need to break into new markets. We will also look for opportunities for increased collaboration between our talented scientists, researchers, and innovators and those in other G7 countries and advanced economies. And to make sure that Canadian exporters have the help they need when they need it, we will give Canadian companies facing commercial or trade disputes abroad immediate, on-the-ground help through a Canada Commercial Counsellor Service. Help For Canadian Exporters We will help exporters who face commercial or trade disputes abroad. Last year, we set an ambitious goal to increase Canada’s exports by 50 per cent by 2025. It’s a goal within our reach, but with protectionism on the rise around the world, Canada’s exporters are vulnerable to unfair practices by other countries who don’t respect rules-based trade. Large corporations may have the resources to resolve these challenges in court, but the same isn’t always true for small or medium-sized businesses, especially those who are new to international trade. Just as our embassies support people when they get into challenging circumstances abroad, we need to protect the interests of Canadian companies. To help Canadian companies who encounter significant trade disputes around the world, we will move forward with a Canada Commercial Consular Service to help connect companies with local legal assistance and support. CHOOSE FORWARD : INVESTING IN GOOD, MIDDLE CLASS JOBS 27 CHAPTER THREE Protecting Our Environment And Moving Our Economy Forward CHOOSE FORWARD : PROTECTING OUR ENVIRONMENT AND MOVING OUR ECONOMY FORWARD 28 Fighting And Preparing For Climate Change Canadians know that climate change is real, and in the last four years, science has made it even more clear that the future of the planet is at risk. Young people understand this – that’s why they are marching in the streets, demanding action. We can’t afford to go back to the Harper years when the Conservatives did nothing about climate change. We need to take our lead from young people and step up our fight against climate change. And we need to do it now. A Net-Zero Emissions Future We will achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. When it comes to fighting climate change, one thing is clear: doing less costs people more. The best way through the climate emergency we are all facing is forward – toward a net-zero emissions future. Net-zero emissions – where there are no carbon emissions, or where emissions are completely offset by other actions that remove carbon from the atmosphere, such as planting trees – are essential to keeping the world our children and grandchildren grow up in safe and liveable. To help achieve this goal by 2050, we will: ’’ set legally-binding, five-year milestones, based on the advice of the experts and consultations with Canadians, to reach net-zero emissions; ’’ appoint a group of scientists, economists, and experts to recommend the best path to get to net-zero; ’’ exceed Canada’s 2030 emissions goal by introducing new carbon reducing measures; and ’’ ensure energy workers and communities can shape their own futures by introducing a Just Transition Act, giving workers access to the training, support, and new opportunities needed to succeed in the clean economy. A Price On Pollution And A Real Climate Plan We will continue to lead with a price on pollution and a plan to help reduce emissions. Climate change is already having a serious and irreversible effect on people, on our communities, and on our economy. We can’t afford half-measures or a wait-and-see approach. CHOOSE FORWARD : PROTECTING OUR ENVIRONMENT AND MOVING OUR ECONOMY FORWARD 29 That’s why, starting this year, it is no longer free to pollute anywhere in Canada. We put a price on pollution to help reduce emissions, and introduced a new rebate system that puts more money back in the pockets of Canadians. We will build on our national climate plan with new measures to help move Canada toward a net-zero emissions future, including strengthening existing rules to cut emissions from Canada’s biggest polluters, including oil and gas. Natural Climate Solutions We will plant two billion trees to clean our air and protect our communities. two billion trees planted to clean our air Canada’s vast forests, grasslands, and wetlands help clean our air, safeguard our water, and provide a home to wildlife. But just as nature is under threat from climate change, it can also be a critical ally in the fight against it. Natural climate solutions like planting trees and protecting grasslands can help us get closer to reaching our targets for lower emissions. To better support healthy ecosystems that help fight climate change, we will move forward with an ambitious plan to plant two billion trees over 10 years. This will help create about 3,500 seasonal jobs in tree planting each year, and will be part of a $3 billion commitment to better conserve and restore forests, grasslands, agricultural lands, wetlands, and coastal areas. As part of this commitment, we will also help cities expand and diversify their urban forests, will invest to protect Canada’s trees from infestations, and will help rebuild our forests after a wildfire. The New Climate Reality We will help people and communities deal with the realities of increased climate-related risks and disasters. Canadians know all too well that a changing climate comes with real risks to our safety, to our homes, and to our ability to make ends meet. To help people get ready for climate risks and realities, we will move forward with programs that help protect against some of the worst effects of climate change. We will: ’’ protect homeowners who are at high risk of flooding and don’t have adequate insurance protection, by creating a low-cost national flood insurance program; ’’ help Canadians better understand the risks they face when they buy a home, by working with provinces and territories to complete all flood maps in Canada; and ’’ develop a national action plan to assist homeowners with potential relocation for those at the highest risk of repeat flooding. Disaster Response We will make sure that people get the help they need when there is a federally declared disaster or emergency. The cost of climate change is undeniable. In Canada, we’ve paid out more in the last six years in response to floods and wildfires than we have in the past 40 years combined – and that doesn’t include the financial and emotional toll that disasters take on people, when crops go unplanted and homes are destroyed. To help people whose jobs and livelihoods are affected when disaster strikes, we will move forward with a new Employment Insurance Disaster Assistance Benefit, to be developed in consultation with experts, workers, and employers. This new benefit will launch in 2021 and will help replace the income that is lost when families need to temporarily stop working to protect their homes, or because they need to relocate to safety. Building on the $2 billion we have already invested in helping communities prepare for and prevent weather related disasters like floods and fires, we will move forward with an additional $1 billion investment over the next decade in the Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund, so communities have a proactive, permanent and sustainable way to address the emerging threats of climate change. CHOOSE FORWARD : PROTECTING OUR ENVIRONMENT AND MOVING OUR ECONOMY FORWARD 30 Clean Energy Transition We will invest every dollar we earn from the Trans Mountain Expansion Project in Canada’s clean energy transition. It is estimated that additional federal corporate income tax revenues resulting from the Trans Mountain Expansion Project could generate $500 million per year once the project has been completed. This money, as well as any profit from the sale of the pipeline, will be invested in natural climate solutions and clean energy projects that will power our homes, businesses, and communities for generations to come. CHOOSE FORWARD : PROTECTING OUR ENVIRONMENT AND MOVING OUR ECONOMY FORWARD 31 Making Communities Cleaner, More Efficient, And More Affordable The choices Canadians make every day – from the renovations we make on our homes to the kinds of cars we drive – have a real and meaningful impact on the environment we share. We will make it easier and more affordable for people and businesses to make choices that leave a cleaner world for our children and grandchildren. Energy Efficient Homes And Lower Energy Bills We will help make energy efficient homes more affordable, and help lower monthly energy bills. Today, many Canadians live in homes that aren’t energy efficient – which means higher utility bills and more pollution. At the same time, more and more homes are in danger of being destroyed from an ever-increasing number of floods and wildfires. It’s expensive to adapt to a changing climate, and we are going to help. To make life more affordable for Canadians, cut our emissions, and protect the environment, we will move forward with a plan to: ’’ help retrofit 1.5 million homes to help Canadians make their homes more energy efficient, and better protect them from climate-related risks; ’’ give interested homeowners and landlords a free energy audit; ’’ help homeowners and landlords pay for retrofits by giving them an interest-free loan of up to $40,000; ’’ help people buy newly built homes that are certified zero-emissions by giving them a Net Zero Homes Grant of up to $5,000; and $40k interest free loan for green renovations CHOOSE FORWARD : PROTECTING OUR ENVIRONMENT AND MOVING OUR ECONOMY FORWARD 32 ’’ invest $100 million in skills training, to ensure there are enough qualified workers to keep up with energy audits, retrofits, and net-zero home construction. To help Canadians save more on their monthly energy bills, we will also move forward with making Energy Star certification mandatory for all new home appliances starting in 2022. And to help make large commercial buildings more energy efficient, we will move forward with a national competition to create four $100-million long-term funds to help attract private capital that can be used for deep retrofits of large buildings, such as office towers. Zero-Emission Vehicles We will make it easier and more affordable for people to use zero-emission vehicles. Whether picking kids up from school, doing grocery shopping, visiting with friends, or making a delivery to customers, people and businesses need practical and cost-effective ways to get around. Zeroemission vehicles are a good solution – provided we have the right kind of infrastructure to support them. To make using zero-emission vehicles easier, we will move forward – in partnership with industry and communities – to install up to 5,000 charging stations along the Trans Canada Highway and other major road networks, and in Canada’s urban and rural areas. Northern communities, as well as apartments and condominiums, will also be included – connecting people and communities from coast to coast to coast. 5,000 charging stations built across canada As more and more people buy zero-emission vehicles, there will be a growing market of used vehicles for sale. To make buying a used zero-emission vehicle more affordable, we will expand the incentive that already exists for buying new zero-emission cars. This will provide a 10 per cent rebate on a used zero-emission vehicle up to a maximum value of $2,000. To help communities transition to using more zero-emission vehicles, we will require that new federal investments in public transit are used to support zero-emission buses and rail systems starting in 2023, and will work with municipalities to address any exceptional circumstances. Working in partnership with the provinces and territories, we will also move forward with a new fund to help more school boards and municipalities purchase 5,000 zero-emissions school and transit buses over the next five years. And to encourage more businesses to make the transition to zero-emission vehicles, we will explore measures to support the conversion of business fleets, such as those used by taxi and courier companies, and industrial vehicles, like mining trucks. Clean, Affordable Power We will work to make clean, affordable power available in every Canadian community. Canada is home to an abundant supply of clean and renewable sources of power – including hydro, wind, and solar – but in some places we lack the infrastructure to get this clean power to people’s homes and businesses in a reliable, affordable way. In addition to the impact this can have on the environment, this limits our ability to share energy resources in a way that benefits everyone. To help bring clean and affordable power to more communities, we will move forward with new clean electricity generation and transmission systems, in partnership with the provinces, territories and others. We will move forward with a new $5-billion Clean Power Fund. This fund will help support the electrification of Canadian industries, including our resource and manufacturing sectors, and make Canada home to the cleanest mills, mines, and factories in the world. The Clean Power Fund will also help support the transition of northern, remote, and Indigenous communities off reliance on diesel-fueled power and onto clean, renewable, reliable energy. This will be sourced through the Canada Infrastructure Bank’s existing resources. CHOOSE FORWARD : PROTECTING OUR ENVIRONMENT AND MOVING OUR ECONOMY FORWARD 33 Cleaner Marine Shipping We make Canada’s major ports among the cleanest and most efficient in the world. Canada’s coastal communities are home to people who work hard, and who help keep local and regional economies strong and growing. At the same time, around the world, marine shipping is a significant source of carbon emissions – something that threatens everyone’s well-being. That’s why we have moved forward with a significant pilot project that will deliver quieter, lower-emissions tankers for transporting oil from the Trans Mountain pipeline. To help make Canada’s ports some of the world’s cleanest in the world, we will support efforts that convert ships from heavy oil and diesel, such as the ferries serving Canada’s coastal communities. We will work with partners over the next year to design and introduce appropriate programs. CHOOSE FORWARD : PROTECTING OUR ENVIRONMENT AND MOVING OUR ECONOMY FORWARD 34 Protecting Canada’s Natural Legacy Whether camping with our families, learning to swim in a cold lake, going ice fishing with our friends, or watching our kids play in the leaves on a warm fall day, Canada’s extraordinary nature, parks, and wild spaces are central to our identity as Canadians. Canada is one of the most beautiful places on Earth. It’s up to all of us to help keep it that way. A New Generation of Campers We will help every Canadian child learn how to camp. Around the world, young people are speaking out – demanding that their governments take bold action to protect nature and the future of our planet. One of the best ways to encourage this inspiring climate leadership is by helping the next generation of Canadian kids experience Canada’s natural beauty firsthand. To give every Canadian child the chance to learn how to camp by the time they reach grade eight, we will move forward with expanding the successful Learn to Camp program. This will make it possible for 400,000 kids each year to learn basic camping skills. To make sure that our National Parks are accessible to all families no matter their economic circumstances, we will also move forward with giving 75,000 less privileged children and their families an up to four-night trip to one of Canada’s national or provincial parks. This will include camping accommodations and a travel bursary of up to $2,000 so that families can more easily afford a once-in-a-lifetime trip to more national parks, like Banff, Forillon, Gros Morne, and the Cape Breton Highlands. We will also partner with VIA Rail to make these opportunities accessible and affordable for more families. More Conservation We will protect 25 per cent of Canada’s land and 25 per cent of Canada’s oceans by 2025. Canada has the longest coastline in the world, one-fifth of the world’s fresh water, and vast and wild forests – but climate change puts them all at risk. It’s more important than ever to protect the natural landscape we all know and love. CHOOSE FORWARD : PROTECTING OUR ENVIRONMENT AND MOVING OUR ECONOMY FORWARD 25% protected land and water in canada 35 To protect more of Canada for our kids and grandkids to enjoy, we will move forward with an ambitious plan to conserve 25 per cent of Canada’s land and 25 per cent of Canada’s oceans by 2025, working toward 30 per cent in each by 2030. We will ground these efforts in science, Indigenous knowledge, and local perspectives, and will advocate for countries around the world to set a 30 per cent conservation goal as well. A Ban On Single-Use Plastics We will continue efforts to reduce plastics and protect people from harmful chemicals. Our landfills, our shorelines, and the oceans we share with others are no place for plastic. To reduce plastic pollution, we are taking steps to ban harmful single-use plastics. This builds on our existing ban on products with plastic microbeads, which threaten the health of our lakes, oceans, and wildlife. We will also move forward with new standards and targets for businesses that manufacture plastic products or sell items with plastic packaging, to make sure they take full responsibility for collecting and recycling their plastic waste. And to better protect people from toxins, and other pollution, we will move forward to further strengthen Canada’s Environmental Protection Act. Fresh Water We will keep Canada’s fresh water safe and clean, even in a changing climate. No resource is more important to people than fresh, clean water – our lives and livelihoods depend on it. At the same time, the serious and damaging effects of climate change – from storms and floods to wildfires and droughts – threaten our ability to properly manage this precious resource. To ensure that Canada is better prepared to protect and manage our fresh water in a changing climate, we will move forward with a new Canada Water Agency. The Agency will work together with the provinces and territories, Indigenous communities, local authorities, scientists, and others to find the best ways to keep our water safe, clean, and well-managed. We will also continue to move forward with greater protection for the Great Lakes – the largest body of fresh water on Earth – and other large lakes like Lake Winnipeg. Healthy Oceans We will protect the health of Canada’s oceans. From coast to coast to coast, the health of Canada’s oceans matters – to the people whose livelihoods depend on them and to the marine species, including whales and commercial fishing stocks, that cannot exist without them. To protect these important waters, we have moved forward with some of the strongest ocean conservation and protection plans in the world. To keep Canada’s oceans healthy, we will move forward with more investments in marine science and fighting invasive species, and will work with coastal communities, Indigenous communities, and others to better protect fish stocks and marine habitats from changes resulting from climate change. This will include introducing Canada’s first-ever Aquaculture Act. In British Columbia, we will work with the province to develop a responsible plan to transition from open net pen salmon farming in coastal waters to closed containment systems by 2025. CHOOSE FORWARD : PROTECTING OUR ENVIRONMENT AND MOVING OUR ECONOMY FORWARD 36 CHAPTER FOUR 5 Building A Stronger C?nada Keeping Canadians Safe Canadian communities are fundamentally safe and peaceful places to live, work and play – but that doesn’t mean there isn’t more work to do. We will continue to move forward with the things that keep Canadians safe today, as we build a safer and more secure world for our children and grandchildren. Gun Control We will ban assault rifles and crack down on gun crime. Gun crime is on the rise, and too often people are killed or injured because criminals have used military-style assault rifles. These guns are designed to inflict mass casualties and have no place in Canada. Canadians are tired of excuses and know that “thoughts and prayers” don’t make our communities any safer. Unlike Conservatives, who want to weaken Canada’s gun laws, we will make gun laws stronger. We will move forward with a ban on all military-style assault rifles, including the AR-15, and will take other steps to keep people safe from gun violence, including: ’’ introducing a buyback program for all military-style assault rifles legally purchased in Canada, with fair market prices for owners and more resources for law enforcement to administer the program; ’’ working with provinces and territories to give municipalities the ability to further restrict or ban handguns; and CHOOSE FORWARD : BUILDING A STRONGER CANADA ’’ protecting the rights of hunters and farmers, by not bringing back the long-gun registry. Hunters and farmers do not use or need assault weapons. To crack down on gun crime and make our communities safer places to live, we will: ’’ continue to fight gang-related violence, by investing an additional $50 million each year, for five years, in a dedicated funding stream to help municipalities meet the needs of communities at risk; ’’ work to expand successful diversion programs to keep at-risk youth out of the criminal justice system; ’’ make sure the Canada Border Services Agency and Royal Canadian Mounted Police have the resources they need to detect and stop the flow of weapons at our borders; ’’ require everyone importing ammunition to show proof of a valid firearms license; ’’ make it harder for legal weapons to get into the hands of criminals by further strengthening safe-storage laws; 38 ’’ address the problem of gender-based and intimate-partner violence head on, by temporarily suspending firearms licenses for people who are suspected of posing a danger to themselves or others, including their partners or kids; ’’ introduce a system for flagging bulk purchases of guns; ’’ strengthen penalties for people seeking to smuggle firearms into Canada; and ’’ limit the glorification of violence, by changing the way firearms are advertised, marketed, and sold in Canada. Access to Justice We will give more support to survivors and victims and help bring more criminals to justice. more judges Canadian communities are overwhelmingly safe places to live, but when crime does occur, it’s essential that people get the support they need, and that perpetrators be brought to justice. to improve access to justice To ensure that the rights of survivors and victims, and the principles of justice are upheld, we will move forward with: 225 ’’ providing free legal aid to survivors of sexual assault and intimate partner violence, to make sure that they have access to quality, affordable legal representation; ’’ establishing an independent Criminal Case Review Commission, to make it easier and faster for potentially wrongfully convicted people to have their applications reviewed; ’’ requiring that all judges in Canada undertake mandatory training on sexual assault law, including myths and stereotypes about victims and the effects of trauma on victims’ memory (the “Ambrose bill”); and ’’ providing additional support to the provinces and territories, to enable them to hire as many as 425 new Crown prosecutors, and 225 new judges, to help reduce delays. CHOOSE FORWARD : BUILDING A STRONGER CANADA National Security We will keep people safe, while safeguarding Canadians’ rights and freedoms. Canadians should feel safe in their communities, and confident that their rights are being respected and upheld. In the last four years, we have helped make our borders more secure, and taken steps to make sure that our security agencies are better able to manage cybersecurity threats, including threats to our democracy. At a time of greater uncertainty and unrest, we need to build on this progress, not slow down. To better coordinate efforts to prosecute terror suspects to the fullest extent of the law, we will move forward with the creation of a Director of Terrorism Prosecutions. This new office will make sure that Canadians who travel abroad to join terrorist organizations, or who participate in terrorist organizations here at home, are brought to justice. We will also move forward with more support for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, so that they can hire and train 100 additional officers for offices and embassies abroad. This will improve our ability to combat terrorism, human trafficking, drug smuggling, money laundering, and other forms of organized crime. We will also move forward with reintroducing legislation to create a review body for the Canada Border Services Agency – the only remaining security agency that does not have its own independent review. Drug Use and Addiction We will make it easier for people to get the help they need, with better access to treatment. Thousands of people in Canada die from overdoses related to drug use. Last year, more than 4,400 of those deaths were from opioid use alone, and methamphetamine addiction is also on the rise. The opioid crisis is the greatest public health emergency since the AIDS epidemic, and could lead to a decrease in Canadians’ life expectancies for the first time in modern history. 39 To help more people access the addiction treatment services they need, we will move forward with new investments that help provinces and territories expand community-based services, build more in-patient rehab beds, and scale up the most effective programs – such as extending hours for InSite and other safe consumption sites. People who work in Canada’s correctional system also play a critical role in protecting the public, doing difficult work in a uniquely challenging and often dangerous environment. Thankfully, work-related deaths are rare for these employees, but when they happen, we need to be there to support the families they leave behind. We will also make drug treatment court the default option for first-time non-violent offenders charged exclusively with simple possession, to help drug users get quick access to treatment, and to prevent more serious crimes. Privacy and Data Protection Elder Abuse We will help protect our seniors from abuse. Every year, about one in ten seniors is a victim of crime, but many seniors are reluctant to report it – with only half of violent crimes against seniors reported to police, and only about a third of financial crimes being reported. To help combat elder abuse and better protect victims, we will move forward with a national definition of elder abuse, invest in better data collection and law enforcement, and establish new penalties in the Criminal Code relating to elder abuse. First Responders We will take care of the people who take care of us. Our firefighters, police officers, and paramedics put their own safety on the line every day in service to all Canadians, at great personal expense. We will continue to support our first responders and public safety workers by recommitting to advancing Canada’s first-ever National Action Plan on post-traumatic stress injuries. In recognition of this unique service, we created the Memorial Grant Program for First Responders, which provides a lump-sum, tax-free payment of up to $300,000 to family members of first responders who have died as a result of their duties. We will expand the Memorial Grant Program to include correctional workers by the end of 2020, and will continue to consult with other public safety workers to further broaden the program as appropriate. CHOOSE FORWARD : BUILDING A STRONGER CANADA We will protect consumers’ rights online, and bring forward new regulations for large digital companies. Today, a limited number of very large companies hold an extraordinary amount of personal data about Canadians. This can help to make things like online shopping and connecting with family and friends easier and more convenient, but the lack of regulation for online platforms like Facebook and Google – as well as companies that possess large amounts of data, like banks and credit card companies – also means that people have less control over their own personal information. To make sure that people can exercise more control over their online lives and the use of their personal data, we will move forward with Canada’s Digital Charter. Overseen and enforced by a more powerful Privacy Commissioner, the Charter will establish a new set of online rights, to help people feel more confident about and in control of their personal data, including the right to: ’’ data portability, so that people can take their data from platform to platform; ’’ withdraw, remove, and erase basic personal data from a platform; ’’ know how personal data is being used, including knowing who has access to it, supported by a national advertising registry where companies would have to report with whom your data is being shared or sold, with the ability to withdraw consent at any time; ’’ review and challenge the amount of personal data that a company or government has collected; ’’ data security, compelling those who use personal data to take proactive steps to adequately protect it; 40 ’’ be informed when personal data is breached, and to be compensated accordingly; and ’’ be free from discrimination online, including bias and harassment. To better protect people’s personal data and to encourage greater competition in the digital marketplace, we will also move forward with new regulations for large digital companies, overseen by a newly-created Data Commissioner. CHOOSE FORWARD : BUILDING A STRONGER CANADA 41 Supporting Veterans And Their Families Veterans have given years of their lives in service to others, driven by a profound sense of duty. So have their families. Both have earned our deep gratitude and respect. We will move forward to make sure that every veteran gets the help they need, and will support their families when they need it, too. Mental Health Support Disability Benefits We will reach out to every Canadian veteran to make sure they get timely and effective mental health care, when and where they need it. We will make it easier for veterans to get disability benefits. Nearly two out of every five veterans report some form of mental health challenge – nearly double the Canadian average – with depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and anxiety disorders the most commonly diagnosed issues. But today, only about 10 per cent of veterans who need mental health support get the help they need from Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC). That’s not acceptable. To ensure that our veterans have access to high-quality mental health care when and where they need it, we will move forward with a new rapid-response service staffed by social workers, case management counsellors, and peer support workers. We will proactively reach out to every Canadian veteran to make sure that they know about the help available, and how to access it. CHOOSE FORWARD : BUILDING A STRONGER CANADA No veteran should ever have to suffer in silence. To help ease the stigma that many may feel about starting a disability claim, and to make sure that every veteran gets the help they need, we will give our veterans up to $3,000 in free counselling services before a disability claim is required. This will give veterans in need of help nearly six months of free support, provided directly by VAC or one if its service partners, and will help as many as 20,000 veterans each year. And to simplify and shorten the process, we will move forward with automatic approval for the most common disability applications, including depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and arthritis, among others. 42 Support for Families Homeless Veterans We will help families settle in when duty forces them to relocate. We will make sure every homeless veteran has a place to call home. Every year, about 10,000 members of the Canadian Armed Forces and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police are relocated, along with their families, to work in a different part of Canada. This may mean a promotion or a chance to try new things – but it can also be a time of tremendous stress as families adapt to new routines and partners look for new work. Every year, about 3,000 veterans of the Canadian Armed Forces and Royal Canadian Mounted Police use the services of an emergency shelter. After their dedicated and selfless service to our country, Canadians can all agree: one homeless veteran is one too many. To help family members more easily adjust to their new homes, we will move forward with a national employment and training support service. This service will provide career counselling, job matching, and other employment help tailored to the unique needs of military and policing families. We will also give families a tax-free $2,500 benefit every time they relocate, to help with retraining, recertification, and other costs of finding new work. CHOOSE FORWARD : BUILDING A STRONGER CANADA To address veterans’ homelessness, we will move forward with building new, purpose-built accessible and affordable housing units, with a full range of health, social, and employment supports for veterans who need extra help. We will support this work with an additional investment of $15 million a year. 43 Promoting Equality And Diversity Canada is one of the most diverse and welcoming countries in the world – a place where people can be themselves, find comfort in community, and build better lives for themselves and their families. At a time when intolerance and hate is on the rise around the world, we will recommit to being a place where everyone matters, and where no one is left behind. A Renewed Commitment to Equality Diversity in Leadership We will renew our commitment to reaching full gender equality. We will continue to build a government as diverse as Canada. The federal government made a commitment to considering the gender impacts of its decisions more than two decades ago, dating back to the 1995 World Conference on Women – Conservative governments failed to live up to that promise. Government makes better decisions – and Canadians are better served – when the people making decisions reflect Canada’s diversity. We have made some important progress in the last four years, but it’s clear that there is more work to be done. Because public policies affect women and men in different ways, we made gender budgeting and Gender-based Analysis Plus (GBA+) a permanent part of the federal budget-making process. We will continue to move forward with their use, and in recognition of the Conference’s 25th anniversary next year will: ’’ renew our commitment to a Federal Plan for Gender Equality, including a coordinated strategy built on the Gender Results Framework and other international agreements; and We will continue to show leadership with another gender-balanced Cabinet that reflects the diversity of Canada, and will move forward with other measures that help to build a more diverse government. We will improve diversity in appointments to federal agencies and bodies, and will promote more qualified, diverse Canadians to senior positions within the public service. ’’ ensure that rigorous GBA+ continue to be performed on all policy proposals. CHOOSE FORWARD : BUILDING A STRONGER CANADA 44 An End to Gender-Based Violence We will take more steps to protect Canadians from violence based on their gender or gender expression. The roots of gender-based violence are all around us – in the ads and commentary that objectify women, the jokes that demean members of the LGBTQ2 community, and with the expectation of rigid gender norms. In the last four years, we’ve made a difference with investments to prevent gender-based violence, stronger supports for survivors, and a more responsive justice system. Still, not everyone is able to get the help they need when they need it the most. To help protect more people and bring an end to gender-based violence, we will build on the foundation we laid with the Gender-Based Violence Strategy and move forward with an additional $30 million investment to develop a National Action Plan. This will help ensure that anyone facing gender-based violence has reliable and timely access to protection and services, no matter who they are or where they live. Sexual and Reproductive Health We will protect a woman’s right to make decisions about her body, and make family planning and sexual and reproductive health care more accessible and affordable. We believe that women have the right to make all decisions about their own bodies – full stop. That is why we will always protect a woman’s right to access an abortion should she make that choice. CHOOSE FORWARD : BUILDING A STRONGER CANADA Meanwhile, Conservative candidates in Canada are cozying up to organizations that want to take that right away – and after decades of progress, the fundamental right for a woman to choose what she wants to do with her body is being thrown into question. We won’t take Canada backward to the debates Canadian women have already fought – and won. Instead, we will move forward and work with provinces and territories to make sure that sexual and reproductive health medications are covered under national pharmacare. Better Health Care for Women We will work towards equal treatment in health care for women. Canada’s publicly-funded universal health care system is a source of pride for Canadians – it keeps us healthy, cares for us when we are sick, and makes sure that everyone who needs care gets it, regardless of their ability to pay. At the same time, not everyone receives the same quality of care – and this is especially true for women. To deliver better health care for women, we will move forward to find and eliminate the gaps in the quality of care women receive. We will: ’’ work with the Canadian Institutes of Heath Research to integrate sex and gender-based analyses, as well as diversity analyses, to ensure research takes diversity factors into account to improve women’s health care; and ’’ create a National Institute for Women’s Health Research, the first of its kind in Canada. The Institute would bring together experts in women’s health from across the country to tackle persistent gaps in research and care – taking an intersectional approach that includes race, ability, indigeneity and more. 45 Funding for LGBTQ2 Groups We will provide more funding to LGBTQ2 organizations doing work in the community. Members of the LGBTQ2 community and their allies have always been on the frontlines of the fight to make it easier for people to love honestly and live openly. To support this important and life-saving work, we will move forward with additional investments to help more LGBTQ2 organizations hire staff, expand services and reach a greater number of people. This will be supported by an investment of $10 million a year, over three years. LGBTQ2 Support Lines We will make sure that LGBTQ2 people get the mental health support they need. The challenges that LGBTQ2 people face – from bullying and discrimination to isolation and alienation – are closely linked to their higher rates of mental health challenges, including an increased prevalence of suicide and suicide-related behaviour. To support more LGBTQ2 people in need, earlier this year we launched a pan-Canadian, 24/7 mental health crisis hotline. To ensure that the community continues to be well-served by hotlines and other support services, we will move forward with an additional investment of $2 million a year to continue this work, including support lines that provide sexual education. A Ban on Conversion Therapy We will amend the Criminal Code to ban the practice of conversion therapy. Conversion therapy is a scientifically discredited practice that targets vulnerable LGBTQ2 Canadians in an attempt to change their sexual orientation or gender identity. There is international consensus in the medical community that conversion therapy is not founded in science and does not work. CHOOSE FORWARD : BUILDING A STRONGER CANADA To ensure that no one is subjected to this practice, we will move forward on our promise to work with provinces and territories to end conversion therapy in Canada, including making amendments to the Criminal Code that will prohibit this harmful and scientifically disproven practice, especially against minors. An End to the Blood Ban We will end the discriminatory blood donation ban. In 2015, we promised to end the blood donation ban – one that is discriminatory to gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men. Since then, that lifetime ban was reduced to one year, then down to three months in 2019. But we know there is more to do. We are committed to eliminating the ban altogether, and will move forward in partnership with Canadian Blood Services and Héma-Québec to support the implementation of a behaviour-based model that eliminates the ban once and for all. Fighting Racism in Canada We will do more to fight racism and discrimination in Canada. Addressing racism and discrimination is important to Canadians, because our country’s diversity is a source of strength. At the same time, Canada is not immune to racism. Systemic racism and discrimination can affect the way people are hired or promoted, the kinds of service they receive, or how they interact with institutions like schools and courtrooms. To address systemic discrimination and unconscious biases, we introduced the new Anti-Racism Strategy. The Strategy will help build awareness of the historical roots of racism, and empower communities to draw on their lived experiences as we work together to build a more accepting and equal country. 46 To continue this important work, we will move forward to: ’’ strengthen the Anti-Racism Strategy and double its funding; ’’ boost funding for community-led initiatives to promote inclusion and combat racism; and ’’ improve the quality and amount of data collection Statistics Canada does regarding hate crimes in Canada, to help create effective and evidence-based policies to counteract these crimes. Equality at Work We will improve equality in Canada’s job market. Our economy is strong and growing, with more than a million new jobs created since we came into office. While that is good news for people looking for work, it’s little comfort to anyone who finds good opportunities out of reach because of their gender, race, ability, or other intersectional identity factors. To help more visible minority newcomer women find and keep a good job, we will build on the research, support and employment projects announced earlier this year, and move forward with an additional $9 million investment over three years. To ensure that racialized and Indigenous young people face fewer barriers at the beginning of their working lives, we will both enhance the Youth Employment Strategy and ensure that the upcoming State of Youth reports take an intersectional approach that includes race. We will also work with economic development, agricultural and trade organizations to ensure that underrepresented communities are better served and more informed about the programs and services that can help them find and keep good, middle class jobs. And we will provide funding to the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research so that they can create academic research grants for studies on race, diversity and gender in Canada. CHOOSE FORWARD : BUILDING A STRONGER CANADA A Fairer Justice System We will make sure the criminal justice system works for all Canadians. Visible minorities are overrepresented in our criminal justice system. This needs to change. To make sure that the criminal justice system works for all Canadians, we will move forward with mandatory training on unconscious bias and cultural competency for all judges in Canada. Building on Canada’s ground-breaking Bias-Free Framework in National Security, we will also invest an additional $11 million over four years to ensure all officials in Canada’s enforcement and security agencies have access to this critical training. And to better address the root causes of crime and help break the cycle of reoffending, we will work with the provinces and territories to establish a Community Justice Centres program, which puts courts alongside other critical social services. Online Hate Speech, Exploitation and Harassment Online We will target online hate speech, exploitation and harassment, and do more to protect victims of hate speech. Social media is a powerful tool – it connects us to our family and friends, lets us be a part of important social movements, and helps us learn about people whose different views can challenge or strengthen our own. At the same time, it can also be used to threaten, intimidate, bully and harass people – or used to promote racist, anti-Semitic, Islamophobic, misogynist, and homophobic views that target communities, put people’s safety at risk, and undermine Canada’s long-standing commitment to diversity. We believe that when social media platforms are used to spread these harmful views, the platforms themselves must also be held accountable. 47 To help stop the proliferation of violent extremism online, we will move forward with new regulations for social media platforms, starting with a requirement that all platforms remove illegal content, including hate speech, within 24 hours or face significant financial penalties. This will also include other online harms, such as radicalization, incitement to violence, exploitation of children, or creation or distribution of terrorist propaganda. Because hate speech continues to harm people offline as well, we will also look at options for civil remedies for victims of hate speech. Extremism We will take steps to better understand extremism and prevent the radicalization that puts people and communities at risk. Around the world, and here at home, voices of intolerance are getting louder and angrier. Racism, white supremacy, antisemitism, Islamophobia, xenophobia, hate crimes, and discrimination are being actively fuelled by those who want to see a more divided world, and a more divided Canada. CHOOSE FORWARD : BUILDING A STRONGER CANADA Canada is not immune to hate. From Polytechnique in Montreal, to the Centre culturel islamique de Québec in Ste-Foy, to Yonge Street in Toronto, too many families and communities are grieving the loss of people they love because of a rise in extremist behaviour. To counter this rise in hate and intolerance, we will move forward with strengthened investments in the Canada Centre for Community Engagement and Prevention of Violence – the federal hub for combatting radicalization to violent extremism. We will dedicate an additional $6 million over three years to this important work. We will also invest in resources to counter the rise of international far-right networks and terrorist organizations. To prevent the growth of groups that meet the criteria for being designated terrorist organizations, we will continue to collaborate with like-minded countries and international organizations to identify and criminalize these groups.   48 Arts And Culture From the writers who tell our stories to the comedians who make us laugh to the artists whose music forms the soundtrack of our lives, Canadians are proud of the creativity we share with each other – and the world. Culture We will protect, promote, and strengthen the culture that brings people together and makes us strong. $200 credit for kids to explore culture In the last four years, we’ve made the biggest reinvestments in our cultural and creative industries in Canada’s history – investments that have helped stabilize CBC/ Radio-Canada, given more direct support to artists, and created more good jobs for the talented people who tell our stories. To ensure that more people have access to Canadian culture here and around the world, and to ensure that Canadian artists can continue to tell our stories, we will: ’’ introduce the Culture Pass, a $200 credit that every Canadian child will receive when they turn 12, to be used to access theatres, museums, galleries, workshops, and other cultural venues and local Canadian content; ’’ strengthen the regional mandate of CBC/RadioCanada, so that local stations can broadcast CHOOSE FORWARD : BUILDING A STRONGER CANADA more local news; and require CBC/RadioCanada to open up its digital platform, so that journalism start-ups and community newspapers can access affordable technology to develop and distribute local content; ’’ continue to support Canadian film by increasing annual funding for Telefilm Canada by nearly 50 per cent a year; ’’ review our national museums policy to make sure that people can access Canadian history across the country, with better access to digital collections; and will move forward with making the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Heritage Centre into a national museum; ’’ introduce a new Cultural Diplomacy strategy, with at least one international mission each year to promote Canadian culture and creators around the world; and ’’ move forward, in our first year, with legislation that will take appropriate measures to ensure that all content providers – including internet giants – offer meaningful levels of Canadian content in their catalogues, contribute to the creation of Canadian content in both official languages, and promote this content and make it easily accessible on their platforms. 49 Preserving Canada’s heritage is essential to understanding the history of our communities, and to fostering a sense of connection between people, yet current legislation offers little direction on how Canada’s heritage places are designated and protected, putting the preservation and care of these important places at risk. CHOOSE FORWARD : BUILDING A STRONGER CANADA To provide clearer direction on how national heritage places should be designated and preserved, we will move forward with new comprehensive heritage legislation on federally owned heritage places. 50 Protecting And Promoting Official Languages Along with Indigenous languages, Canada’s history is rooted in both English and French – our two official languages that helped to build a strong country and make us who we are today. Whether spoken at home, at work, among friends, or online, our official languages continue to be important to our sense of identity and essential to our future success. Official Languages and Bilingualism We will support minority-language rights and encourage more people to learn English or French as a second language. ’’ undertaking an enumeration of rights-holders and a thorough post-census survey to better account for – and better serve – minority-language communities. Across the country, strong, vibrant minority-language communities are continuing Canada’s proud tradition of linguistic duality, with both English and French as official languages. These communities need our continued support. Canada’s two official languages should be reflected not only in institutions but in the ability of people to speak and understand each other in both languages. To encourage more people to learn a second language, we will move forward with: To protect and promote the rights of minority-language communities, we will move forward with: ’’ working with the provinces and territories to ensure that all Canadians can access secondlanguage programs, like immersion, in their local schools if they choose to do so; ’’ modernizing the 50-year-old Official Languages Act, including making Radio-Canada’s mandate for regional news part of the Act, and making sure that Air Canada provides fully bilingual services to its customers; ’’ reviewing and strengthening the powers of the Commissioner of Official Languages; ’’ appointing only bilingual judges to the Supreme Court of Canada; and CHOOSE FORWARD : BUILDING A STRONGER CANADA ’’ new investments to help train, recruit and attract teachers in both immersion and second-language programs, based on new targets set by the provinces and territories; ’’ developing and promoting new opportunities for language and cultural exchanges; and 51 ’’ investing an additional $60 million to help build the infrastructure that supports strong minority-language communities, including schools and cultural centres. And to help the more than 600,000 Francophones in Ontario better access post-secondary education, we will move forward with the province to help establish the Université de l’Ontario français.  CHOOSE FORWARD : BUILDING A STRONGER CANADA 52 Helping Canadians Get Better Service Canadians work hard to take care of their families and communities, and shouldn’t have to shoulder a heavy burden when it comes to getting good quality service – from businesses or from their government. We will make it easier for people to get the help, benefits, and reliable information they deserve. More Protection for Consumers More Accurate Labelling We will make it easier for people to resolve complaints against powerful companies, and get the good service from government they deserve. We will help boost confidence in Canadian fish and seafood products, with new rules for tracing and labelling. Too often, when people want to make a complaint under existing consumer protection laws, they come face-to-face with confusing and disjointed rules, making it difficult to resolve their problems. Because of illegal fishing and complex international supply chains, it’s estimated that more than 40 per cent of the fish and seafood products sold in Canadian stores and restaurants are mislabelled. This makes it difficult for people to know what they are eating, and undermines confidence in Canada’s own fishing industries. To make it easier for people to register and resolve their complaints, we will move forward with a new Canadian Consumer Advocate. The Advocate will serve as an independent, single point of contact for people who need help with banking, telecom, or transportation-related complaints, and will be empowered to review complaints and, if founded, impose appropriate penalties. To combat this type of fraud and help Canadian fishers better market their high-quality products, we will move forward with a “boat-to-plate” traceability program, developed in partnership with industry and environmental leaders. We will also move forward with ambitious new goals to make sure that people are more satisfied with the service they receive from government agencies and departments. CHOOSE FORWARD : BUILDING A STRONGER CANADA 53 Strengthening Parliament And Public Institutions Parliament works best when its members are free to do what they have been elected to do: be the voice for their communities, and hold the government to account. We will take steps to strengthen Parliament and build a stronger public service. Parliamentary Reform We will give people a greater voice in Parliament, by improving the way that Parliament works. In the last four years, the changes we have brought to Parliament – from Senate reform to more free votes to regular Prime Minister’s Question Periods – have made Parliament more effective and more accountable to Canadians. But there is still more work to do. To ensure that Parliament better reflects the people it serves, we will move forward with additional reforms, including: ’’ eliminating the use of whip and party lists to give the Speaker greater freedom in calling on Members who wish to speak; and ’’ providing more resources to parliamentary committees so that they have the staff and research they need to deliver meaningful policy recommendations. We will also continue to move forward with the new, non-partisan, and merit-based Senate appointment process, and will update the Parliament of Canada Act to reflect the Senate’s new, non-partisan role. ’’ allocating more time for Private Members’ Business to be debated and voted on in Parliament; A More Effective Public Service ’’ working with Parliament to introduce new technology or other institutional changes to better connect Members with their constituents; Canada’s professional public service is one of the best in the world and works hard to deliver the programs and services people rely on. It needs the right resources and the right people to continue to serve Canadians well. CHOOSE FORWARD : BUILDING A STRONGER CANADA We will work with our professional public servants to deliver better service to Canadians. 54 To ensure the best possible service, we will move forward with: The Roles of the Minister of Justice and Attorney General ’’ entirely eliminating the backlog of outstanding pay issues for public servants as a result of the Phoenix pay system, so that they can focus on their work and not on resolving long-standing payroll problems; We will implement the recommendations of the McLellan review. ’’ reducing the time it takes to hire new public servants, with the goal of cutting in half the average time from ten to five months; We will move forward with all the recommendations put forward by the Hon. Anne McLellan in her recent review of the role and structure of the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada. ’’ improving project management capabilities, so that all major projects in government are led by a certified professional with at least five years of experience; and ’’ reducing the number of significant deficiencies identified by the Auditor General in subsequent follow-up audits of a department or program. CHOOSE FORWARD : BUILDING A STRONGER CANADA 55 CHAPTER FIVE Building A Better Future With Indigenous Peoples CHOOSE FORWARD : BUILDING A BETTER FUTURE WITH INDIGENOUS PEOPLES 56 Closing The Gap With Better Services In 2015, we promised a new relationship with Indigenous Peoples – one that would help deliver a better quality of life for their families and communities. While we have made a lot of progress together, more work needs to be done to build on the investments we’ve made and keep moving this important relationship – and our country – forward. Clean Water High-Quality Health Care We will eliminate all long-term drinking water advisories on reserve by 2021, and continue to take steps to ensure water stays safe to drink. We will ensure that Indigenous Peoples have access to the high-quality, culturally relevant health care and mental health services they need. Everyone in Canada should have reliable access to safe, clean drinking water, but for all the progress we’ve made, many people living in Indigenous communities still cannot safely drink or bathe in the water that comes from their taps. That needs to change. In a country as prosperous as Canada, no one should go without the care they need to stay healthy. Indigenous Peoples have the right to high-quality care that reflects distinctions-based needs, and that makes things like mental health, healing, assisted living and long-term care, and preventative care a priority, available when and where it is needed. In the last four years we have invested nearly $2 billion to build, repair, and upgrade public water systems in First Nations communities, and working with First Nations partners have eliminated 87 long-term drinking water advisories. We will move forward with investments to eliminate the rest of the advisories, and make sure that resources and training are in place to prevent future ones. To move forward with making high-quality health care a reality for all Indigenous Peoples, we will co-develop distinctions-based Indigenous Health legislation – backed with the investments needed to deliver this care – and will continue to work with Indigenous communities to ensure Indigenous control over the development and delivery of services. CHOOSE FORWARD : BUILDING A BETTER FUTURE WITH INDIGENOUS PEOPLES 57 Distinctions-Based Infrastructure Indigenous Languages We will work with Indigenous communities to address all major infrastructure needs by 2030. We will fully implement the Indigenous Languages Act. Our government has made significant investments in Indigenous communities to help build houses, schools, recreational centres, clinics, roads, and other essential infrastructure. Language connects us to our families and communities and helps us discover who we are – rooting us in our culture and affirming our identity. This is especially true for Indigenous Peoples, whose languages are reflective of unique histories, cultural practices and spiritual beliefs, and political and social systems. Even with these investments, Indigenous communities continue to experience real and pressing infrastructure needs, which contribute to ongoing levels of unacceptable poverty, and make it difficult for communities to prosper. This cannot continue. To address this infrastructure deficit, we will co-develop and invest in distinctions-based community infrastructure plans, and will move forward with addressing critical infrastructure needs – such as housing, all-weather roads, high-speed internet, health facilities, treatment centres, and schools – in First Nations, Inuit, and Métis communities by 2030. We will also move forward with new investments to support the ongoing operation and maintenance of this infrastructure. Indigenous Children We will fully implement the Act respecting First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Children, Youth and Families. Indigenous children make up less than eight per cent of all children but account for more than half of all children in foster care in private homes. The current system is broken and needs to change. To reduce the number of Indigenous children in care, and affirm the inherent rights of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis communities to care for their kids, we will ensure that the Act Respecting First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Children, Youth and Families is fully implemented. We will also move forward with long-term, predictable, and sufficient funding to support the full implementation of the Act. Yet today, there are no Indigenous languages that are considered to be safe in Canada, and three-quarters of Indigenous languages in Canada are endangered. We will ensure that the Indigenous Languages Act is fully implemented, in order to preserve, promote, and revitalize Indigenous languages in Canada. We will also move forward with long-term, predictable, and sufficient funding to support the full implementation of the Act. First Nations Policing We will improve public safety in First Nations communities. All communities benefit from policing that is professional and dedicated – and First Nations communities are no exception. To move forward with First Nations policing that serves First Nations communities well, we will co-develop a legislative framework for First Nations policing which recognizes First Nations policing as an essential service. We will also work with interested First Nations communities to expand the number of communities served by First Nations policing. CHOOSE FORWARD : BUILDING A BETTER FUTURE WITH INDIGENOUS PEOPLES 58 Clean, Reliable Energy Continued Progress We will ensure that Indigenous communities that currently rely on diesel are powered by clean, reliable energy by 2030. We will continue to invest in Indigenous priorities, in collaboration with Indigenous partners. Indigenous communities need safe, reliable sources of energy to power their communities, keep their homes heated, and keep their lights on. Without it, many rely on diesel to keep their homes, schools, and businesses up and running – a solution that’s costly for communities and damaging to the environment. We will work with Indigenous communities and move forward with investments that will see all Indigenous communities off diesel and instead powered by clean, renewable, and reliable sources of energy – such as hydro, wind, and solar – by 2030. Working in partnership with First Nations, Inuit, and the Métis Nation, we have made good progress in the last four years – helping to deliver a better quality of life for many Indigenous Peoples after a decade of indifference and neglect. That work is not done. Together, we will continue to move forward – in close collaboration with Indigenous partners – to deliver better and more timely distinctions-based support. We will continue to invest in the things that make a real difference in the lives of Indigenous Peoples and their communities, from education and skills training to early learning and child care. CHOOSE FORWARD : BUILDING A BETTER FUTURE WITH INDIGENOUS PEOPLES 59 Supporting Strong Indigenous Economies When Indigenous communities have a stake in local projects, and when Indigenous entrepreneurs have the help they need to succeed and grow, everyone benefits. Shared Revenue On Resource Projects Indigenous-Led Businesses We will make sure that Indigenous communities directly benefit from major resource projects. We will create more opportunities for Indigenous-led businesses to succeed. From ore to oil to natural gas, Canada is rich in natural resources – but for too long, the original caretakers of this land have been excluded from the benefits that come along with developing those resources. Across the country, Indigenous-led businesses are helping to create jobs, build strong communities, and make real progress on the important work of economic reconciliation. But there is more we can do to ensure their success. To ensure that Indigenous communities directly benefit from major resource projects in their territories, we will move forward with a new national benefits-sharing framework. To create more opportunities for these businesses to succeed and grow, we will move forward with a new target to have at least five percent of federal contracts awarded to businesses led by Indigenous Peoples. CHOOSE FORWARD : BUILDING A BETTER FUTURE WITH INDIGENOUS PEOPLES 60 Continuing On The Path Of Reconciliation The future of Canada’s relationship with Indigenous Peoples, and our ongoing journey of reconciliation, transcends any one government. But that should never be an excuse for inaction. We need to continue to move forward, to a place where Indigenous Peoples in Canada are in control of their own destiny, making their own decisions about their future. The UN Declaration On The Rights Of Indigenous Peoples We will take action to implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in the first year of a new mandate. Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission said that the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples charts a path “for reconciliation to flourish in 21st century Canada.” The last Conservative government dismissed it as an “aspirational document,” and Andrew Scheer blocked legislation to implement the Declaration – Bill C-262 – from being voted on in the Senate. We will move forward with introducing co-developed legislation to implement the Declaration as government legislation by the end of 2020. In this work, we will ensure that this legislation fully respects the intent of the Declaration, and establishes Bill C-262 as the floor, rather than the ceiling, when it comes to drafting this new legislation. Canada’s Treaty Obligations We will live up to the spirit and intent of Treaties, agreements, and other constructive arrangements. In the past, Canada routinely failed to live up to the spirit and intent of the Treaties, agreements, and constructive arrangements it had entered into with Indigenous Peoples. Through slow and steady work with Indigenous partners, that legacy is changing. To ensure that Canada implements the spirit and intent of Treaties, agreements, and other constructive arrangements, we will move forward with a new co-developed distinctions-based process for the ongoing review, maintenance, and enforcement of Canada’s treaty obligations between the Crown and Indigenous communities. This work will be supported by a new National Treaty Commissioner’s Office which will be designed and established with Indigenous partners. CHOOSE FORWARD : BUILDING A BETTER FUTURE WITH INDIGENOUS PEOPLES 61 Cultural Property And Ancestral Remains We will work with Indigenous partners to repatriate Indigenous cultural property and ancestral remains. In museums across Canada and around the world, items that are valuable and culturally significant to Indigenous Peoples are on display or locked in storage, including the remains of Indigenous ancestors. This practice does not respect the inherent dignity of Indigenous Peoples and the things they hold dear. We will move forward – in partnership with Indigenous Peoples – to develop a framework for repatriating Indigenous cultural property and ancestral remains. The Path Forward We will continue to move forward on the long path toward reconciliation and self-determination. Over the last four years we have made building a new relationship with Indigenous Peoples – one based on recognition of rights, respect, co-operation, and partnership – a true priority. That work must continue to move forward. We will continue work to implement the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action, and the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls’ Calls for Justice, in partnership with First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples. We will also continue to support Indigenous-led processes for rebuilding and reconstituting their nations, advancing self-determination and, for First Nations, the transition away from the Indian Act. To ensure timely and just resolution to specific claims, we will continue ongoing work with First Nations to re-design federal policies on additions-to-reserves, and the Specific Claims process. We will continue to make progress on Indigenous priorities, meeting regularly through the Assembly of First Nations – Canada Memorandum of Understanding on Joint Priorities, the Inuit-Crown Partnership Committee, and the Métis Accord. We will also host a First Ministers Meeting on First Nations, Inuit, and Métis priorities, and continue to advance meaningful inclusion of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis partners in federal and inter-governmental decision-making processes that have an impact on Indigenous rights and interests. CHOOSE FORWARD : BUILDING A BETTER FUTURE WITH INDIGENOUS PEOPLES 62 Supporting First Nations Priorities In the past four years, we have made significant progress on the things that matter to First Nations. We will continue to move forward to advance the priorities identified by First Nations, by: ’’ Continuing the work to eliminate all long-term drinking water advisories on reserve by 2021, and ensuring that water stays safe to drink. ’’ Co-developing distinctions-based Indigenous Health legislation – backed with the investments needed to deliver this care – and working with First Nations communities to ensure Indigenous control over the development and delivery of services. ’’ Addressing critical infrastructure needs in First Nations communities by 2030, and providing new investments to support the ongoing operation and maintenance of this infrastructure. ’’ Ensuring that the Act Respecting First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Children, Youth and Families is fully implemented, with long-term, predictable, and sufficient funding to support the full implementation of the Act. ’’ Working with First Nations to ensure that the Indigenous Languages Act is fully implemented, in order to preserve, promote, and revitalize Indigenous languages in Canada, supported with long-term, predictable, and sufficient funding. ’’ Moving forward with investments that will see all First Nations communities are off diesel and instead powered by clean, renewable and reliable sources of energy – such as hydro, wind, and solar – by 2030. ’’ Continuing – in close collaboration with First Nations partners – to deliver better and more timely distinctions-based support. We will continue to invest in the things that make a real difference in the lives of First Nations and their communities. ’’ Establishing a new national benefits-sharing framework to ensure that First Nations communities directly benefit from major resource projects in their territories. ’’ Moving forward with a new target to have at least five percent of federal contracts awarded to businesses led by Indigenous Peoples. ’’ Introducing co-developed government legislation to implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples by the end of 2020. CHOOSE FORWARD : BUILDING A BETTER FUTURE WITH INDIGENOUS PEOPLES 63 ’’ Moving forward with a new co-developed, distinctions-based process for the ongoing review, maintenance, and enforcement of Canada’s treaty obligations between the Crown and Indigenous communities. This work will be supported by a new National Treaty Commissioner’s Office which will be designed and established with Indigenous partners. ’’ Developing a framework for repatriating First Nations cultural property and ancestral remains. ’’ Continuing to work with First Nations to implement the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action, and the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls’ Calls for Justice. ’’ Working with First Nations to redesign federal policies on additions-to-reserves, and the Specific Claims process to ensure timely and just resolution to specific claims. ’’ Continuing to make progress on Indigenous priorities, meeting regularly through the Assembly of First Nations – Canada Memorandum of Understanding on Joint Priorities. ’’ Hosting a First Ministers’ Meeting on First Nations, Inuit, and Métis priorities, and continuing to advance meaningful inclusion of First Nations partners in federal and inter-governmental decision-making processes that have an impact on Indigenous rights and interests. ’’ Supporting a First Nations-led processes for rebuilding and reconstituting their nations, advancing self-determination and a transition away from the Indian Act. CHOOSE FORWARD : BUILDING A BETTER FUTURE WITH INDIGENOUS PEOPLES 64 Supporting Inuit Priorities Since 2015, we have made significant progress on the things that matter to Inuit. We will continue to move forward to advance the priorities identified by Inuit, by: ’’ Continuing to make progress on Inuit priorities, meeting regularly through the Inuit-Crown Partnership Committee, the primary vehicle for advancing reconciliation between Inuit and the federal government. ’’ Working to develop and implement an Inuit Nunangat policy. ’’ Co-developing distinctions-based Indigenous Health legislation – backed with the investments needed to deliver this care – and on the development and delivery of services for Inuit. ’’ Addressing critical infrastructure needs in Inuit communities across Inuit Nunangat by 2030 and providing new investments to support the ongoing operation and maintenance of this infrastructure. ’’ Ensuring that the Act Respecting First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Children, Youth and Families is fully implemented, with long-term, predictable, and sufficient funding to support the full implementation of the Act. ’’ Working with Inuit to ensure that the Indigenous Languages Act is fully implemented, in order to preserve, promote, and revitalize Indigenous languages in Canada, supported with long-term, predictable, and sufficient funding. ’’ Moving forward with investments that will see all Inuit communities are off diesel and instead powered by clean, renewable and reliable sources of energy – such as hydro, wind, and solar – by 2030. ’’ Continuing – in close collaboration with Inuit partners – to deliver better and more timely distinctions-based support. We will continue to invest in the things that make a real difference in the lives of Inuit communities. ’’ Establishing a new national benefits-sharing framework to ensure that Inuit communities directly benefit from major resource projects in Inuit Nunangat. ’’ Moving forward with a new target to have at least five percent of federal contracts awarded to businesses led by Indigenous Peoples. ’’ Introducing co-developed government legislation to implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples by the end of 2020. CHOOSE FORWARD : BUILDING A BETTER FUTURE WITH INDIGENOUS PEOPLES 65 ’’ Continuing work to fully implement Inuit land claims agreements. ’’ Moving forward with a new co-developed, distinctions-based process for the ongoing review, maintenance, and enforcement of Canada’s treaty obligations between the Crown and Indigenous communities. This work will be supported by a new National Treaty Commissioner’s Office which will be designed and established with Indigenous partners. ’’ Continuing to work with Inuit to improve food security in Inuit Nunangat, including the implementation of the Harvester Support Grant. ’’ Hosting a First Ministers’ Meeting on First Nations, Inuit, and Métis priorities, and continuing to advance meaningful inclusion of Inuit partners in federal and inter-governmental decision-making processes that have an impact on Indigenous rights and interests. ’’ Developing a framework for repatriating Inuit cultural property and ancestral remains. ’’ Continuing to work with Inuit to implement the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action, and the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls’ Calls for Justice. CHOOSE FORWARD : BUILDING A BETTER FUTURE WITH INDIGENOUS PEOPLES 66 Supporting Métis Nation Priorities We have made significant progress over the last four years on the things that matter to the Métis Nation. We will continue to move forward to advance the priorities identified by the Métis Nation, by: ’’ Co-developing distinctions-based Indigenous Health legislation – backed with the investments needed to deliver this care – and the development and delivery of services for the Métis Nation communities. ’’ Addressing critical infrastructure needs in Métis Nation communities by 2030, and providing new investments to support the ongoing operation and maintenance of this infrastructure. ’’ Ensuring that the Act Respecting First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Children, Youth and Families is fully implemented, with long-term, predictable, and sufficient funding to support the full implementation of the Act. ’’ Working with the Métis Nation to ensure that the Indigenous Languages Act is fully implemented, in order to preserve, promote, and revitalize Indigenous languages in Canada, supported with long-term, predictable, and sufficient funding. ’’ Continuing to move forward – in close collaboration with the Métis Nation – to continue to deliver better and more timely distinctions-based support. We will continue to invest in the things that make a real difference in the lives of the Métis Nation and its communities. ’’ Establishing a new national benefits-sharing framework to ensure that Métis Nation communities directly benefit from major resource projects. ’’ Moving forward with a new target to have at least five percent of federal contracts awarded to businesses led by Indigenous Peoples. ’’ Introducing co-developed government legislation to implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples by the end of 2020. ’’ Moving forward with a new co-developed, distinctions-based process for the ongoing review, maintenance, and enforcement of Canada’s treaty obligations between the Crown and Indigenous communities. This work will be supported by a new National Treaty Commissioner’s Office which will be designed and established with Indigenous partners. ’’ Developing a framework for repatriating Métis Nation cultural property and ancestral remains. ’’ Continuing to work with the Métis Nation to implement the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action, and the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls’ Calls for Justice. CHOOSE FORWARD : BUILDING A BETTER FUTURE WITH INDIGENOUS PEOPLES 67 ’’ Continuing to make progress on Métis Nation priorities, meeting regularly through the CanadaMétis Accord, and annual Crown-Métis Nation Summits. ’’ Continuing the work of advancing self-determination with the Métis Nation. ’’ Hosting a First Ministers’ Meeting on First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Nation priorities, and continuing to advance meaningful inclusion of Métis Nation partners in federal and inter-governmental decision-making processes that have an impact on Indigenous rights and interests. ’’ Providing federal support for the celebration of the 150th anniversary of the Métis Nation entering Confederation. CHOOSE FORWARD : BUILDING A BETTER FUTURE WITH INDIGENOUS PEOPLES 68 CHAPTER SIX Securing Canada’s Place In The World CHOOSE FORWARD : SECURING CANADA’S PLACE IN THE WORLD 69 Keeping Canada Strong, Secure, And Engaged In an unpredictable and changing world, Canada needs to stay strong, be secure, and continue to engage on the things that matter most. From the help we give to others to the way we defend our own interests, the kind of world our children and grandchildren will grow up in depends on it. A Positive Contribution to International Peace and Security We will renew Canada’s commitment to peacekeeping efforts, and use the expertise of our Armed Forces to help others prepare for climate-related disasters. Peace operations around the world give help and hope to millions of people affected by conflicts – and they serve Canada’s interests, too. A more peaceful world is a safer and more prosperous place for everyone. To ensure that Canada continues to make a positive contribution to international peace and security, we will move forward with new investments to support United Nations peacekeeping efforts – with more help to advance the women, peace, and security agenda; support conflict prevention and peacebuilding; and respond to grave human rights abuses. CHOOSE FORWARD : SECURING CANADA’S PLACE IN THE WORLD We will also expand our cooperation and training assistance – drawing on the expertise of the Canadian Armed Forces in responding to natural disasters and humanitarian crises – to help other countries at greater risk of disasters due to climate change. A Responsible Approach to Security We will continue to support our Canadian Armed Forces members and defend Canada’s interests with stronger oversight and responsible investments. Canada’s Armed Forces help keep Canada – and the world – safe and secure. To build on the important contributions our Armed Forces members have made to critical missions around the world, we will move forward with expanding Canada’s role in multilateral organizations – like the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the United Nations – and will make sure that our Armed Forces have everything they need to continue to do their job well. 70 In Canada’s north, we will continue to move forward toward a future where northern and Arctic people are thriving, strong, and safe. We will work closely with our partners through the Arctic and Northern Policy Framework to make this a reality, and to protect Canada’s rights and sovereignty in the Arctic, and to strengthen continental defence, we will move forward with better-developed surveillance and rapid-response capabilities. We will also provide international leadership on the rules governing the use and navigation of Arctic waters. Canada’s security also rests on the good use of defence intelligence – the information that informs and supports military operations. CHOOSE FORWARD : SECURING CANADA’S PLACE IN THE WORLD To ensure that this information is handled responsibly, we will move forward with a new framework governing how Canada gathers, manages, and uses defence intelligence, as recommended by the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians. And to ensure that Canada’s biggest and most complex defence procurement projects are delivered on time and with greater transparency to Parliament, we will move forward with the creation of Defence Procurement Canada. 71 Leading With Our Values Canada has earned its place in the world, anchored by a reputation for defending democracy, human rights, and the rule of law. We find ways to work with others while staying true to our own values. For all the challenges we’ve faced as a country, Canadians remain open, accepting, and generous – and the world is better for it. A Principled Approach to Foreign Policy We will lead by example and help make the world a safe, just, prosperous, and sustainable place. For more than 150 years, Canada and Canadians have made their mark on the world – showing courage and honour in the face of war, working hard to build lasting peace and prosperity for millions of people, and leading the way in fighting climate change. That didn’t happen by accident, and it won’t continue without effort. We will build on these accomplishments and continue to move forward with a principled approach that puts democracy, human rights, international law, and environmental protection at the heart of foreign policy. We will: ’’ establish the Canadian Centre for Peace, Order, and Good Government, which will lend expertise and help to people seeking to build peace, advance justice, promote human rights and democracy, and deliver good governance; CHOOSE FORWARD : SECURING CANADA’S PLACE IN THE WORLD ’’ provide international institutions like the International Criminal Court, the World Trade Organization, and others, with additional resources to better enforce international law; ’’ introduce a permanent, dedicated refugee stream to provide safe haven for human rights advocates, journalists, and humanitarian workers at risk, with a target of helping resettle as many as 250 people a year; ’’ take a leadership role in ensuring the ethical use of new technology, by developing and supporting international protocols to ban the development and use of fully autonomous weapons systems; and ’’ build on the Magnitsky sanctions regime we have put in place, by developing a framework to transfer seized assets from those who commit grave human rights abuses to their victims, with appropriate judicial oversight. 72 Help for the world’s most vulnerable people We will continue to focus our international development assistance on helping the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people. In the last four years, Canada has become a true global leader in helping the poorest and most vulnerable people around the world, especially women and girls, with a feminist international assistance policy and strong advocacy for sexual and reproductive health rights. They are counting on our help, and we can’t afford to turn back the clock. To help those in the greatest need, including millions of child refugees who are not able to attend school, we will move forward with strong and principled leadership, including: ’’ continuing to increase Canada’s international development assistance every year towards 2030, reflecting our commitment to realizing the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals; ’’ improving the way that we manage and deliver international development assistance, to ensure greater effectiveness, transparency, and accountability; ’’ spending no less than 10 per cent of our international development assistance budget on education; and ’’ leading an international campaign to ensure that all children living in refugee or displacement camps can get the good education they need and deserve. CHOOSE FORWARD : SECURING CANADA’S PLACE IN THE WORLD 73 Supporting Diversity and Growing our Communities Canada’s story is the story of immigrants – of people who came here seeking a better life for themselves and their families – and of the people who welcomed them. Together, we have helped to grow our economy, build strong communities, create good jobs, and make Canada the best place in the world to call home. Strengthened Immigration to Grow the Economy We will continue to welcome more people to Canada, with a focus on attracting highly skilled workers. Immigration helps to make Canada more diverse – and more successful. In communities across the country, new Canadians work hard – teaching our children, caring for us when we’re sick, starting new businesses, and creating good jobs. These contributions are needed now more than ever before. As people in Canada grow older and family sizes grow smaller, many businesses and communities struggle to find enough workers, putting the services people rely on – and Canada’s strong economy – at risk. CHOOSE FORWARD : SECURING CANADA’S PLACE IN THE WORLD To keep our economy strong and growing, we will move forward with modest and responsible increases to immigration, with a focus on welcoming highly skilled people who can help build a stronger Canada. We will also continue to work with the government of the United States to modernize the Safe Third Country Agreement. More Help for Communities We will make it easier for communities to welcome the workers they need most. While immigration benefits Canada as a whole, not every community – including those experiencing serious labour shortages – is able to make the most of the contributions new Canadians can bring. 74 To make sure that communities of all sizes are better able to attract and support new Canadians, we will more forward with a Municipal Nominee Program. This program will allow local communities, chambers of commerce, and local labour councils to directly sponsor permanent immigrants. To continue to support greater immigration and economic growth across Atlantic Canada, we will move forward with making the Atlantic Immigration Pilot permanent. A minimum of 5,000 of the new spaces will be dedicated to each of the Municipal Nominee Program and the Atlantic immigration stream. CHOOSE FORWARD : SECURING CANADA’S PLACE IN THE WORLD A More Affordable Path to Citizenship We will make applying for Canadian citizenship free for permanent residents. With the right supports, immigrants are able to get to work, help build up our communities, and grow our local economies in short order. But arriving in Canada is just the first step on a long journey to citizenship. Becoming a citizen allows new immigrants to fully participate in Canadian society, and the process of granting citizenship is a government service, not something that should be paid for with a user fee. To make citizenship more affordable, we will make the application process free for those who have fulfilled the requirements needed to obtain it. 75 -. ?5252223332 CHOOSE FORWI CHOISIR VAN A Responsible Fiscal Plan CHAPTER SEVEN What We Believe In Four years ago, we were clear with Canadians about the things we believe in. That hasn’t changed. We know that a country can’t cut its way to prosperity. Cuts don’t help people. Austerity doesn’t grow the economy. And putting the interests of wealthy people ahead of the middle class is not how you keep a country like Canada moving forward. Our investments in seniors are helping more people have a secure and dignified retirement. And our historic investments in infrastructure are helping to build communities that are better places to live today, and better prepared for a changing climate tomorrow. We Believe That A Strong Economy Starts With A Strong Middle Class. We Believe That Everyone Deserves A Real And Fair Chance At Success. That’s why one of the first things we did as a government was raise taxes on the wealthiest one percent, so that we could cut taxes for the middle class. And it’s why, in our very first budget, we introduced the Canada Child Benefit – to help families with the high cost of raising their kids. In 2015, after years of austerity and cuts, the economy was slowing down – and people were feeling it. Especially those whose real needs didn’t line up with aggressive plans to eliminate the deficit, like people living in poverty, Indigenous Peoples, women, young people, racialized people, people living with disabilities, members of the LGBTQ2 communities, and our most vulnerable seniors. We Believe In Investing In People And In Our Communities. Not only because it makes good economic sense, but because it’s the right thing to do. Our investments in young people and families are helping to make life more affordable, and giving more of our kids a good start in life. Because we believe that everyone deserves a real and fair chance at success, we took a different approach, investing in people with a plan that is targeted, measured, and fiscally responsible. What We’ve Delivered This plan to invest in people – combined with Canadians’ hard work – helped to move our economy forward. Canadians created more than one million new jobs in just four years. Stronger wage growth is helping more Canadians get ahead, but further progress is needed. With an economy that is strong and growing, and with steadily declining debt relative to the size of our economy, Canada now has the best balance sheet in the G7. And together, we’ve helped to lift 900,000 people out of poverty. CHOOSE FORWARD : A RESPONSIBLE FISCAL PLAN At the same time, we know that we need to be prepared for whatever challenges come our way. In 2019, there are events taking place around the world that are creating a real sense of global economic uncertainty, and we need to be ready to respond. 77 Moving our Economy Forward As we move forward, we will be guided by four principles. We Will Continue To Reduce The Government’s Debt As A Function Of Our Economy Each And Every Year. We Will Continue To Invest In People And In The Things That Give People A Better Quality Of Life. Our net debt-to-GDP ratio – currently at 30.9 per cent – is on a downward track, and we have laid out a new fiscal track that will see this fiscal anchor continue to decline even further. The last four years have shown what can happen when we put people first and invest in the things that make their lives easier: more money for families to help grow the economy, more good jobs and more liveable communities, and 900,000 fewer people living in poverty. That puts Canada in an enviable position, especially compared to other G7 countries. Our net debt-toGDP ratio is less than half of the EU average, and less than a third of where the United States is right now. That relatively low level of debt is a serious competitive advantage. And our government is fully committed to maintaining that advantage in an increasingly volatile and unpredictable world. We Will Continue To Build Confidence In Canada’s Economy, Making Sure That The World Continues To See Us As A Great Place To Invest. Canada has a “triple A” credit rating from the three most recognized credit rating agencies. Of other countries in the G7, only Germany can boast of a similarly strong record. This strong rating reflects the confidence that ratings agencies have in Canada’s economic strength. We will preserve this rating. While others seek to move our country backward – balancing the books at all costs, on the backs of hard-working Canadians – we will move forward with the investments that we know make a real difference. We Will Keep Our Economy Moving Forward. Even though Canada’s economy is doing well, we need to be ready to respond to whatever challenges might arise, with the right tools at our disposal so that we can react quickly and appropriately when we need to. Our new fiscal track recognizes the challenging economic realities we may face in the years ahead. It recognizes what the Parliamentary Budget Officer has affirmed – that current government spending is sustainable over the long term – and gives us the room we need to invest for long-term growth. More importantly, these ratings show what many people already understand: that even though there is more work to be done, our economy is strong and growing. CHOOSE FORWARD : A RESPONSIBLE FISCAL PLAN 78 PBO Baseline Planning Framework ($m) 2020-21 2021-22 2022-23 2023-24 -23,262 -15,426 -12,528 -11,214 New Revenue 5,225 6,285 6,668 7,192 New Investment 9,344 14,586 15,954 16,984 -27,381 -23,727 -21,814 -21,006 30.9% 30.8% 30.5% 30.2% PBO Fiscal Projection (June) Platform Fiscal Projection Platform Debt/GDP Ratio New Revenue: Making Taxes More Fair To ensure that we continue to have the resources needed to invest in people and keep our economy strong and growing, we will move forward with a transparent and publicly reported review of several existing tax measures and will take action to make taxes more fair. This includes taking steps to crack down on corporate tax evasion and avoidance, and asking the wealthiest Canadians to pay a little bit more. We will: ’’ undertake a new comprehensive review of government spending and tax expenditures, to ensure that wealthy Canadians do not benefit from unfair tax breaks (a similar review, which we committed to in 2015, identified more than $3 billion a year that could be reinvested in the middle class); ’’ modernize anti-avoidance rules to stop large multinational companies from being able to shop for lower tax rates by constructing complex schemes between countries; CHOOSE FORWARD : A RESPONSIBLE FISCAL PLAN ’’ enhance our existing whistleblower programs, based on the best practices in other countries, including the United States; ’’ crack down on corporate tax loopholes that allow companies to excessively deduct debt to artificially reduce the tax they pay; ’’ introduce a new 10 per cent tax on luxury cars, boats, and personal aircraft over $100,000; and ’’ make sure that multinational tech giants pay corporate tax on the revenue they generate in Canada. We will also work to achieve the standard set by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) to ensure that international digital corporations whose products are consumed in Canada collect and remit the same level of sales taxation as Canadian digital corporations. To limit the housing speculation that can drive up home prices, we will also put in place a consistent national tax on vacant residential properties owned by non-Canadians who don’t live in Canada. 79 New Revenue ($m) 2020-21 2021-22 2022-23 2023-24 New tax expenditure and government spending review 2,000 2,500 2,500 3,000 Cracking down on corporate tax loopholes 1,738 1,642 1,545 1,448 540 600 660 730 Speculation tax on vacant residential property 217 229 241 256 10% luxury tax 585 597 609 621 145 592 613 637 - 125 500 500 5,225 6,285 6,668 7,192 Tax fairness measures Making multinational tech giants pay their fair share Taxing speculators and the top 1% Other measures Self-Financing EI Measures Trans Mountain expansion project Total change in revenue New Investments: Choosing Forward In 2015, we promised to help Canadians make informed choices during elections, by adding the costing of party platforms to the Office of the Parliamentary Budget Officer’s mandate. We followed through on that promise. Recognizing the resource limits that the Office has placed on each of the parties, we focused on working with the Office on the largest and most CHOOSE FORWARD : A RESPONSIBLE FISCAL PLAN complex commitments, particularly those where costing may be uncertain due to a lack of available public information. We also referred to the Office all proposals related to changes to personal or corporate income taxes. 80 New Investments ($m) 2020-21 2021-22 2022-23 2023-24 Helping Canadians keep more of what they earn 2,890 3,861 4,855 5,664 Enhancing the First-Time Homebuyers Incentive -8 -5 -11 -13 More help for families with kids under one 777 1,074 1,115 1,156 More affordable and accessible child care 535 535 535 535 Making PSE more affordable 172 780 951 1,030 Making travel more affordable for people living in the North 22 22 22 23 E.I. Career Insurance Benefit 22 48 50 53 306 471 488 507 - 150 150 150 20 40 40 40 Strengthening public health care 750 1,750 1,750 1,750 Doubling the Canada Child Disability Benefit 391 534 548 561 30 - - - 1,626 2,258 2,349 2,564 Canada Entrepeneur Account 25 100 100 100 Reducing fees for SMEs 54 58 60 63 E-payroll system 50 100 - - Zero-emissions clean technology incentives 14 33 57 67 National Infrastructure Fund 25 50 100 100 Tourism Community Infrastructure Fund 25 25 25 25 Canada Water Agency and other measures to protect oceans and fish and support coastal communities 45 70 70 70 Retained earnings to finance expanded services to the agricultural sector -64 -58 -52 -46 Investing in natural climate solutions 300 300 300 300 50 50 50 - Increasing the Disaster Management Assistance Fund - 100 100 100 Making homes and businesses more energy efficient 320 362 398 432 22 17 8 4 Increasing E.I. sickness benefits from 15 to 26 weeks Ensuring apprentices get the work experience they need Helping people with disabilities work or attend school Pediatric cancer research Increasing OAS by 10% for seniors as of age 75 Helping people prepare for and respond to floods New rebate for used ZEVs Continued on next page CHOOSE FORWARD : A RESPONSIBLE FISCAL PLAN 81 New Investments ($m, continued) 2020-21 2021-22 2022-23 2023-24 160 180 180 180 75 150 150 150 250 50 50 50 Free legal aid to survivors of sexual assault and intimate partner violence - 10 10 10 Additional resources for the RCMP and hiring of more judges and prosecutors - 122 125 127 100 250 250 100 53 105 105 105 - 194 197 199 Helping spouses of CAF and RCMP who relocate 15 30 30 30 Addressing veterans’ homelessness 15 15 15 15 Supporting diversity, anti-racism and multiculturalism initiatives 50 91 100 100 - 135 135 135 Training for teachers (immersion and second-language) 40 85 100 100 Community infrastructure for official language communities 15 15 15 15 Distinctions-based Indigenous infrastructure planning 25 - - - Enhancing support to UN peacekeeping, peace-building and conflict prevention - 50 50 50 Playing a bigger role in the training and support of international allies - 15 15 15 Establishing the Centre for Peace, Order and Good Government - 50 50 50 International leadership to ensure refugee children get high quality education - 150 150 150 Making applying for Canadian citizenship free for permanent residence 75 101 105 110 Monies to be reinvested in related measures 72 63 63 59 9,344 14,586 15,954 16,984 Electrifying transit and transportation Learn to Camp Tackling gun crime Expanding access to drug treatment and combatting opioid and meth addiction Supporting the mental health and wellness of veterans Improving veterans' disability benefits More support for arts and culture Total New Investments with Fiscal Impact CHOOSE FORWARD : A RESPONSIBLE FISCAL PLAN 82 Gender Equality Statement Gender equality benefits us all. When women and men have equal opportunities to work, to care for their families, and to contribute to their communities, we build a stronger economy – and a stronger country. Since 2015, we have worked to ensure greater equality of opportunity for all Canadians. This began with appointing Canada’s first-ever gender-balanced Cabinet and continued with the last three federal budgets – the first ones in Canada’s history to include in-depth analysis of what our policy choices mean for different people. Together, we have made a lot of progress. Our Shared Progress In the last four years, we have made advancing gender equality and diversity a priority. That’s why we invested in sustainable and predictable funding for a range of women’s and equality-seeking organizations. We created the new department for Women and Gender Equality, established a new federal LGBTQ2 secretariat, and prioritized the use of Gender-based Analysis Plus (GBA+) as a driving force when developing federal policies and programs. We believe in fairness, including the belief that women deserve equal pay for work of equal value – which is why we moved forward with proactive pay equity legislation. We also know that women have an essential role to play in building strong companies and creating more good jobs – so we invested in helping more women entrepreneurs, created more accessible and affordable child care spaces, and moved forward with more flexible parental leave, to make it easier for new moms to go back to work. We moved forward with protections for gender identity and expression in the Canada Human Rights Act – because it’s important that the laws that govern our country reflect the diversity we see in our communities. Because Indigenous women and girls are disproportionately affected by all forms of violence, we moved forward with a National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, accepted the Inquiry’s final report, and committed to co-developing and implementing a distinctions-based national action plan to implement the report’s Calls to Justice. We moved forward with landmark investments to counter systemic racism and biases as part of a new national Anti-Racism Strategy, because no one should be denied opportunity or be made to feel unwelcome in Canada because of who they are. Because every person – regardless of ability – should be able to fully participate in society, we moved forward with new investments and legislation that marked the most significant advancement in federal disability rights in 30 years. And on the global stage, we are leading the way with a new Feminist International Assistance Policy, making investments in girls’ education and women’s empowerment, and helping to make sure that more women and girls have access to the full range of safe reproductive health services. This progress has made a real difference in the lives of people here in Canada, and around the world. But we know there is much more work to be done to make sure that our country is a place where everyone has a real and fair chance at success. And so we will build on our record of progress and continue to move forward – for women, for people of all genders, for Indigenous Peoples, for racialized Canadians, for people with disabilities, for new Canadians, and for members of the LGBTQ2 communities. We will move forward for everyone, because we all deserve to be treated equally and fairly in a diverse and inclusive Canada. CHOOSE FORWARD : GENDER EQUALITY STATEMENT 84 Applying the GBA+ Lens Public policy impacts everyone differently. That is why our government applies the GBA+ lens to every policy decision we make. Each measure in this platform has been considered through the GBA+ lens. That means that we have taken initial steps to look at how all these proposals will affect people differently, including cost/benefit analyses for each measure. ’’ making a down payment on a new health accord that prioritizes access to mental health services; ’’ introducing a new system of Guaranteed Paid Family Leave, so that all parents will be able to afford to spend the first year at home with their child, when it matters most; and ’’ taking steps to promote greater equality and diversity, fight racism, and make equality at work and in the justice system a reality for everyone. GBA+ analysis is especially valuable in considering some of the key commitments we are making to Canadians, including: We commit that every measure in this platform will be subjected to a complete and rigorous GBA+ by a new Liberal government. ’’ expanding Old Age Security and offering better protections for survivors’ Canada Pension Plan benefits; That’s how we’ll continue to move forward – for everyone. ’’ making new investments in before and after school programs for school-age children; CHOOSE FORWARD : GENDER EQUALITY STATEMENT 85 Notes samN Notes samN Notes samN