Key Platforms
Party Leader: Stéphane Dion
Status Prior to Dissolution: Official Opposition
Seats Prior to Dissolution: 95
www.liberal.ca, www.greenshift.ca
Economy
• Commitments are within a prudent fiscal framework that includes a contingency reserve of $3 billion a year to be applied to the debt if unused;
• $70 billion over the next 10 years to improve the critical infrastructure that supports Canada’s competitiveness and quality of life and will divert unanticipated annual budget surpluses to infrastructure projects:
• at least $10 billion for strategic infrastructure, particularly green infrastructure such as clean water and sewage treatment, and clean energy grids;
• at least $8 billion for a national transit strategy that will enable cities to expand their systems and green their transit fleets;
• at least $3 billion for a dedicated Small Communities Fund;
• at least $4.5 billion for Gateways, Corridors and Borders to ensure that Canada’s infrastructure facilitates trade and tourism industries while keeping Canada safe and secure;
• at least $3 billion for sports and recreational facilities.
• Establish the Green Fisheries and Transport Fund, a $250-million program of rebates and incentives for investments in the latest technologies to reduce fuel consumption and offer enhancements that will modernize fishing vessels and on-shore equipment and help fishers save money on energy costs.
• Develop an Infrastructure Bank as an additional tool to finance infrastructure investment.
• create a $1-billion Advanced Manufacturing Prosperity (AMP) Fund.
Environment
• Respect commitments and international obligations under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change:
• Reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) to at least 20 per cent below 1990 levels, and by 2020, increase this goal to at least 25 per cent if other countries make comparable efforts;
• Reduce GHGs to 40 per cent below 1990 emission levels by 2035;
• Reduce GHGs to 60 to 80 per cent below 1990 emission levels by 2050.
• Commit $250 million in new funding to help combat the spread of the mountain pine beetle.
• Significantly expand federal support to upgrade the energy efficiency of Canadian homes, including an enriched home retrofit program and a new green mortgages program .
Green Shift
• Shift Canada’s tax system away from taxing income to pollution. Beginning with $10 per tonne of GHG and steadily rises by an additional $10 per tonne each year, reaching $40 per tonne within four years.
• With the pollution dividend Canadians will receive:
• A 10-per-cent cut cut to the lowest income tax rate, to 13.5 per cent from 15 per cent;
• Cut to middle class tax rates to 21 per cent from 22 per cent and to 25 per cent from 26 per cent, a 5- and 4-per-cent reduction;
• Targeted tax relief for low-income Canadians, like a tax credit to families worth $350 for every child, to all families even if they do not make enough to pay income tax;
• a $1,850 refundable employment credit targeted at those Canadians who earn less than $50,000 per year.
• Increase the Working Income Tax Benefit.
• Make the Disability Tax Credit refundable.
• Provide additional assistance to rural Canadians to help them adjust to higher fuel prices. Every rural Canadian tax filer will receive an annual Green Rural Credit of $150, whether or not they pay taxes.
• Immediately boost the northern residents deduction (NRD) to a new maximum of $7,000 per year from just over $6,000.
• Reduce the general corporate tax rate by an additional 1 per cent within four years.
• Small Business Income Tax Reductions:
• Accelerate capital cost allowance rates for green investments;
• Set aside $400 million over four years as refundable tax credits for industries achieving verified reductions in emissions;
• Provide up to $10,000 in direct financial support, in the form of refundable tax credits, for any household that invests in energy-saving measures like insulation, weather proofing and efficient heating systems;
• Funds will be set aside over four years for tax cuts designed to offset the impact of the carbon tax on groups such as not-for-profit organizations and charities.
Immigration
• Invest $800 million in new federal funding to address immigration backlog and welcome more new Canadians.
Food/Agriculture
• Invest an additional $50 million to build a more robust food safety net and add 100 inspectors.
• $400-million Emissions Reduction Credit available to farms that reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
• $250-million Green Farms Fund to help farmers invest in energy-efficient technology and reduce their reliance on fossil fuels.
• $564-million Regional Flexibility Fund for farmers to develop regional-specific solutions for the environment, business risk management and cost of production needs.
• $30-million program to support the promotion of local farmers’ markets and the branding of Canadian-grown foods.
• Support farmers by: restoring farmer control of a strong, democratic Canadian Wheat Board (CWB); protecting supply management; immediately calling for a full cost rail review; and calling for an immediate moratorium on short-line rail closures pending further stakeholder consultation
Families
• Plan to make federal maternity and parental leave programs more flexible for parents.
• Allocate federal funds, increasing over a four-year period, to help establish new agreements with the provinces and territories to create new and improved quality spaces and increase accessibility for families across Canada. At full implementation, the federal investment will climb to $1.25 billion annually.
• Introduce a new refundable child tax credit worth $350 to families for every child under 18. (Will maintain the $100-a-month cheques that some families have come to rely on.)
• Provide up to $1,225 per year to Canada’s poorest families through a new Guaranteed Family Supplement.
Health
• Invest $900 million to create a new plan for catastrophic drug coverage that would insure Canadians living with serious illnesses such as cancer, diabetes, and arthritis, and create a national minimum in collaboration with provincial and territorial governments.
• Assist the provinces to ensure Canadians across the country have access to drug therapies for serious illnesses.
• Help rural communities attract doctors by forgiving $10,000 of student debt for doctors for each year of practice in a rural or under-serviced area for a minimum of five years
• Invest $420 million to create a Doctors and Nurses Fund to help ensure all Canadians have access to a medical professional.
Education/The Arts
• Ensure that every student is eligible for a $5,000 student loan regardless of parental income
• Provide 100,000 access grants of up to $4,000 per year
• Provide 200,000 needs-based bursaries of up to $3,500 per year
• Guarantee a lower interest rate for all student loans, extending the grace period on repayment post-graduation from six months to two years, making that grace period interest-free and extending the time that individuals have to repay their student loans.
• Increase support for the indirect costs of university-based research by more than 60 per cent to $500 million a year.
• Enhance support for Canada’s three granting councils by 34 per cent.
• Create an Interdisciplinary Sustainability Fund of $100 million to enable scientists, researchers and graduate students to undertake projects that extend beyond the barriers of their disciplines.
• Extend the tax credit for private-sector research.
• Double the budget of the Canada Council for the Arts to $360 million annually, while reversing recent announced cuts to arts and culture.
• Increase funding for international arts promotion programming by $15 million over three years to help bring Canada to the world.
• Increase the Museum Assistance Program by $16 million.
• Increase the Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit to 30 per cent.
• Extend the tax credit for research and development through the Scientific Research and Experimental Development Tax (SR&ED) Program, so that 25 per cent of SR&ED tax credits received will be refundable.
Justice
• Take military assault weapons off Canadian streets while still respecting the voices of legitimate gun owners.
• Reinstate the Court Challenges Program.
• Commit $80 million to help police services fight organized crime.
• Introduce a new Gun Violence and Gang Prevention Fund to help youth at risk avoid violence and criminal activity, and new legislation to crack down on internet luring and cyber-bullying.
Other
• Bring back the Kelowna Accord and work in consultation with Aboriginal Peoples and provinces and territories to improve Aboriginal health, education and housing outcomes.
• Increase International Assistance to $500 million.
• Commit to ending the current military mission in Afghanistan in 2011.
Status Prior to Dissolution: Official Opposition
Seats Prior to Dissolution: 95
www.liberal.ca, www.greenshift.ca
Economy
• Commitments are within a prudent fiscal framework that includes a contingency reserve of $3 billion a year to be applied to the debt if unused;
• $70 billion over the next 10 years to improve the critical infrastructure that supports Canada’s competitiveness and quality of life and will divert unanticipated annual budget surpluses to infrastructure projects:
• at least $10 billion for strategic infrastructure, particularly green infrastructure such as clean water and sewage treatment, and clean energy grids;
• at least $8 billion for a national transit strategy that will enable cities to expand their systems and green their transit fleets;
• at least $3 billion for a dedicated Small Communities Fund;
• at least $4.5 billion for Gateways, Corridors and Borders to ensure that Canada’s infrastructure facilitates trade and tourism industries while keeping Canada safe and secure;
• at least $3 billion for sports and recreational facilities.
• Establish the Green Fisheries and Transport Fund, a $250-million program of rebates and incentives for investments in the latest technologies to reduce fuel consumption and offer enhancements that will modernize fishing vessels and on-shore equipment and help fishers save money on energy costs.
• Develop an Infrastructure Bank as an additional tool to finance infrastructure investment.
• create a $1-billion Advanced Manufacturing Prosperity (AMP) Fund.
Environment
• Respect commitments and international obligations under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change:
• Reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) to at least 20 per cent below 1990 levels, and by 2020, increase this goal to at least 25 per cent if other countries make comparable efforts;
• Reduce GHGs to 40 per cent below 1990 emission levels by 2035;
• Reduce GHGs to 60 to 80 per cent below 1990 emission levels by 2050.
• Commit $250 million in new funding to help combat the spread of the mountain pine beetle.
• Significantly expand federal support to upgrade the energy efficiency of Canadian homes, including an enriched home retrofit program and a new green mortgages program .
Green Shift
• Shift Canada’s tax system away from taxing income to pollution. Beginning with $10 per tonne of GHG and steadily rises by an additional $10 per tonne each year, reaching $40 per tonne within four years.
• With the pollution dividend Canadians will receive:
• A 10-per-cent cut cut to the lowest income tax rate, to 13.5 per cent from 15 per cent;
• Cut to middle class tax rates to 21 per cent from 22 per cent and to 25 per cent from 26 per cent, a 5- and 4-per-cent reduction;
• Targeted tax relief for low-income Canadians, like a tax credit to families worth $350 for every child, to all families even if they do not make enough to pay income tax;
• a $1,850 refundable employment credit targeted at those Canadians who earn less than $50,000 per year.
• Increase the Working Income Tax Benefit.
• Make the Disability Tax Credit refundable.
• Provide additional assistance to rural Canadians to help them adjust to higher fuel prices. Every rural Canadian tax filer will receive an annual Green Rural Credit of $150, whether or not they pay taxes.
• Immediately boost the northern residents deduction (NRD) to a new maximum of $7,000 per year from just over $6,000.
• Reduce the general corporate tax rate by an additional 1 per cent within four years.
• Small Business Income Tax Reductions:
• Accelerate capital cost allowance rates for green investments;
• Set aside $400 million over four years as refundable tax credits for industries achieving verified reductions in emissions;
• Provide up to $10,000 in direct financial support, in the form of refundable tax credits, for any household that invests in energy-saving measures like insulation, weather proofing and efficient heating systems;
• Funds will be set aside over four years for tax cuts designed to offset the impact of the carbon tax on groups such as not-for-profit organizations and charities.
Immigration
• Invest $800 million in new federal funding to address immigration backlog and welcome more new Canadians.
Food/Agriculture
• Invest an additional $50 million to build a more robust food safety net and add 100 inspectors.
• $400-million Emissions Reduction Credit available to farms that reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
• $250-million Green Farms Fund to help farmers invest in energy-efficient technology and reduce their reliance on fossil fuels.
• $564-million Regional Flexibility Fund for farmers to develop regional-specific solutions for the environment, business risk management and cost of production needs.
• $30-million program to support the promotion of local farmers’ markets and the branding of Canadian-grown foods.
• Support farmers by: restoring farmer control of a strong, democratic Canadian Wheat Board (CWB); protecting supply management; immediately calling for a full cost rail review; and calling for an immediate moratorium on short-line rail closures pending further stakeholder consultation
Families
• Plan to make federal maternity and parental leave programs more flexible for parents.
• Allocate federal funds, increasing over a four-year period, to help establish new agreements with the provinces and territories to create new and improved quality spaces and increase accessibility for families across Canada. At full implementation, the federal investment will climb to $1.25 billion annually.
• Introduce a new refundable child tax credit worth $350 to families for every child under 18. (Will maintain the $100-a-month cheques that some families have come to rely on.)
• Provide up to $1,225 per year to Canada’s poorest families through a new Guaranteed Family Supplement.
Health
• Invest $900 million to create a new plan for catastrophic drug coverage that would insure Canadians living with serious illnesses such as cancer, diabetes, and arthritis, and create a national minimum in collaboration with provincial and territorial governments.
• Assist the provinces to ensure Canadians across the country have access to drug therapies for serious illnesses.
• Help rural communities attract doctors by forgiving $10,000 of student debt for doctors for each year of practice in a rural or under-serviced area for a minimum of five years
• Invest $420 million to create a Doctors and Nurses Fund to help ensure all Canadians have access to a medical professional.
Education/The Arts
• Ensure that every student is eligible for a $5,000 student loan regardless of parental income
• Provide 100,000 access grants of up to $4,000 per year
• Provide 200,000 needs-based bursaries of up to $3,500 per year
• Guarantee a lower interest rate for all student loans, extending the grace period on repayment post-graduation from six months to two years, making that grace period interest-free and extending the time that individuals have to repay their student loans.
• Increase support for the indirect costs of university-based research by more than 60 per cent to $500 million a year.
• Enhance support for Canada’s three granting councils by 34 per cent.
• Create an Interdisciplinary Sustainability Fund of $100 million to enable scientists, researchers and graduate students to undertake projects that extend beyond the barriers of their disciplines.
• Extend the tax credit for private-sector research.
• Double the budget of the Canada Council for the Arts to $360 million annually, while reversing recent announced cuts to arts and culture.
• Increase funding for international arts promotion programming by $15 million over three years to help bring Canada to the world.
• Increase the Museum Assistance Program by $16 million.
• Increase the Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit to 30 per cent.
• Extend the tax credit for research and development through the Scientific Research and Experimental Development Tax (SR&ED) Program, so that 25 per cent of SR&ED tax credits received will be refundable.
Justice
• Take military assault weapons off Canadian streets while still respecting the voices of legitimate gun owners.
• Reinstate the Court Challenges Program.
• Commit $80 million to help police services fight organized crime.
• Introduce a new Gun Violence and Gang Prevention Fund to help youth at risk avoid violence and criminal activity, and new legislation to crack down on internet luring and cyber-bullying.
Other
• Bring back the Kelowna Accord and work in consultation with Aboriginal Peoples and provinces and territories to improve Aboriginal health, education and housing outcomes.
• Increase International Assistance to $500 million.
• Commit to ending the current military mission in Afghanistan in 2011.