What you need to know about the Liberal party platform
The Liberal Party, under Justin Trudeau, identifies that one of their top priorities is supporting the middle class, while also making a number of promises on health care, climate change and housing.
Here are some highlights from the Liberal Party’s platform:
Taxes
Raise the Basic Personal Amount to $15,000 (the amount people don’t pay federal taxes on) for people earning under $147,000 a year
Housing
Increase the qualifying value for the First-Time Home Buyer Incentive to $789,000 in the places where houses cost more (Toronto, Vancouver, Victoria)
Put a one per cent annual tax on vacant residential properties owned by non-Canadians who don’t live in Canada
Health
$6 billion over the next four years for federal health care funding
Double the Child Disability Benefit with up to $5,664 in total available each year
Invest $30 million next year in paediatric cancer research
Create national standards for access to mental health services
Give veterans up to $3,000 in free counselling services before a disability claim is required
Create a National Institute for Women’s Health Research
Seniors
Increase the Old Age Security benefit by 10 per cent for seniors when they turn 75
Increase the Canada Pension Plan and Quebec Pension Plan survivor benefits by 25 per cent
Climate Change and Environment
Net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 with legally-binding five-year milestones
Plant two billion trees over the next 10 years
$3 billion commitment to better conserve and restore forests, grasslands, agricultural lands, wetlands, and coastal areas
A new Employment Insurance Disaster Assistance Benefit will launch in 2021 and an additional $1 billion investment over the next decade in the Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund
Money from federal corporate income tax revenues from the Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion project and any profit from the sale of the pipeline will be invested in natural climate solutions and clean energy projects
Retrofit 1.5 million homes to be more energy efficient and interest-free loan of up to $40,000 for homeowners and landlords pay for retrofits
Introduce a Net Zero Homes Grant of up to $5,000
Install up to 5,000 charging stations along the Trans Canada Highway and other major road networks
Provide a 10 per cent rebate on a used zero-emission vehicle up to a maximum value of $2,000
New federal investments in public transit will be used to support zero-emission buses and rail systems starting in 2023
Purchase 5,000 zero-emissions school and transit buses over the next five years
Introduce a $5 billion Clean Power Fund to support the electrification of Canadian industries
Protect 25 per cent of Canada’s land and oceans by 2025 working toward 30 per cent by 2030
Immigration and Refugees
Introduce a permanent, dedicated refugee stream
Work with the U.S. to modernize the Safe Third Country Agreement
A minimum of 5,000 spaces will be allocated to each Municipal Nominee Program and the Atlantic Immigration stream
Child care
Increase Canada Child Benefit by 15 per cent for children under the age of one
Make maternity and parental benefits tax-free
Introduce a 15-week leave for adoptive parents
Create up to 250,000 more before and after school spaces for kids under 10
Lower child care fees for before and after school programs by 10 per cent
Governance
Eliminate the use of whip and party party lists to give the Speaker greater freedom
Allocate more time for Private Members’ Business
