SPET 15 UPDATE: The CBC has launched their 2019 Vote Compass tool! I have some personal qualms with some of the questions and party positions used... but generally, it's a decent tool for a starting point if you don't know much about the parties and their current positions on matters. Check it out here and feel free to post your results for fun: https://votecompass.cbc.ca/canada/
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Justin Trudeau visited Rideau Hall this morning to ask the Governor General to dissolve parliament and now the 43rd Canadian Federal Election has officially begun!
For any of our Canadian members who aren't aware, a federal election will be held this fall on October 21st to elect 388 new members of parliament and likely determine the next Prime Minister of the country. If you are a citizen and at least 18 years old by October 21st, you should definitely take the time to follow the events and vote! Click here to register to vote with Elections Canada if you don't think you already are.
Although there is still quite some time to go until all of the parties election platforms are fully outlined, I'm going to attempt an unbiased breakdown to the best of my ability. For full disclosure, I will almost certainly be voting NDP. You should obviously read other sources too and follow the news for more information.
Liberal Party of Canada
The Liberals are the current incumbent party in government, led by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Historically, the Liberal party firmly occupies the centre on the political spectrum, leaning slightly to the left or right depending on the leader. Currently, the party leans to the left under Trudeau, although by how much would depend on who you ask.
As the current government, they haven't put forward many new campaign promises or proposals, so it's best looking at their record and implemented policies from the past four years to judge them.
Major policies/accomplishments under the Trudeau government:
The Conservatives are the country's main opposition party and the standard party of the right-wing of the political spectrum. They previously governed for about 10 years under former Prime Minster Stephen Harper with their new leader Andrew Scheer hoping to become PM now.
They haven't yet put forward a full proper platform yet, but some proposals have been released which I'll list below:
New Democratic Party of Canada
The NDP are traditionally Canada's main third party, but have never formed a federal government before. They sit towards the left-wing area on the political spectrum, typically the farthest left of the mainstream parties. Previously led by Tom Mulcair and Jack Layton in recent times, the party is currently led by Jagmeet Singh.
They have released a mostly complete A New Deal for People election platform:
Major proposals from A New Deal for People:
The Greens have long been the fourth place underdog party in Canadian politics, but recently after a series of provincial wins and one federal by-election win, they have been inching upwards in a battle for third place with the NDP. It's difficult to place the Greens on the political spectrum, but they generally are somewhere between the Liberals and NDP, depending on what the policy is.
I wasn't finished writing this thread when the election was called today, so you'll have to click here to read the Green platform page yourself for now until I get the chance to post a highlights list.
People's Party of Canada
The People's Party of Canada is a new party led by former Conservative cabinet minister and leadership candidate Maxime Bernier. It was originally formed as a Libertarian-type alternative on the right with featured positions like ending supply management and corporate subsidies, but recently has drifted towards more of a Trump-like party heavily focusing on issues like severely reducing immigration.
You can find the People's Party of Canada election platform here.
Bloc Qu?b?cois
If you live in Quebec, there's also the Bloc Qu?b?cois. I don't really know enough about them as an English Canada peasant to say much, but they are generally left-leaning and in favour of Quebec's independence from Canada.
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I've been working on this thread for a while now, but it wasn't quite finished today for the election call, so I've rushed the last few sections a bit. I'll try and fix some of it up later if I can!
So my fellow Canadians, will you be voting this election? What party or candidate are you currently learning towards at the moment?
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Justin Trudeau visited Rideau Hall this morning to ask the Governor General to dissolve parliament and now the 43rd Canadian Federal Election has officially begun!
For any of our Canadian members who aren't aware, a federal election will be held this fall on October 21st to elect 388 new members of parliament and likely determine the next Prime Minister of the country. If you are a citizen and at least 18 years old by October 21st, you should definitely take the time to follow the events and vote! Click here to register to vote with Elections Canada if you don't think you already are.
Although there is still quite some time to go until all of the parties election platforms are fully outlined, I'm going to attempt an unbiased breakdown to the best of my ability. For full disclosure, I will almost certainly be voting NDP. You should obviously read other sources too and follow the news for more information.
Liberal Party of Canada
The Liberals are the current incumbent party in government, led by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Historically, the Liberal party firmly occupies the centre on the political spectrum, leaning slightly to the left or right depending on the leader. Currently, the party leans to the left under Trudeau, although by how much would depend on who you ask.
As the current government, they haven't put forward many new campaign promises or proposals, so it's best looking at their record and implemented policies from the past four years to judge them.
Major policies/accomplishments under the Trudeau government:
- Introduced the Canada Child Benefit
- Increased taxes on highest income bracket, lowered on middle income bracket
- Legalised weed
- Implemented a national carbon tax of $20/tonne, rising to $50/tonne in 2023
- Approval of the Trans-Mountain Pipeline Expansion
- Re-negotiation of NAFTA with the Trump administration
- Ban single-use plastics by 2021
- Implement national pharmacare plan, details to come
The Conservatives are the country's main opposition party and the standard party of the right-wing of the political spectrum. They previously governed for about 10 years under former Prime Minster Stephen Harper with their new leader Andrew Scheer hoping to become PM now.
They haven't yet put forward a full proper platform yet, but some proposals have been released which I'll list below:
- Repeal the federal carbon tax, replace with program requiring large emitters to invest in green technology and tax credits for green technology
- Balance the federal budget within 5 years
- Removal of GST from home heating bills
- Repeal Bill C-69, a bill to regulate energy projects more strictly, and end the northern BC oil tanker ban
- Will renegotiate the Safe Third Country Agreement with the US to reduce illegal border crossings
- Ban Huawei from working on Canada's 5G networks
New Democratic Party of Canada
The NDP are traditionally Canada's main third party, but have never formed a federal government before. They sit towards the left-wing area on the political spectrum, typically the farthest left of the mainstream parties. Previously led by Tom Mulcair and Jack Layton in recent times, the party is currently led by Jagmeet Singh.
They have released a mostly complete A New Deal for People election platform:
Major proposals from A New Deal for People:
- Implement universal national pharmacare plan
- Work towards universal dental-care, vision-care, and mental healthcare in the future
- Build 500,000 affordable housing units over 10 years, implement Foreign Buyer’s tax on housing sales
- Eliminate interest on federal student loans, and work towards making post-secondary education part of the public education system
- Increase corporation tax rate by 3%, increase top tax rate, implement 1% wealth tax over $20 million
- Keep federal carbon tax, declare climate emergency, set new targets to goal of 1.5 degrees temperature rise
- Implement $15 federal minimum wage and ban unpaid internships outside education programs
- Implement price caps on cell phone and internet bills to match global averages, and mandate offering basic plans
The Greens have long been the fourth place underdog party in Canadian politics, but recently after a series of provincial wins and one federal by-election win, they have been inching upwards in a battle for third place with the NDP. It's difficult to place the Greens on the political spectrum, but they generally are somewhere between the Liberals and NDP, depending on what the policy is.
I wasn't finished writing this thread when the election was called today, so you'll have to click here to read the Green platform page yourself for now until I get the chance to post a highlights list.
People's Party of Canada
The People's Party of Canada is a new party led by former Conservative cabinet minister and leadership candidate Maxime Bernier. It was originally formed as a Libertarian-type alternative on the right with featured positions like ending supply management and corporate subsidies, but recently has drifted towards more of a Trump-like party heavily focusing on issues like severely reducing immigration.
You can find the People's Party of Canada election platform here.
Bloc Qu?b?cois
If you live in Quebec, there's also the Bloc Qu?b?cois. I don't really know enough about them as an English Canada peasant to say much, but they are generally left-leaning and in favour of Quebec's independence from Canada.
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I've been working on this thread for a while now, but it wasn't quite finished today for the election call, so I've rushed the last few sections a bit. I'll try and fix some of it up later if I can!
So my fellow Canadians, will you be voting this election? What party or candidate are you currently learning towards at the moment?
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it will depend on predictions, opposition, even if we vote Bloc Quebecois in the end it won't necessary mean that we agree with their program.
