Liberal Party releases multi-billion dollar election platform for post-pandemic recovery

The Liberal Party released its election platform today â€" an ambitious document that offers billions in new spending to address both long-standing policy problems and new ones that have emerged during the past 19 months of the pandemic crisis.

The sprawling, 53-page platform proposes $78 billion in new spending. It differs substantially from the Conservative plan released earlier in this campaign in that it proposes to invest more in Liberal priorities â€" such as efforts to fight climate change, Indigenous reconciliation and the arts and cultural sector â€" while promising tighter restrictions on firearms and new money for provinces that ban handguns.

The party is also promising to restore employment to pre-pandemic levels and go "beyond" its previous pledge to create one million jobs. It also accuses the Conservatives of being "opposed to support for workers and businesses."

'(O'Toole) can't even get his own candidates vaccinated' â€" Trudeau

With just 19 days left in the campaign, the Liberals are arguing that the Conservative Party presents a risk to the country â€" because it won't deliver on mandatory vaccinations for public servants and the travelling public and plans to roll back a national child care plan the Liberals maintain would dramatically reduce costs for parents.

"The decisions we make right now matter," Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau said in a media statement.

"Erin O'Toole can't offer the leadership we need. He can't even get his own candidates vaccinated. We can't go backward. We have to keep moving forward and, together, we have to do the hard work to build a better Canada â€" for everyone."

A Conservative-led government would undermine Canada's universal public health care system by pushing "two-tier" care, the Liberals claim. To protect the existing health care regime â€" and stop the proliferation of businesses like for-profit medical imaging facilities in Saskatchewan â€" a Liberal government would "strengthen federal powers under the Canada Health Act" to "deduct health transfers from the provinces who enable extra billing."

Platform pressures O'Toole on private care

"Erin O'Toole says he wants to bring 'innovation' to this system by allowing those with money to access their own system of for-profit care. A two-tier system would worsen access and health outcomes for us all," the platform reads.

The Liberal platform says a re-elected Liberal government would pump billions of dollars into the health system to help clear pandemic-related surgical backlogs and hire 7,500 new doctors, nurses and nurse practitioners.

While O'Toole has promised to scrap the Liberals' "assault-style" firearms ban, the Liberals are doubling down with new restrictions that would force owners of prohibited weapons to "either sell the firearm back to the government for destruction and compensation" or have it "rendered fully and permanently inoperable" at the government's expense.

The Liberals are trying to box in Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole on the question of private health care delivery. (Ryan Remiorz/The Canadian Press)

The Liberals would also earmark $1 billion in new funding for provinces that implement a ban on handguns â€" something gun control advocates have long demanded.

The party platform accuses O'Toole of being beholden to the "gun lobby" and says he would allow for the "proliferation of assault-style firearms in Canada," adding that "Liberals believe even stronger action is needed to get weapons designed for mass casualties off our streets and out of our communities."

A 'minimum tax' for the very wealthy

To pay for a host of new measures and chip away at a deficit that has ballooned during the pandemic, says the platform, a government led by Justin Trudeau would hike corporate taxes on large banks and insurance companies while creating a "minimum tax" rule so that the highest income earners can't "artificially pay no tax through excessive use of deductions and credits."

A re-elected Liberal government would also "significantly increase the resources of Canada Revenue Agency" in an effort to combat what the party calls "aggressive tax planning and tax avoidance" by the wealthiest Canadians, says the platform document â€" an investment the party says would produce at least $1.1 billion in new revenue in the 2022-23 fiscal year alone.

The platform argues that climate-minded voters should be wary of the Conservatives because they would "roll back climate action" at a time when UN scientists are warning urgent action is needed now to avoid the worst effects of climate change.

An accelerated climate timetable

The platform says a re-elected Liberal government would push for deeper cuts to oil and gas sector-related emissions, ban thermal coal exports, eliminate fossil fuel subsidies by 2023 â€" two years earlier than planned â€" and phase out public financing for the fossil fuel sector, including from Crown corporations.

To deal with anticipated job losses in the oil and gas sector, the platform says, a re-elected Liberal government would establish a $2 billion "futures fund" to help communities cope with the transition to a "net-zero future," among other measures to support fossil fuel sector workers.

As part of the push to phase out gas-powered cars, the Liberals' platform would allocate $1.5 billion more to the "iZev rebate program," which would provide $5,000 to Canadians who want to buy an electric vehicle. The program would be expanded to include a "wider range of vehicle types" â€" including used vehicles â€" to help 500,000 Canadians get behind the wheel of a zero-emission car.

The platform also includes money for VIA Rail's "high frequency rail" project, which would transform the Quebec City-Windsor rail corridor and get more cars off the region's highways.

In addition to the $10-a-day child care program announced earlier this year, the platform includes a number of new promises to woo women voters â€" a key Liberal voting demographic.

Child care has emerged as a key campaign issue as the major parties target female voters. (Carl Boivin/Radio-Canada)

The party is promising five paid leave days for federally regulated employees who "experience a miscarriage or a still birth," while also committing to a new labour code provision compelling federal employers to provide free tampons and pads. A $25 million "menstrual equity fund" would provide federal money to women's shelters, not-for-profits, charities and community-based organizations to "make menstrual products available to vulnerable women."

The platform claims the Conservatives "want to roll back abortion access" â€" O'Toole has repeatedly said he is pro-choice â€" and "anti-choice organizations are actively working to spread misinformation about abortion."

To ease access to reproductive services, a re-elected Liberal government would establish new "regulations" that dictate all provinces must make abortion available to everyone everywhere in the country.

The Liberals would also strip charity status from some anti-abortion organizations â€" like so-called crisis pregnancy centres â€" that provide "dishonest counselling to women about their rights."

For the arts and culture sector â€" among the industries hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic â€" a re-elected Liberal government would "match ticket sales for performing arts, live theatres and other cultural venues" to compensate for reduced capacity and extend COVID-related insurance coverage for media productions, says the platform.

While O'Toole has said a government led by him would "review the mandate of CBC English television, CBC News Network and CBC English online" and "assess the viability of refocusing the service on a public interest model like that of PBS in the U.S." to reduce competition for private broadcasters, the Liberal Party is promising to invest $400 million more over four years in the public broadcaster.

The funds would be used to "increase production of national, regional or local news" and help the corporation become "less reliant on private advertising," with a goal of going commercial-free during news and public affairs shows.

Telefilm Canada, the National Film Board, Canada's authors, the Indigenous Screen Office and other arts programming would also get a cash injection under the Liberals.

As previously announced, the party is also promising to invest more in mental health services and housing â€" issues the pandemic has brought to the fore â€" if voters return the Liberals to government on Sept. 20.

The centrepiece of the Liberals' housing program is a "first home savings account" â€" a program that would "combine the features of both an RRSP and a TFSA," in that money added to the account would go in tax-free and could be withdrawn without any taxes owing on possible investment gains.

The Liberals would also introduce a new dedicated funding stream for mental health services. 

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