Election Issue Notes

Far too many Canadians are unable to afford their essential medications every month. A national, universal pharmacare plan will ensure access to medications is equitable, improve the health of Canadians, and lower the cost of prescription drugs for families, workers, governments, and employers.

Communities across the country are already grappling with the impacts of our changing climate. Extreme weather events like flooding and forest fires are rapidly becoming the norm. Climate change threatens the prosperity and well-being of all Canadians, which is why we need to grow the economy, invest in tomorrow’s infrastructure and also dramatically reduce our current emissions—without leaving working people behind.

Housing is a fundamental human right. Despite the Liberal government’s “housing first” strategy, they have failed to halt the market-based solutions that are driving Canadians further into debt. We need a federal government who will support direct funding for new construction and off-market public housing.

Canadians count on public services to be accountable, accessible and affordable. The Liberals have encouraged privatization – the private, for-profit takeover of public services and public infrastructure – which undermines public services and wastes public funds. There’s no room for profit in the public services we all rely on.

Consecutive Conservative and Liberal governments have cut taxes for corporations and the rich, which has resulted in funding cuts to public services. The federal government needs to restore fairness to the tax system, raise taxes on the rich, and crack down on tax avoidance (using legal loopholes to avoid paying taxes) and evasion (using illegal methods to reduce taxes).

A strong public health care system benefits Canadians and our economy. It is fundamentally intertwined with our country’s history and our future. Serious commitments are needed to reduce wait times, increase staffing levels, and expand public health care services, especially in the areas of mental health, long term, home, and primary care.

We need the federal government to be a real partner in post-secondary education again.

We need to build a publicly managed, universal child care system in Canada that supports high-quality early learning and child care (ELCC) for children. This includes expanding child care, making it affordable for parents, and ensuring fair wages and working conditions for child care workers.

More and more Canadians are employed in precarious work—patching together a living from part-time, temporary, freelance and gig economy jobs. It doesn’t have to be this way.

Canada isn’t prepared for the growing number of Canadians who need long term care; we’ve reached a crisis point in every province. The government should bring long term care under the Canada Health Act, making it a publicly funded and delivered health care service accessible to everyone.

Canadians need and deserve a secure retirement. The government should expand the CPP and strengthen existing legislation to help every Canadian enjoy a dignified and secure retirement at the end of their career.

The election system in Canada is outdated and unfair, leaving many Canadians feeling like their votes don’t matter.