The Conservative Party released their full platform Friday, just in time for Thanksgiving weekend.
We took a look at all 159 pages. Here are some of the highlights.
Business taxes
The promise: Lower EI premiums by more than 20 per cent starting in 2017
The fine print:
Lowering the EI rate by 20 per cent would put it at 1.5 per cent (down from 1.88 per cent). If the maximum insurable earnings stayed the same ($50,800), that means employees contributing the maximum EI premiums would save just under $200 a year.
Agriculture
The promise: Help farmers access new markets
The fine print:
The Conservatives plan to give the Agri-Innovation program $100 million more over three years and to increase support to various programs that help farmers to gain access to new markets – while defending supply management at the same time. This could be tough, but the recently-signed Trans-Pacific Partnership only conceded a relatively small part of Canada’s dairy market.
Better homes and gardens
The promise: Add 700,000 new homeowners by 2050
The fine print:
This amounts to roughly a 5 per cent increase in home ownership rates – from 69 per cent of households to 74 per cent of households, according to data from the 2011 National Household Survey. Home ownership has been steady since 2006, after growing from about 62 per cent since 1991 and 60 per cent in 1971.
To accomplish this goal, they plan to allow people to withdraw more from their RRSPs through the Home Buyers’ Plan – up to $35,000 from the previous $25,000.
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They also want to re-instate the Home Renovation Tax Credit and make it permanent, allowing people to claim up to $2,500 between 2017 and 2019, and up to $5,000 beginning in 2019.
This would only help people who own homes or have the money they need in the bank already to purchase one.
Parental leave
The promise: Increase job flexibility for new parents
The fine print:
Parents in federally regulated sectors will get job protection to take care for a baby up to 18 months of age. All parents will be given the option to receive EI benefits at the full rate for 35 weeks, or a lower rate for a maximum of 61 weeks.
There are also several initiatives to encourage people to work while still receiving maternity and parental benefits. Women receiving EI maternity benefits will be allowed to work and earn employment income under a new pilot project. Another pilot project will allow parents to earn self-employment income while still receiving their maternity or parental benefits.
Education
The promise: Help parents save more for their children’s education
The fine print:
Currently, the government contributes 10 cents for every dollar that parents put into a Registered Education Savings Plan, on the first $500 put in each year. The Conservatives would like to double that amount – from 10 cents to 20 cents per dollar for middle-income families and from 20 cents to 40 cents per dollar for low-income families.
They would also make the income students earn from a job while at school no longer affect their loan assessment, reducing the expected parental contributions so that about 92,000 students receive more support.
Seniors
The promise: Give seniors more flexibility in managing their retirement income
The fine print:
Reduce minimum withdrawal amounts for Registered Retirement Income Funds and raise the capital gains exemption to $800,000 and to $1 million for farmers and fishermen.
Military
The promise: Expand the military
The fine print:
The Conservatives want to expand the Special Operations Force by 35 per cent by 2022, increase the size of the reserves by 15 per cent in four years and allow permanent residents to serve in the reserves – right now only Canadian citizens can apply.
They’re also going to increase the number of Junior Canadian Rangers to 5,000 from 4,200.
Security
The promise: Make parts of the world “no-go” areas for Canadians
The fine print:
Canadians would be barred from travelling to certain areas of the world unless they have “legitimate business” there. But it’s unclear how this would be enforced or what “legitimate business” means. (Travelling abroad to help terrorist groups is already illegal.)
The Conservatives will also redefine the offence of “high treason” to include fighting against the Canadian Forces alongside jihadist terror groups. Presumably, fighting alongside non-jihadi groups would also be prohibited. Right now, that offence includes killing or attempting to kill the Queen, maiming or wounding her, or imprisoning her, levying war against Canada or assisting an enemy or armed forces at war with Canada – though that last might only include a state’s armed forces, not a terrorist group.
Crime
The promise: Set up special tip lines for certain offences
The fine print:
The Conservatives plan to set up a toll-free help line for parents to call for advice on preventing or stopping their children from using illicit drugs.
A second number would let people report suspected cases of honour killings, polygamy, forced marriage and female genital mutilation.
It isn’t clear what either hotline would do that existing resources and police don’t already do.
The full platform is available on the Conservative website.
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