Canada election: Complete list of promises made during the 2021 campaign

Under Leader Erin O’Toole, the Conservatives plan to overhaul Canada’s Pandemic Plan. They’ve pledged to invest in pandemic preparedness in order to shore up Canada’s vaccine production capacity and beef up PPE stockpiles. The Conservatives also plan to prioritize the signing of contracts for booster shots. They’re also planning to increase provincial transfers for mental health care and addiction services.

Liberal Party Leader Justin Trudeau has doubled down on a plan for mandatory vaccination requirements to board a plane, train or cruise ship. Stressing the need for vaccine mandates to help bolster economic recovery, the Liberals have promised a $1-billion fund to help provinces implement vaccine passport systems. Trudeau has also committed to creating better standards for long-term care and dedicate funding to the provinces to reduce health care wait times and hire more health workers. The Liberals have also promised to establish regulations governing accessibility for sexual and reproductive health services.

The NDP have promised to implement universal pharmacare, starting in 2022. Leader Jagmeet Singh said his plan, which would involve him negotiating prices with pharmaceutical companies and working with the provinces to make prescription drugs free, would save an average family $550 per year. The NDP promise is part of a sweeping pledge to create national plans for dental and mental health care.

Green Party Leader Annamie Paul’s vision includes major reforms and changes to health care in the country, such as universal pharmacare.

If elected, a Bloc Quebecois government would increase health transfers to provinces and territories, so the federal government covers at least 35 per cent of all health-care spending. The party would also increase paid sick leave through employment insurance for people with serious illnesses to from 15 weeks per year to 50.

The Conservatives’ economic plan focuses on restoring jobs lost during the pandemic, including a pledge to pay up to 50 per cent of new hires’ salaries after the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy ends. The party also vows to launch a ‘Super EI’ program that would temporarily provide 75 per cent of salary instead of the current 55 per cent when a province goes into a recession. The party will also require gig economy companies such as Uber and Lyft to make contributions equivalent to CPP and EI premiums.

A cornerstone of the Liberals’ platform on the economy is to restore jobs to pre-pandemic levels. As part of the plan, they are pledging to extend the Canada Recovery Hiring program, which allows employers to increase wages and hours or to hire more staff, to March. And to help further bolster economic recovery, the Liberals plan to provide the country’s tourism industry with temporary wage and rent support of up to 75 per cent to help them get through the winter months. The Liberals have also pledged to help Canada’s hardest-hit sectors from the pandemic, like tourism and live theatres.

The NDP is pledging to create more than one million jobs to help boost the country’s economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and provide new access to training and education through its Workers and Development and Opportunities Fund, in collaboration with the provinces. The party also plans to allow workers who quit their jobs to go to school to qualify for EI benefits. The NDP say they will require large employers to spend at least one per cent of payroll on training for their employees annually.

Green Party Leader Annamie Paul is calling for an end to the building of new pipelines, fracking and gas exploration in order to reshape the economy into a green one.

The party is planning to suspend the Canada Recovery Benefit, while making sure it can be reactivated if necessary and remain active for heavily impacted sectors. The Bloc also plans to introduce a national reform of Employment Insurance that will protect workers, including freelance and seasonal workers.

The Conservatives have made a number of pledges related to affordability, including a plan to build one million homes in three years, vowing to make cell and internet services cheaper, helping to cover the cost of child care for lower-income families through a tax credit, and lowering the cost of food by beefing up competition and increasing the fine for fixed food pricing.

In their platform, the Liberals have made a number of pledges aimed at affordability. The party has promised to extend EI benefits to self-employed Canadians, boost Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS) payments and Canada Pension Plan (CPP) benefits for some seniors, and scrap the federal portion of the interest on Canada Student Loans and Canada Apprentice Loans, among other initiatives. That’s in addition to promises on creating affordable child care across the country and making housing more affordable with initiatives like a tax-free savings account for first-time buyers.

The NDP’s plan to address affordability includes a pledge to create 500,000 new housing units, provide free drug coverage for everyone, and in an effort to make post-secondary school more affordable, the party says it will remove interest from federal student loans. NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has also said he wants to lower cellphone and internet bills by working with the CRTC to force large telecommunications companies to lower their prices and cap fees below the global average.

Green Party Leader Annamie Paul promised in her party’s vision for Canada a guaranteed livable income and affordable housing. In its 101-page platform the party promises to accelerate the pace of carbon-tax hikes; boost the supply of affordable housing; establish a guaranteed livable income; do away with tuition for post-secondary education; and introduce universal, affordable long-term care, among other pledges.

The Bloc plans has discussed a number of affordability pledges including a plan to invest one per cent of the government’s annual revenue into social housing, increase old-age pensions to $110 per month for seniors, automatically grant tax credits for home care, and offer tax credits for construction or accommodation for multi-general housing.

The Conservative Party’s plan rejects the Liberals’ vision for a national universal child-care system, proposing instead a generous child-care tax credit for lower-income families.

Trudeau said if his government is re-elected, the Liberals will reduce fees for child care by 50 per cent on average in the next year and deliver $10-a-day on average child care within five years everywhere outside of Quebec.

In line with the Liberals’ plan, the NDP are pledging $10-a-day universal child care program.

The Green Party has not released a platform or a vision for child care. However, in 2019, the party called for universal access to affordable early learning and child care.

The Bloc has not advocated for a national child care plan, like some of the other parties. Quebec currently has its own subsidized child care program.

The Conservatives’ 160-page platform includes a promise to scrap the Liberals’ price on carbon and replace it with their own carbon pricing scheme with personal energy savings accounts. The party also plans to lower Canada’s current greenhouse gas emissions target to 30 per cent of 2005 levels by 2030 – a reduction of the current target set by the Liberal government in April of a 40 to 45 per cent reduction by 2030.

The Liberals have said they intend to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 45 per cent by 2030. If re-elected, the party also aims to have a net-zero electricity grid in place by 2035 and establish a $2-billion “Futures Fund” to help ease the transition for workers in the oil-rich provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan, Newfoundland and Labrador to greener jobs.

The NDP says it will set a target of reducing Canada’s emissions by at least 50 per cent from 2005 levels by 2030. To accomplish this goal, the party will end subsidies for the oil and gas sector, modernize the national building code, and increase federal subsidies for zero-emission vehicles.

Green Leader Annamie Paul kicked off her party’s election campaign with a call on Aug. 16 for an end to the building of new pipelines, fracking and gas exploration. The party promises to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 60 per cent compared to 2005 levels by 2030, the most ambitious of all the parties’ proposals. The Green Party will also invest billions in commuter rail, build high-speed rail links in densely populated areas, and ban the sale of combustion engines by 2030.

The Bloc Quebecois platform contains several promises related to climate change and the environment – including a pledge to modify the net-zero emissions law to include clear reduction targets and end all federal subsidies for fossil fuels.

Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole is pledging to balance the budget within 10 years. He says the Party will do this by relying on economic growth, and without making any cuts. The Tory platform released on Aug. 16 also includes billions of dollars worth of promised spending, including more financial aid for small businesses, boosting the growth rate of health transfers to the provinces and bolstering Employment Insurance benefits.

When the Liberals released their platform Sept. 1, they introduced a new spending plan that would see $78 billion in new spending over five years, including $13 billion in 2021. The party made no pledges to balance the budget, which is in stark contrast to what the Conservatives promised – which is to balance the budget within the next decade without making any cuts.

In their platform, the NDP has vowed to manage debt and deficits responsibly, borrowing when required. Without offering specifics, the party says it will move towards a balanced budget “when it is prudent to do so.”

The Green Party has not commented on deficits.

The Bloc has not commented on deficits.

Conservative Party Leader Erin O’Toole has pledged a plan to implement all Truth and Reconciliation Commission calls to action. However, the Conservative Party’s platform only commits to a plan to implement six specific items that deal with the deaths of children in residential schools and the sites where they were buried. O’Toole has also said he supports building the cancelled Northern Gateway pipeline, largely because it would provide some Indigenous communities with economic opportunities.

The Liberals have made a number of promises related to Indigenous peoples and reconciliation. The party says it will end all drinking water advisories and fully implement Joyce’s Principle, which calls on governments to guarantee all Indigenous peoples the right of the right of equitable access, without any discrimination, to all social and health services. The Liberals also plan to “provide the necessary supports for communities who wish to continue to undertake the work of burial searches” at former residential schools and invest $2 billion in Indigenous housing.

The NDP have promised to appoint a special prosecutor on residential schools and demand all residential school records from institutions such as governments and churches be released. NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has also said a NDP government would also work to fully implement all outstanding recommendations from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

The Green Party has not released a platform and has not made any specific pledges for Indigenous people living in Canada.

The Bloc has not made any specific pledges for Indigenous people living in Canada.

A Conservative government would select a month-long period this fall when Canadians wouldn’t have to pay any federal sales tax on retail goods to help businesses “thrive.” The Tories also say they will provide a 50 per cent rebate for food and non-alcoholic drinks purchased for dine-in from Monday to Wednesday for one month when it is safe to do so. And in order to support the tourism sector, the Conservatives say they will offer a 15 per cent tax credit for vacation expenses of up to $1,000 per person for Canadians to vacation in the country next year.

The Liberals have promised to impose a minimum 15 per cent tax rule for people in the highest income bracket, which will remove their ability to eliminate their tax obligations through credits and deductions. The party also plans to tax big Canadian banks and insurance companies with profits over $1 billion. A re-elected Liberal government would also impose an anti-house flipping tax and federal vaping tax. The Liberals are counting on billions of dollars in fresh revenue from their new tax measures.

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh is recommitting to a crackdown on tax dodgers with high net worth. The pledge is part of a basket of measures that aim to raise revenue while lowering inequality. NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh also says he will crack down on “big-money” house flippers by increasing the taxable amount of capital gains profits from 50 to 75 per cent.

The Greens have not released a platform, and have made no specific promises on taxes.

The Bloc has said it would introduce a unique tax filing system managed by the province of Quebec. The party has also said it aims to introduce a new tax on the wealthy, along with a three per cent tax on large digital companies like Netflix.

The Conservatives pledge to build one million homes in three years to combat Canada’s housing shortage. To help achieve that goal they say they will use at least 15 per cent of the federal government’s real estate portfolio to create new housing. They also promise more help for homebuyers, including by raising the maximum home price eligible for mortgage default insurance and indexing that price ceiling to home price inflation. To curb speculation in real estate, the Tories also want a two-year ban on foreign homebuyers. As well, they say they would establish a beneficial ownership registry for residential property, reform the Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) and Terrorist Financing Act and boost resources to track and prosecute money laundering in real estate.

The Liberals say they will “build, preserve or repair” 1.4 million homes in four years and have promised $4 billion in funding for municipalities that ramp up home building. To help homebuyers they say they will create a tax-free savings account to save for a down payment and a rent-to-own program. They also promise to reduce CMHC’s mortgage insurance rates by 25 per cent while raising the maximum home price eligible for mortgage insurance. The Liberals also want to boost consumer protections for homebuyers and propose banning blind bidding and introducing a legal right to a home inspection. They also want to ban foreign homebuyers for two year, establish a beneficial ownership registry and create a new federal agency solely devoted to fighting major financial crimes.

The NDP pledges to build 500,000 affordable homes in 10 years. To help homebuyers, the party wants to extend the maximum length of insured mortgages from 25 to 30 years, which would lower monthly payments for borrowers. They also promise to create a $5,000 annual subsidy for renters. To tackle speculation the New Democrats propose a 20-per-cent national foreign homebuyers’ tax, and to curb money laundering in real estate they want to create a beneficial ownership registry for houses.

The Green Party has called for affordable housing for all Canadians.

The Bloc says it will combat the national housing crisis by investing one per cent of the federal government’s annual revenue into social housing. More social housing will be created by utilizing all unused federal properties.