Election 2015: Platform need-to-knows

With the election coming up, you may still be asking yourself where your vote should go. To help break down the differences, let’s take a look at the bare bones of each party’s platform and see what changes they want to make when elected.

Conservative Party:

Stephen Harper, as it states on his webpage, is interested in increasing grants for students and wants to have interest-free loans for part-time student workers. Other than his plan for students, Harper’s plans for the Conservative Party include:

• Fighting global terrorism
• Protecting/supporting Canada’s lobster industry
• Cutting payroll taxes by over 20 percent
• Supporting individuals and families who have disabilities

New Democratic Party (NDP):

Tom Mulcair is primarily focusing his energy on helping middle class families: On ndp.ca, it reads: “Creating stable and full-time jobs is the best way to strengthen the middle class and help families get ahead. That will be my focus as your prime minister.” Mulcair’s platform includes the following:

• Creating employment for the middle class
• Creating affordable healthcare for families and increasing the amount of family doctors so they are more accessible.
• Protecting and saving the environment for future generations by cutting down greenhouse gas emissions, climate change and to make strict laws on Canada’s lakes.

Liberal:

On Liberal.ca, it says that Justin Trudeau’s plan “will build a better country, a sustainable economy, and give hard-working Canadians a fair shot at success.” Trudeau’s platform includes:

• Creating 40,000 jobs for youths in the next few years –5,000 of which would be green-based jobs.
• Helping the middle class by making housing more affordable, creating employment opportunities and providing opportunities for worker training
• Protecting the environment

Green:

Elizabeth May is keeping her eyes mostly on four main issues: economy, communities, government and climate. On greenparty.ca, she wrote: “As Canadians, we will rise to this challenge and in doing so, creating a strong, stable, and prosperous economy today, and for our children and grandchildren tomorrow.”

May’s plan includes the following:

• Investing in creating good jobs to grow a stronger economy
• Maintaining a sustainable economy
• Creating strong communities by making housing and cities affordable for families