Andrew Scheer's Plan FOR TO GET AHEAD Table of Contents 01 Message from the Leader 47 More Help at Home For Canadian culture and heritage 02 More Money in Your Pocket For you For your kids For your retirement 15 More Good Jobs Repeal Trudeau’s Carbon Tax Stop Justin Trudeau’s attacks on small business Create a National Energy Corridor Boost innovation Support economic immigration Get infrastructure built Promote interprovincial trade Support key Canadian industries 36 More Innovation to Fight Climate Change For Canadians who are suffering For correctional systems For an ethical government For fairness in immigration For Indigenous groups For law-abiding firearms owners For our freedoms For our neighbourhoods For our most vulnerable For our official languages For rural and remote communities For taxpayers For the North For your health For your privacy For veterans 79 More Strength Abroad Green Technology, Not Taxes A Cleaner and Greener Natural Environment Taking the Climate Change Fight Global Table of Contents 87 Fiscal Overview This election isn’t about me, or even about Justin Trudeau. It’s about you. Who do you trust to help you and your family get ahead? Everywhere I go across this great country, I hear the same thing from Canadians. You and your family are working hard, but you are not getting ahead. Everything is getting more expensive, there is less money available at the end of the month, and Justin Trudeau is only making things worse. In the last four years, he raised taxes on 80 per cent of middle-class families, eliminated tax credits for you and your kids, and brought in a carbon tax that has raised the price of gasoline, groceries, and home heating — all while handing profitable corporations billions in handouts. If Justin Trudeau is re-elected, his Carbon Tax will go up, and his massive deficits will threaten the quality of Canada’s social programs like health care and education. You cannot trust Justin Trudeau to help you get ahead. He’s not as advertised. I spent this election campaign talking about my plan. A new Conservative government will live within its means. We will lower your taxes and put more money in your pockets so that you can get ahead. We will deliver a Universal Tax Cut that will benefit every Canadian taxpayer. From students to seniors and everyone in between – if you pay income tax, you will pay less under my government. We will boost the RESP to make it more affordable to send your children to get a post-secondary education. We will increase the Age Credit, so seniors have more left over at the end of the month. We will provide tax savings for maternity leave, transit, green home renovations, and your kids’ sports, arts, and learning programs. These are just some of the ways we will make life more affordable for you. We’ve seen who gets ahead with Justin Trudeau, the wealthy and well-connected who have the right friends in the right places. I think it’s time for you to get ahead. Sincerely, Andrew Scheer Leader, Conservative Party of Canada Message from the Leader, Conservative Party of Canada 1 More in Y0 TIME ran -- r0 GETAHEAD More Money in Your Pocket For You Life is expensive enough without the government costing you more. If you work hard, you should be able to buy a home, save for retirement, and care for your children and your parents. Canadians are under pressure and worried about their future. They have less money in their pockets at the end of the month. Canadians are looking for help, and Justin Trudeau has proven he cannot be trusted to deliver it. Having campaigned in 2015 to offer “real help to Canada’s middleclass and all those working hard to join it,” Justin Trudeau is instead making life more difficult for the families he promised to support. If Trudeau is given four more years, he will keep breaking his promises and his neverending deficits will force him to raise taxes even more. A new Conservative government will live within its means. Andrew Scheer has a plan to put more money in your pockets so you can get ahead. A new Conservative government led by Prime Minister Andrew Scheer will: Introduce the Universal Tax Cut To support all Canadians, we will reduce the tax rate on income under $47,630 from 15 per cent to 13.75 per cent. While every Canadian taxpayer will see their income taxes go down, those in the lowest bracket will see the biggest proportional benefit of all. This long overdue change to Canada’s tax system will finally ensure that there is a tax cut focused on you. More Money in Your Pocket The tax cut will be phased in responsibly. We will begin by reducing the rate to 14.5 per cent on January 1, 2021, then to 14 per cent on January 1, 2022, and to 13.75 per cent on January 1, 2023. The Universal Tax Cut will be fully implemented within a four-year mandate. Reducing the lowest-income tax bracket will put more than $850 back into the pockets of a couple earning average salaries. An individual would see savings of $440. Repeal the Trudeau Carbon Tax To reduce the cost of your home heating, gas, groceries, and everyday essentials, we will scrap the Trudeau Carbon Tax. The signature point of Justin Trudeau’s so-called environment policy to meet his emissions reductions target is a carbon tax. This tax not only hurts the bottom line of Canadian families, but also does not get us closer to Canada’s emissions reduction targets. In fact, by admission of the Trudeau Liberals, with the carbon tax in place, Canada is moving further and further away from this goal. In 2016, Justin Trudeau fell 44 megatonnes short of his target. In 2017, that gap grew to 66 Mt. In 2018, it ballooned to 103 Mt. Trudeau’s Carbon Tax is not working, but it is costing Canadians more and more. 3 At present, your province might be exempt from Trudeau’s carbon tax because there is existing provincial carbon pricing. However, as confirmed by the Parliamentary Budget Officer, for Trudeau to meet his emissions reduction target, the carbon tax will have to increase fivefold from where it is today by 2030, across the country. That means Justin Trudeau will either force your province to increase its price, or he will impose his own on top of it. For Canadians, if Justin Trudeau is given four more years, the price of gas will increase by 31.1 cents per litre and natural gas will increase by $469 per year. In Ontario, the five-fold increase to the carbon tax would cost your household $1,151 more. In New Brunswick, the five-fold increase to the carbon tax would cost your household $959 more. In Manitoba, the five-fold increase to the carbon tax would cost your household $1,116 more. In Saskatchewan, the five-fold increase to the carbon tax would cost your household $1,930 more. In Alberta, the five-fold increase to the carbon tax would cost your household $2,002 more. Remove the GST from Home Energy Bills To help you keep more of your hardearned money, we will take the GST off all home energy – electricity, natural gas, heating oil, propane, wood pellets, and other heating sources – for primary residences. In Canada, heating your home is not a luxury — it is a necessity. Removing the GST from home energy bills will save the average household $107 per year; some could save up to $150 per year; some could save more. Average Savings Per Household 2019 2020 2021 Newfoundland and Labrador $147 $148 $150 Prince Edward Island $150 $152 $153 Nova Scotia $131 $133 $134 New Brunswick $139 $140 $141 Quebec $91 $91 $92 Ontario $113 $114 $115 Manitoba $92 $93 $94 Saskatchewan $123 $124 $126 Alberta $118 $119 $120 British Columbia $89 $90 $91 Yukon $89 $90 $91 Northwest Territories $181 $183 $184 Nunavut $217 $219 $221 Canada $106 $107 $108 More Money in Your Pocket 4 Introduce the Green Public Transit Tax Credit To provide much-needed relief for transit users, we will introduce a credit for the purchase of public transit passes. The credit will apply to transit passes that allow for unlimited travel within Canada on local buses, streetcars, subways, commuter trains, and ferries. Some electronic fare cards, including Presto cards on GO Transit, and weekly passes will be eligible as well if they are used on an ongoing basis. Those passes would require a minimum of 16 round trips in a 31-day period. In Canada, the number of people commuting to work by public transit has increased by 59.5 per cent over a 20-year period. The Green Public Transit Tax Credit will reduce congestion on our roads and cut commute times for Canadians so that everyone can get home faster at the end of the workday. The Green Public Transit Tax Credit is part of A Real Plan to Protect Our Environment – a plan that strikes a balance between conserving our environment for future generations, protecting our children from the effects of climate change, making a real impact on global emissions reduction, and our core promise of leaving more money in the pockets of Canadians. The average Canadian family could save hundreds of dollars with the Green Public Transit Tax Credit. A family of four taking the TTC in Toronto could save almost $1,000 per year. A family of four (two parents and two high school students) who regularly uses TransLink (3 zones) in Vancouver would save around $800 per year. A young professional regularly commuting on the West Coast Express from Mission City to downtown Vancouver would save around $600 per year. “ Growing up, my sisters and I always took public transit. We lived in Ottawa, and taking the bus was the only way for us to get to our first jobs and our friends. In 2017, Justin Trudeau cancelled the Public Transit Tax Credit, making life more expensive for 1.8 million Canadians who rely on public transportation. By making it more affordable to use public transit, we hope to encourage more Canadians to take advantage of buses, subways, and streetcars available to them, in turn taking cars off the road and reducing emissions here at home. Andrew Scheer For so many, public transit is the only way to get from point A to point B, and it can be a significant monthly expense. When Justin Trudeau cut the Public Transit Tax Credit in 2017, he eliminated substantial savings for Canadians. Lower-income Canadians, large families, students, and young professionals rely on public transit the most, and Justin Trudeau’s poor judgement disproportionately hurt these hardworking Canadians. More Money in Your Pocket 5 Home is where memories are made – like bringing your first child home from the hospital, road hockey tournaments on the driveway, and conversations around the dinner table. But today, the dream of home ownership is out of reach for so many. Justin Trudeau is not helping. His firsttime home buyer incentive excludes many Canadians and only targets certain cities. Trudeau’s changes to the stress test even make it even harder to qualify for a mortgage. A new Conservative government will remove barriers to home ownership. We will make more new homes available and make it easier for you to buy and pay for a home. Fix the Mortgage Stress Test To ensure that Canadians are not unnecessarily prevented from accessing a mortgage, we will fix the mortgage stress test. The stress test does not just hurt firsttime buyers. When individuals renew their mortgage, they are also subject to the stress test if they want to switch lenders. Many are unfairly stuck with their original lender, potentially paying higher mortgage rates. We will work with the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI) to remove the stress test from mortgage renewals. Extend the Mortgage Amortization Period To lower monthly mortgage payments and afford home buyers a lower barrier to entry to the housing market, we will extend the maximum amortization period on insured mortgages for first-time home buyers to 30 years. Today, an increasing number of Canadians are self-employed or move jobs more frequently. As the economy and the labour market change, government policy has to keep up. A longer amortization period will allow first-time home buyers more flexibility for monthly payments and is better suited for today’s labour market. Introduce the Green Home Renovation Tax Credit To encourage Canadians to lower emissions from their homes, we will introduce a two-year, 20 per cent refundable tax credit to help cover the cost of green home renovations between $1,000 and $20,000. This would apply to things like solar panels, insulation, or energy efficient windows and doors that improve your home’s energy efficiency. These green home improvements will save you money in the long term by lowering your monthly energy bill. These renovations also have the potential to increase the value of your home. This two-year tax credit will be available in the 2020 and 2021 calendar years. More Money in Your Pocket 6 The Green Home Renovation Tax Credit will save a Canadian family up to $3,800 on home renovations in each year. Investigate Money Laundering in the Real Estate Sector To root out the corrupt activities that drive up real estate prices and put home ownership out of reach, we will launch a public inquiry into money laundering that will provide recommendations for an action plan to crack down on this activity. There is strong evidence that money laundering has pushed up home prices in major Canadian housing markets and rural areas. We will put a stop to it. Make Surplus Federal Real Estate Available To increase the supply of housing, we will make surplus federal real estate available. To do this, we will review the federal government’s extensive real estate portfolio of 38,000 buildings. We will also immediately reinvigorate the Federal Lands Initiative. We will also look at ways that federal infrastructure investments can be leveraged to encourage housing supply. Introduce the Build More Homes Competition To empower municipalities to build more homes, a new Conservative government will introduce the Build More Homes Competition. This competition will reward municipalities that have proven to reduce red tape that stands in the way of new home construction. Introduce the Fairness for Persons with Disabilities Act To give more Canadians with disabilities access to financial support, we will reduce the number of hours required to qualify for the Disability Tax Credit (DTC) and the Registered Disability Savings Plan from 14 to 10 hours per week. If a loved one lives with a disability, a chronic illness, or a life-limiting condition, it takes a toll on the entire family, both emotionally and financially. In 2018, More Money in Your Pocket Conservative MP Tom Kmiec introduced the Fairness for Persons with Disabilities Act. Unfortunately, the Bill didn’t pass before Parliament was dissolved. This Act will also clarify the activities that count towards these hours to include time spent determining dosages of medical food and formula and activities related to determining dosages of medication, including dietary or exercise regimes. An estimated 35,000 more Canadians who need life-sustaining therapy would be eligible for the credit under our plan. In 2017, when Justin Trudeau changed how Canadians qualify for the Disability Tax Credit and the Registered Disability Savings Plan, thousands of Canadians who previously received support no longer qualified and lost a generous tax credit. To some, this credit was worth thousands of dollars. Conservatives joined diabetes advocates to successfully fight back against this tax grab. By passing the Fairness for Persons with Disabilities Act, any Liberal government would have great difficulty repealing these important benefits in the future. The Fairness for Persons with Disabilities Act would save a disabled person made eligible for the DTC or their family an average of $2,100 per year. Making it easier to qualify for the DTC will also make it easier to qualify for the RDSP, which provides up to $3,500 per year in matching grants for Canadians with disabilities. “ Green Home Renovation Tax Credit No environmental plan is complete without a serious plan to tackle emissions from buildings. It has been reported that here in Canada, buildings represent about 12 per cent of Canada’s emissions. For many Canadians, the upfront cost of making a home energy efficient is unrealistic and out of reach. Our Green Home Renovation Tax Credit will make it more affordable for Canadians to lower emissions from their home while also saving on their power bills. Andrew Scheer 7 Expand Eligibility for Volunteer Tax Credits To recognize the civic duty of our volunteer firefighters and search and rescue volunteers, we will lower the threshold for the number of eligible hours needed to qualify for the Volunteer Firefighter Tax Credit and the Search and Rescue Volunteer Tax Credit from 200 to 150 hours per year. This measure builds on a proud Conservative legacy, as these credits were introduced in 2011 (Volunteer Firefighter Tax Credit) and 2014 (SAR Tax Credit). In many parts of Canada, volunteers provide essential services like fire protection, emergency response, and search-and-rescue support. The upfront costs and replacement costs of clothing and equipment to volunteer firefighters and search and rescue volunteers can add up quickly. Since taking office in 2015, Justin Trudeau has done nothing for these hometown heroes. These credits provide up to $450 of relief to these brave volunteers. More Money in Your Pocket 8 N's TIME Paraf?n GET AHEAD More Money in Your Pocket 9 More Money in Your Pocket For Your Kids Having a child is an exciting milestone in any person’s life, but it comes with added costs and pressures. A new Conservative government will introduce new measures that will make raising your family more affordable so you and your kids can get ahead. A new Conservative government led by Prime Minister Andrew Scheer will: Make Maternity Benefits Tax-Free To make sure new parents spend less time worrying about their bottom line, we will remove federal income tax from EI maternity and EI parental benefits by providing a tax credit for any income earned under these two programs. We will also ensure that the government applies the savings from the tax credit up front so new parents can receive tax relief when they need it most. A tax credit of the same amount will be provided for residents in Quebec who receive benefits under the Quebec Parental Insurance Plan. This will save the average Canadian family up to $4,000. Support Adoptive Parents To make adoption more affordable for adoptive parents, we will introduce a 15week EI adoption leave modelled on the EI maternity leave. We will make income received under this leave tax-free, just like EI maternity and EI parental. We will also increase the Adoption Expense Tax Credit to $20,000 and make it refundable. There are 30,000 children and youth in Canada waiting to be adopted. We want to support those generous Canadians willing to adopt by helping with the considerable associated costs. Canadians with eligible expenses related to adoption will be able to receive up to an additional $518, for a total rebate of $3,000. Introduce the Children’s Fitness Tax Credit To make kids’ activities more affordable for parents, we will allow parents to claim up to $1,000 per child, each year, for expenses related to sports and fitness programs. This credit will be refundable, so low-income Canadians can get more money back. Parents of children with disabilities can claim an additional $500 per child, per year. The Children’s Fitness Tax Credit can benefit parents $150 per child, per year. This will put up to $8,430 in the pockets of adoptive parents. More Money in Your Pocket 10 Introduce the Children’s Arts and Learning Tax Credit To make kids’ extracurricular activities more affordable for parents, we will allow parents to claim up to $500 per child, each year, for expenses related to arts and learning activities. This credit will be flexible, so children can get extra help studying a language or learning science, math, or coding. Parents of children with disabilities can claim double the amount, up to $1,000 per child, per year. This credit will be refundable, so low-income Canadians can get more money back. The Children’s Arts and Learning Tax Credit can benefit parents $75 per year. Boost the Registered Education Savings Plan To help parents afford to send their children to university, college, or trade school, we will increase the government’s contribution to a Registered Education Savings Plan (RESP) from 20 per cent to 30 per cent for every dollar invested, up to $2,500 a year. A more educated Canada is a better, stronger, more prosperous Canada. “ As parents to five great kids, my wife Jill and I know all too well that the costs of having a child add up. With diapers, toys, formula, bottles, and new clothes every three months, many families spend over $10,000 on their children in the first 12 months. We know that Canadian families are looking for help, and Justin Trudeau has proven that he cannot deliver it. A new Conservative government will always support parents so they can help their children get ahead. Andrew Scheer More Money in Your Pocket This change will increase the maximum annual grant from $500 to $750. A new Conservative government will also increase the maximum lifetime grant from $7,500 to $12,000 per child. Low-income Canadians will continue to receive an additional 20 per cent on the first $500 they deposit each year, while middle-income Canadians will continue to receive an additional 10 per cent. That’s over and above the 30 per cent grant that all Canadians will get under our plan. “ All parents want to give their kids the best start in life, but often things like team sports and other activities are beyond their financial means. With the Children’s Fitness Tax Credit and the Children’s Arts and Learning Tax Credit, a new Conservative government will make it more affordable to enroll your kids in hockey or soccer, take drama lessons, or receive extra academic help outside of school. Andrew Scheer An RESP is the most effective way parents can save for their children’s education, with more and more working families investing in them every year. Over half of Canadian children up to the age of 17 have an RESP. Of the 1.77 million students who received an RESP grant in 2017, over one million were from low- and middle-class families. Between 2007 and 2017, there was a 246 per cent increase in RESP grants to children from low- and middle-income families. With the boost to 30 per cent, low-income Canadians will receive a total of 50 per cent ($250) on the first $500, while middle-income Canadians would receive 40 per cent ($200). If a family with a net income of $45,000 contributes $40 a month to their child’s RESP, a Conservative government would contribute $240 per year to that RESP. 11 More For Your Child’s Education Example, birth to age 18 Parents’ investment You receive now: You receive under Conservative plan: More for your child’s education: $25/month $1,080 $1,620 $540 $50/month $2,160 $3,240 $1,080 $100/month $4,320 $6,480 $2,160 More Money in Your Pocket 12 More Money in Your Pocket For Your Retirement Many of Canada’s seniors live on fixed incomes and have been disproportionately hurt by Justin Trudeau’s tax increases. He promised to help. Instead Trudeau has raised taxes, eliminated important tax credits, and introduced a carbon tax that makes everything more expensive. A new Conservative government led by Prime Minister Andrew Scheer will: Increase the Age Credit To put more money in the pockets of seniors, we will expand the Age Credit by $1,000, benefiting seniors with low to middle incomes the most. A senior couple earning less than $37,790 each will receive the full Age Credit and save $300. Seniors earning more than $37,790 will also receive the Age Credit, with the amount declining as incomes rise, until it is phased out at an income of $87,750. This increase would be the third of its kind by a Conservative government. In 2006 and again in 2009, Conservatives increased the Age Credit by $1,000. An individual aged 65 or over could receive up to $150 more per year, and a couple could receive up to $300 more per year. This $300 tax relief for senior couples is on top of our Universal Tax Cut, which will be applied to pension income. This work complements that of the previous Conservative government which introduced pension income splitting, lowering taxes on seniors’ pension income. Require the Companies to Report on the Solvency of Their Pension Funds To ensure the transparency and accountability of pension funds, we will mandate that all federally-regulated companies report on the solvency of their pension funds. This will give seniors the confidence that their hard-earned pensions are being well managed and will alert them if their pension funds are being mishandled. A new Conservative government will also maintain the Old Age Security (OAS) at age 65. More Money in Your Pocket 13 Encourage Underfunded Pension Plans to Grow Back to Fully Funded Status To protect your retirement, we will allow the transfer of an underfunded pension plan to another, more successful pension plan. Instead of being left underfunded, this will encourage pension plan managers to grow the plan back to fully funded status for pensioners. Restrict Incentives for Managers of Companies Undergoing Bankruptcy Proceedings if the Pension Plan is Underfunded To penalize executives who underfund their pension funds, we will restrict bonuses for the executives of companies who go through bankruptcy. A new Conservative government will implement these important measures to ensure accountability and transparency for pension funds for Canada’s pensioners. 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Victor, Henry, UniversalTax Cut Green Public . and Clara wire live in Markham. $890 Transrt Tax Credit Andrew Scheer and Canada's $1 I001 Conservatives will at 3,261. more in their ?Elmi- Saran the Carbon Tax Boost the RESP $564 $500 TIME FOR T0 GETAHEAD Lorem ipsum I 15 More G: TIMEFOR -.T0 GETAHEAU 0 .f 16 Canada needs a strong, dynamic economy that encourages investment to provide work and opportunity for all Canadians. Justin Trudeau has imposed high taxes and burdensome regulations. He has attacked small business owners, making it harder for them to grow their business and hire Canadians. The promise of potential is what makes Canada unique and special, and this should not be taken for granted. Like many Western countries, Canada will face a massive demographic shift in the coming decade. As our baby boomers retire, we will need workers, innovators, job creators, and risk-takers to sustain a thriving economy and ensure the high standard of living that Canadians enjoy and expect. To create and maintain more good jobs, as Prime Minister, Andrew Scheer will: ƒƒ Repeal Trudeau’s Carbon Tax “ Canada’s potential is as vast as the distance between its shores. There are millions of Canadians and newcomers who work hard each day to support their families and contribute to their local economy, and our country. Unfortunately, Justin Trudeau is squandering opportunities to create prosperity. As Prime Minister, I will champion Canadian industry so the greatest number of Canadians can benefit from our shared resources. The choice in this election is between a Liberal government that makes life more expensive, and a new Conservative government that will support economic opportunities for all Canadians. I have a plan to create more good jobs, to lower your taxes, and put more money in your pocket, so you can get ahead. Andrew Scheer ƒƒ S top Justin Trudeau’s attacks on small business ƒƒ Create a National Energy Corridor ƒƒ Boost innovation ƒƒ Support economic immigration ƒƒ Get infrastructure built ƒƒ Promote interprovincial trade ƒƒ Support key Canadian industries More Good Jobs 17 More Good Jobs Stop Justin Trudeau’s Attacks on Small Business Repeal Justin Trudeau’s Tax Increases To ensure hardworking small business owners are not punished for investing in their business or saving for their retirement, we will repeal Justin Trudeau’s tax increases by restoring access to the small business deduction for those companies targeted by Trudeau. In Canada, 8.3 million people are employed by small businesses. A new Conservative government will make sure our small business owners can get ahead and keep driving our economy into the future. Trudeau promised that passive investments currently held by small businesses would be grandfathered in under the new rules. He broke that promise when he brought in this new tax on their savings. Exempt Spouses from Justin Trudeau’s Tax Increases on Family Businesses To recognize the contributions and sacrifices that families make to running a business, we will exempt spouses from Justin Trudeau’s new rules that impose significant tax increases on dividends for the partners of hardworking business More Good Jobs owners. The contributions of a spouse to a business cannot simply be measured in investments of time and money. “ I worked at a family restaurant in my neighbourhood and my paycheque and tips helped me to pay my way through school. Then I worked at a small, family-run insurance company in Regina. In these first jobs, there were long hours, late nights, and hard work. I learned so much from those small business owners. I learned that ambition, innovation, and the drive to succeed are what grows our economy. I learned that when the business succeeded, my coworkers and I succeeded as well. Most of all, I learned that no government program can replace the power of the entrepreneurial spirit. I believe government should get out of the way and allow small businesses to do what they do best: create jobs and opportunities. I will never forget the people who helped me get my start. They’re not the tax cheats that Justin Trudeau thinks they are. They are some of the most honest, selfless, and community-minded people you will ever meet. I will always have their backs. Andrew Scheer 18 Help Business Owners Better Understand Canada’s Tax System To help business owners and entrepreneurs navigate Canada’s tax system and ensure they are set up for success, we will create an information package and put it on the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) website. This information package will be a guide to getting set up with the CRA and will include resources for business best practices. Reduce Red Tape for All Businesses To make it easier for job creators to succeed, a new Conservative government will reduce the regulatory burden by 25 per cent over our four-year mandate. We will set targets for each minister and each department. To get there, we will implement a 2-for-1 rule whereby the government would have to get rid of two regulations before imposing any new one. This will help to lower unnecessary costs for entrepreneurs and to make it easier to start and run a business. The Canadian Chamber of Commerce found that there were 131,754 regulations on the federal books in 2015. The Montreal Economic Institute found that they now number 136,000, an increase of 4,300 since Justin Trudeau became Prime Minister. These federal regulations are on top of hundreds of thousands of provincial rules and red tape, many of which are duplicated at the federal level. To lead government-wide regulatory reduction, we will assign responsibility for red tape reduction to a minister reporting directly to the Prime Minister. This will help to ensure that we meet our red tape reduction targets and eliminate, where possible, regulatory discrepancies and duplication with the provinces. We will call on experts from the private sector, individuals who truly understand the administrative burden of these regulations, to support the cost-benefit analysis. Furthermore, we will mandate all ministers and regulators to support innovation, economic growth, and competitiveness. More Good Jobs 19 Review Canada’s Tax System To make Canada’s tax system more competitive and fair, we will appoint an expert panel to undertake a comprehensive, system-wide review. The panel will review Canada’s innovation programs to make recommendations to improve Canada’s competitiveness to attract more jobs and investment. The tax review will examine whether innovation programs (such as SR&ED) support Canadian companies that provide benefits, profits, and patents that stay in Canada. If an innovation program benefits the subsidiaries of foreign multinationals, then we will consider how they could be refocused. The expert panel will also look at policies to strengthen Canada’s ability to capitalize on intangibles, like intellectual property, and improve incentives to encourage more businesses to patent their innovative ideas. “ Throughout our history, Canada has benefited from the leadership of individuals like Sir John A. Macdonald, whose vision of a country that spanned from the Atlantic to the Pacific led to the Canadian Pacific Railway, and John Diefenbaker, who saw value and purpose in a first all-weather road across the Arctic Circle. Justin Trudeau has pursued short-sighted policies for short-term political gain. Easily distracted by the news of the day, his poor judgement has pitted region against region, province against province, and Canadian against Canadian. It’s time for a return to bold, visionary leadership and that’s what the National Energy Corridor is all about. Andrew Scheer We would also examine the rule that makes it easier to transfer a farm to a stranger rather than a family member. To give taxpayers a break, we will revise CRA penalties so that first-time problems or errors receive only mild fines, while repeat offenders receive tougher penalties. More Good Jobs 20 More Good Jobs Create a National Energy Corridor Create a National Energy Corridor To generate opportunities for Canadians and unite our country, we will create a National Energy Corridor to carry Canadian energy and resources from coast to coast. A National Energy Corridor could help us move our oil and gas from Alberta and Saskatchewan. It could provide opportunities in Ontario and Quebec to move our hydroelectricity to new markets. It could connect rural communities in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick with vital telecommunications infrastructure. It could provide economic opportunities for Indigenous communities in British Columbia along its route. With a National Energy Corridor, we can minimize environmental impacts, lower the cost of environmental assessments without sacrificing quality, increase certainty for investors, and get critical projects built. We will appoint a blue-ribbon task force to produce recommendations within six months of its establishment. We will actively engage all provincial and territorial governments, municipal governments, and Indigenous leaders, who would share in the prosperity of this project, to realize the coast to coast link. More Good Jobs Repeal Bill C-69 To create jobs and get critical energy infrastructure projects built, a new Conservative government will repeal Bill C-69 – the No More Pipelines Act. Since taking office, Justin Trudeau has repeatedly attacked Canada’s energy sector and the thousands of men and women who work in it. We will replace Bill C-69 with a new process that sets clear expectations and timelines for environmental reviews. This will secure and maintain investment in Canada’s energy sector as we restore confidence and certainty. Further, we will reduce politicization of the review process and make sure that all designated projects undergo a rigorous consultation process. Foreign funded groups will be banned from using the approvals process to block energy projects that are in our national interest. This new process will adhere to world-class environmental standards. A new Conservative government will work collaboratively with provinces, territories, industry, and Indigenous groups. 21 End the Ban on Shipping Traffic on the North Coast of British Columbia To increase the value of Canadian energy exports, we must improve access to international markets. We will end the ban on shipping traffic on the northern coast of British Columbia. Justin Trudeau arbitrarily banned the export of Canadian oil from British Columbia’s coast against the expressed wishes of local communities and Indigenous groups. Justin Trudeau has tied the hands of our own industry and this ban does not prevent Alaskan oil from transiting Canadian waters to supply American refineries. Build the Trans Mountain Pipeline To make sure all Canadians benefit from the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project, we will get shovels in the ground and guarantee that it is built in a responsible way. After causing so many delays that he was forced to buy the pipeline – sending 4.5 billion taxpayer dollars to the American company that owned it – Justin Trudeau has continued to drag his feet. Not a metre of pipeline has been laid. Facilitate Engagement Between Indigenous Communities and Resource Development Companies To promote mutually beneficial conversations between Indigenous communities and resource project proponents, we will provide $10 million per year to the organizations that foster collaboration and encourage strong partnerships between these two groups. Including Indigenous communities in major project development can lead to life-changing opportunities and more certainty for companies. Declare Projects ‘For the General Advantage of Canada’ To protect jobs and make sure that projects get built, a new Conservative government will assert federal jurisdiction over major projects that are “for the general advantage of Canada” under s. 92(10) of the constitution where appropriate. We will not hesitate to use every tool at our disposal to move forward with projects that are in our national interest, while adhering to high environmental standards. Appoint a Minister for Consulting Indigenous Rights Holders To make sure that the voices of Indigenous rights holders are heard by Cabinet ministers, we will create a dedicated ministerial portfolio to be responsible for this engagement. Indigenous communities have a strong interest in what goes on within their traditional territories, and Canada’s constitution requires the government to consult with them on major projects to identify and address concerns. Unfortunately, too often this has not happened, leading to project delays and frustration among Indigenous peoples. It is time for the government to change its approach. More Good Jobs 22 More Good Jobs Boost Innovation Research and development in Canada is strong, but we are falling behind in our ability to commercialize and scale up successful companies. Canada is not capitalizing on our innovation, and in a world of great competition and network effects that encourage winner-take-all platforms, this hurts our productivity growth. Canada needs to be aggressive in developing new technology and ensuring that we grow leading companies here at home. Most importantly, we have to make sure Canadian companies stay in Canada. Other countries have lowered taxes and reduced regulation, while Canada has gone in the opposite direction – increased taxes on business and increased regulation. Too many promising Canadian technology companies have been sold to US investors, taking intellectual property and wealth benefits away from Canadians. Our comprehensive review of the tax system will enable and encourage Canadian entrepreneurs do business, innovate, and create jobs in Canada. A new Conservative government will make Canada a premier destination to invest and build a business, to innovate and commercialize new technologies. We will review the tax code, reduce regulation, and improve Canadian immigration programs and skills development. We can make a transformative difference to the Canadian investment climate. More Good Jobs Find New Markets and Customers for our Technology and Services Companies To ensure Canadian companies can compete and win internationally, we will make sure that intellectual property protection and free trade services is at the heart of new trade agreements. We will diversify Canada’s trade toward emerging markets and reduce dependence on the US. We will engage the UK and the countries of Mercosur and ASEAN in negotiations toward free trade agreements. Build Canadian Technology Skills To make sure our immigration system attracts the top talent, we will ensure government re-training programs meet the demand for skills required for the jobs of today and tomorrow. The biggest competitive advantage that Canada’s technology sector has is highly skilled workers and talent. We also hear that critical skills shortages are hurting our tech industry’s ability to grow. 23 More Good Jobs Support Economic Immigration Attract the Best and Brightest To match prospective immigrants with jobs in Canada and to help Canadian employers fill skills shortages, we will reverse Justin Trudeau’s policy decision to reduce the number of points awarded for a job offer under the Express Entry Program. We will restructure the program to better match its original intent, attracting the world’s best and brightest to help our industries succeed. A new Conservative government will also work to keep the best and brightest talent in Canada after they finish university. International students educated in Canada are ideal candidates to help fill gaps in the Canadian job market. We will prepare and implement a plan to match students with jobs, focusing on high-demand skills. Promote Jobs in Rural and Northern Communities To enhance the workforce in our rural and Northern communities, we will encourage new economic immigrants to consider jobs in remote parts of the country by providing them with information about opportunities that exist outside of our urban centres. Help Businesses Fill in Their Skills Gaps To help businesses fill vacancies that cannot be filled by Canadians, we will rework the Temporary Foreign Workers Program to better align it with domestic needs. More Good Jobs 24 To reduce duplication and ease the application process, we will create a trusted employer system so that companies do not have to constantly re-apply to the program. We will establish clear standards and timelines for Labour Market Impact Assessment processes and revise the zoning regions to make sure rural areas and tourism hotspots are not lumped into large geographic areas with urban hubs. To ensure that those who enter Canada as low-skilled workers, as justified by concrete labour market data, are treated fairly, we will establish a path to permanence by allowing employers to sponsor applications for permanent residency. Immigration is good for the economy, good for jobs, and good for people who have chosen to come to Canada. We will continue to monitor the Temporary Foreign Workers Program to ensure that it is achieving its intended results: supporting Canadian businesses with genuine labour needs, while also ensuring that Canadians get the first crack at jobs in our country. Negotiate Greater Jurisdiction for Quebec To negotiate changes to allow greater autonomy over immigration for Quebec, we will work with the Government of Quebec to address its specific needs when it comes to immigration, as recognized by the Canada-Quebec Accord. These negotiations could include a number of practical steps that make sense for both Canada and Quebec. For example, currently, labour market impact assessments must be approved by both the federal and Quebec governments. A common-sense improvement would be to remove this duplication. We will sit down with the Government of Quebec to discuss this and other possible amendments to the Canada-Quebec Accord. More Good Jobs 25 More Good Jobs Get Infrastructure Built Build Roads, Bridges, Ports to Get our Economy Moving To create jobs, increase wages, and connect Canadian industries, we will prioritize infrastructure projects that will have the maximum benefit to Canada’s economy. We will proceed with all projects previously committed to by the Liberal government. Studies have shown that long commute times not only affect a person financially but can also impact their overall wellbeing. A new Conservative government will also introduce a Green Public Transit Tax Credit to reduce the cost of public transit. Reduce Commute Times to Get You Home Faster To get you home to your family faster at the end of the workday, a new Conservative government will prioritize infrastructure projects that shorten commute times. Examples of these kinds of projects include: ƒƒ The George Massey Tunnel Replacement Project (British Columbia) ƒƒ The Ontario Line and the Yonge Subway Extension (Ontario) ƒƒ The third link across the Saint Lawrence River (Quebec) More Good Jobs 26 Mitigate and Adapt to the Effects of Climate Change To improve our resilience to extreme weather events, we will incorporate a mitigation and adaptation lens to the government’s infrastructure investments. Communities must be able to identify risks and be able to plan to address them. An adaptation lens can include designing infrastructure to be resilient to extreme weather events, but it also might include designing other infrastructure to protect against known hazards. In either case, this will help communities be prepared in the event of an emergency. A new Conservative government will also pursue natural infrastructure projects that leverage the resilience of our natural landscapes. Enhanced or constructed wetlands and other natural features can provide low-cost protection against floods, drought, and water quality issues, while also providing value like recreation, fish and wildlife habitat, and carbon sequestration. The previous Conservative government had an excellent track record on waste management. We created the Wastewater Systems Effluent Regulations to set higher standards for wastewater treatment. We also made wastewater investments across the country, including significant investments in Montreal and Victoria. Support Rural and Remote Communities To support towns, villages, and rural areas across the country, we will make sure that they get their fair share of infrastructure dollars by setting aside a specific fund for rural and remote communities. Our commitment is clear: we will help all Canadians get ahead – not just those living in large urban centres. We will prioritize infrastructure projects and invest resources to end the dumping of raw sewage in our lakes, rivers, and oceans. Canada’s waterways opened our nation to explorers and offered early trade routes that set the stage for a dynamic, modern economy. Today, our waterways support our trade-based economy and sustain our livelihoods in several ways. They should not be used as a toxic dumping ground. A new Conservative government will work with the provinces and municipalities to bring an end to raw sewage being dumped in waterways across Canada. Since taking office, Justin Trudeau has failed to protect our waterways from pollution. In one of her first acts as Environment Minister, Catherine McKenna allowed the City of Montreal to dump 8 billion litres of raw sewage into the St. Lawrence River. In 2017 alone, municipalities dumped 215 billion litres of untreated raw sewage into lakes, rivers, and marine environments across the country. More Good Jobs 27 More Good Jobs Promote Interprovincial Trade Break Down Interprovincial Trade Barriers To get our goods and services moving across provincial borders, we will convene a first minister’s meeting to establish a new comprehensive and effective free trade agreement. At this meeting, we will create a process to determine whether differences in laws and regulations unnecessarily prevent trade or whether they are reasonable exercises of provincial jurisdiction. Eliminating interprovincial trade barriers could improve Canada’s competitiveness and productivity, boosting Canada’s economy by $90 billion, according to the International Monetary Fund. Expand the Red Seal Program To increase opportunities for Canadians to work anywhere in Canada, we will expand the Red Seal Program to recognize common credentials. We will work with the provinces and territories to harmonize apprenticeship training and trade certification in their jurisdictions. More Good Jobs 28 More Good Jobs Support Canadian Industries Prepare Canadians Today, for the Jobs of Tomorrow To make sure that Canadians receive the best advice, skills training, and employment assistance, we will establish success measures for the hundreds of millions of dollars that the Government of Canada currently spends to prepare Canadians for the workforce. A new Conservative government will work with colleges and universities to make sure courses, programs, and academic curricula reflect the demands of today’s labour market so that we are setting our students up for success. Strike a Natural Resources Competitiveness Task Force Canada needs a strategy to extract, develop, and market our natural resources to the world. Canada has an innovative and skilled workforce and a strong environmental regime. We can and will do more to support our natural resource industries to make sure that Canadian products are championed both at home and abroad. Ensure Real Representation at Regional Development Agencies To ensure that regional voices are heard in government funding of regional development, our ministers for the regional development agencies will be appointed from among the MPs of that region. To rebuild confidence and restore Canada’s leadership position in resource development, we will set up a task force of experts to engage with industry, Indigenous communities, and other concerned Canadians. Canada’s resource industries have faced tough times under Justin Trudeau. It is not just the oil and gas sector that has suffered. Workers in the mining industry are concerned about their future, and the forestry sector has seen serious job losses, especially in the interior of British Columbia. More Good Jobs 29 Agriculture Modernize the Canada Grain Act and Canadian Grain Commission To support farmers, we will make sure that the Canada Grain Act (CGA) and Canadian Grain Commission (CGC) align with modern agricultural practices, global market requirements, and the needs of our farmers. Agriculture has changed drastically in recent decades. Unfortunately, the regulation of agriculture in Canada has not always kept up with the market. We will bring the CGA and CGC in line with today’s standards in consultation with farmers. Return Overcharged User Fees to Farmers To put more money in the pockets of farmers, as part of the modernization of the CGA and CGC, we will return the $130 million in overcharged user fees amassed by the CGC to farmers. Reduce Red Tape for Farmers To ensure that the Pest Management Regulatory Agency effectively balances protecting health and the environment with Canada’s economic interests, we will add competitiveness as a key component of its mandate, require that it work more transparently with those it regulates, encourage regulatory innovation and harmonization with international trading partners, and ensure that it has sufficient resources to deliver on its mandate. Implement an Agriculture and Agri-Food Labour Strategy To better support farmers and food processors, we will help to make sure they have access to the workers that they need. Canada’s agriculture and agri-food sector are an economic powerhouse with a global reputation for safe, high-quality products. Many parts of this sector, however, are hampered by chronic labour shortages across all skill levels. The minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food will develop a strategy for dealing with these labour shortages in close consultation with industry. Help Farmers and Agri-food Businesses Hit Hard by Market Uncertainty To determine the best way to help farmers and agri-food business work through current market uncertainty, we will convene a meeting with farm groups to assess the damage and determine how to help farmers get through this difficult time. Current geopolitical tensions, notably the trade war between the world’s two biggest economies and worsening Canada-China relations, have had serious economic consequences for the Canadian canola, pork, beef, and soy sectors, among others. This has had a negative effect on commodity prices and on the bottom line of many Canadian farmers and agribusinesses. We have already called for Canada to challenge China’s actions at the World Trade Organization and for increased inspections on Chinese imports. We will also work with provinces and farmers to make Agri-Stability more simple, predictable, bankable, and timely. More Good Jobs 30 Deliver Compensation to Farmers Affected by Free-Trade Deals To support our supply managed farmers who have lost market share because of free trade agreements, we will deliver promised compensation to affected sectors. Defend Canada’s System of Supply Management To defend our farmers’ way of life, we will protect supply management while opening new markets for our farmers who depend on exports. Justin Trudeau upset this balance when he made unprecedented concessions to Donald Trump in NAFTA negotiations. As Prime Minister, Andrew Scheer will not put supply management on the table in any future trade negotiations. Regain Financial Protection for our Produce Sector To regain important financial protection, we will take steps to restore the dispute resolution mechanism by which our produce sector was protected against the financial risk of a US buyer becoming insolvent. More Good Jobs Apply for BSE Negligible Risk Status To help our beef farmers grow their market share internationally and make it easier for Canada to negotiate new free trade agreements, we will apply to upgrade Canada’s World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) status for Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) from Controlled to Negligible Risk in 2020. The discovery of BSE, commonly known as Mad Cow Disease, in Canada in 2003 was a significant blow to the Canadian beef industry. Subsequently, thanks to Canada’s word class BSE surveillance, the OIE categorized Canada as Controlled Risk Status for BSE in May 2007. We will take the next step. Postpone the Humane Transport Regulations to Ensure They are Based on Complete Evidence To ensure that new regulations on the humane transportation of animals are based on complete evidence, we will postpone their coming into force until we have conducted a review. Through regulation, the federal government ensures the welfare of animals during transport. Unfortunately, Justin Trudeau is pushing forward with updates to these regulations that are not based on the latest facts. Farmers care deeply about the wellbeing of their animals and they want to take reasonable steps to ensure their safety. 31 H's TIME FMW To GET AHEAD More Good Jobs 32 Fisheries Canada’s fisheries sector provides tens of thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in economic activity every year. In order to maintain these benefits for future generations, as well as keep our marine environment healthy, it is crucial that we take steps now to conserve and restore our critical stocks. Create Meaningful Advisory Panels To rebuild critical stocks and ensure that everyone is working together, we will create advisory panels with fish harvesters and anglers, Indigenous groups, and other experts as appropriate, to rebuild critical stocks and ensure that everyone is working together. Enhance and Rebuild Wild Atlantic and Pacific Salmon Stocks To support local activities that enhance our salmon stocks, we will increase support for the Salmonid Enhancement Program with a focus on partnerships with community groups and restore the community-led Recreational Fisheries Conservation Partnership Program (RFCPP) which Justin Trudeau cancelled. We will double the price of the Salmon Conservation Stamp in BC for nonresidents, with the proceeds going to the Pacific Salmon Foundation. Protect our Fisheries To ensure that we can rebuild and maintain our important fish stocks, we will ensure that recovery plans are completed for all of Canada’s critical fisheries. These plans will include strategies for responsibly managing predators and invasive species, like fish harvesters in Newfoundland and Labrador and other regions have been asking for. More Good Jobs To recover our critical stocks and support this important task, a new Conservative government will make critical stock recovery a strategic focus for scientific research conducted by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans. Restore Community Consultations for Marine Protected Areas To guarantee that local voices are heard, we will ensure that the process for creating Marine Protected Areas (MPA) does not ignore the concerns of coastal communities. Justin Trudeau introduced a process for establishing MPAs that ignores those concerns. We will implement a process that is reasonable and timely but respectful of communities. We will reinstate up-front consultations with communities and stakeholders before determining protected area boundaries. Support Small Craft Harbours To support critical infrastructure for coastal communities and their local economies, we will provide $250 million for improving and upgrading Small Craft Harbours. Small Craft Harbours provide important facilities for recreational and commercial fishing that can be central to local economies, such as those in Prince Edward Island that provide critical support for the lobster and shellfish aquaculture industries. 33 Prevent Seafood Fraud To make sure our honest Canadian fishers and vendors are not cheated, we will work with industry to develop a strategy to prevent seafood fraud and mislabelling which also creates food safety and health risks. Reduce the Prevalence of “Ghost Gear” To protect our oceans against one of the deadliest forms of marine litter, we will work to reduce abandoned and lost gear, known as “ghost gear.” Ghost gear entangles marine wildlife and significantly contributes to the world’s oceans’ plastic problem. Create a Modern Aquaculture Act To build a robust aquaculture industry that does not threaten our wild fisheries, we will create a modern Aquaculture Act. Justin Trudeau’s promise to move the BC salmon-farming industry to landbased, closed containment by 2025 will put 7,000 jobs in BC on the line. Three thousand more jobs in Atlantic Canada will be put on notice. Behind closed doors, Justin Trudeau has acknowledged that land-based closed containment is not commercially viable. This impossible timeline sends a clear signal that he does not want this billion-dollar Canadian industry to survive. Conservatives believe that a responsible and sustainable salmon-farming industry is important for our coastal communities. Those important jobs should not be attacked by the federal government. We will increase pathogen testing for open pen aquaculture sites so that we can identify and control risks to wild stocks. At the same time, this will allow the aquaculture industry to build confidence in its practices. We will also encourage the development and adoption of technology that can help to lower the risks associated with contact between wild and farmed salmon. More Good Jobs 34 Forestry Establish a Task Force on the Woodland Caribou To protect the woodland caribou while ensuring that the forestry sector remains strong, we will establish a task force to work collaboratively with provinces and local communities to propose solutions that are sensitive to local expertise and management. Protect our Forests From Pests To control the species that pose a substantial threat to forest health, we will increase funding to control pest species in national parks and on federal lands. More Good Jobs 35 Manufacturing Manufacturers are a vital engine of the Canadian economy accounting (directly and indirectly) for 25 per cent of employment and 30 per cent of GDP. However, many in the automotive, aerospace, and other sectors have struggled with a deteriorating competitive environment because of higher costs, more regulation, and a federal government that has ignored their plight. Worse, Canada has been losing ground to other countries and more manufacturers are moving to the US. Canada’s manufacturers are some of the best in the world, but the Liberal government is making it impossible for them to win. To make Canada the premier destination in the world to invest and build a business, we will review the tax system to improve Canada’s competitiveness to attract more jobs and investment, including in the manufacturing sector. We will also reduce the regulatory burden by 25 per cent. Manufacturers have told us that they are struggling under Canada’s regulatory burden and need relief in order to compete internationally. More Good Jobs To diversify Canada’s trade toward emerging markets and reduce dependence on the US, we will sign free trade agreements with Mercosur, ASEAN, and the UK. We will stand up for Canada’s strategic industries and pursue opportunities for Canadian manufacturers to increase growth and exports. 36 TIME FOR . r0 GET AHEAD Canada’s Conservatives revealed A Real Plan to Protect Our Environment in June 2019. A Real Plan to Protect Our Environment is the result of hard work, extensive stakeholder consultation, and independent research. Our plan balances the need for Canada to fight climate change by lowering global emissions with our core promise of leaving more money in Canadians’ pockets so they can get ahead. A Real Plan to Protect Our Environment is Canada’s best chance to meet the Paris Agreement Targets and is built on three guiding principles: 1. Green Technology, Not Taxes 2. A Cleaner and Greener Natural Environment 3. Taking the Climate Change Fight Global Our plan recognizes the important work that is already being done by the provinces and territories, Indigenous groups, stakeholders, community organizations, volunteers, and everyday Canadians. Climate change is real and evidence from around the world shows there is a global warming trend. Increasingly, Canadians want to play a role in the fight against climate change. Our plan enables Canadians to engage in meaningful ways and contribute to our emissions reductions both at home and abroad. The contents of our environment plan can be found at www.arealplan.ca. The following are the highlights from that work. “ The Conservative record of environmental achievement stands in stark contrast to Justin Trudeau’s record of failure. Conservatives have a proud legacy when it comes to managing Canada’s natural environment and improving Canada’s environmental performance. This legacy spans the full history of our country. The founder of our Party and Canada’s first Prime Minister, Sir John A. Macdonald, laid the groundwork for the national parks system and created the first three – Banff, Yoho, and Glacier. Years later, Prime Minister Robert Borden championed Arctic exploration to establish a scientific understanding of our northern frontier, with his efforts ultimately recognized in the naming of Borden Island. Prime Minister John Diefenbaker further entrenched Canada’s Arctic sovereignty with his Roads to Resources policy while also enshrining in legislation Canadian Environment Week, an annual tradition encouraging environmental action that continues to this day. Brian Mulroney – named Canada’s greenest Prime Minister in 2006 – negotiated the CanadaUnited States acid rain treaty, created eight new national parks, and brought in the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, Canada’s first ever comprehensive pollution law. The previous Conservative government, led by Prime Minister Stephen Harper, achieved a net decline of greenhouse gas emissions between 2007 and 2015 through targeted programs in the agriculture, transportation, and energy sectors. We are proud to continue this important work with A Real Plan to Protect Our Environment. Andrew Scheer More Innovation to Fight Climate Change 38 More Innovation to Fight Climate Change Green Technology, Not Taxes A Real Plan to Protect Our Environment strengthens Canada’s economic advantage and encourages environmental sustainability by making sure major emitters do their part to lower emissions. Guided by our Green Technology, Not Taxes principle, we will require Canadian companies to lead by example and invest in emissions-reducing technology if they fall short of our emissions standards. As Prime Minister, Andrew Scheer will: Introduce our Green Investment Standards To lower greenhouse gases and drive Canadian businesses to the highest standards of green technology, we will set emissions standards for major emitters. Companies will be required to reduce their emissions to those limits. Those that emit more than is allowed under the Green Investment Standards will be required to invest in research, development, and adoption of emissions-reducing technology related to their industry. These companies will be required to invest a set amount for every tonne of greenhouse gas they emit above the limit. This will incent major emitters to invest in technology that will give them the best shot at reducing their own emissions. This is technology that has the greatest potential to reduce emissions, but that can also offer the best potential return on investment as dictated by the market. More Innovation to Fight Climate Change Our plan will expand the mandatory application of the major emitters policy from facilities emitting 50 kt CO2e to facilities emitting 40 kt CO2e per year. This means that our plan will be mandatory for more major emitters: more companies and more big polluters than Trudeau’s plan. Certify Green Investments To determine the eligibility of green technology investments, we will provide a Green Investment Standards Certification. This will make sure companies are able to make the best business decisions in a timely manner. The certification will require a technical assessment of the investment to determine whether a specific project, investment, fund, or other instrument supports the development or adoption of emissions-reducing technology. In addition to requiring green investments to be certified, we will require all companies with facilities falling under this regulation to report on their emissions. 39 We will establish an auditing function to ensure that emitters are complying with regulations and that investments are incremental. Establish a Green Patent Credit To incentivize the green technology sector to do research and development as well as commercialization here in Canada, we will reduce the tax rate to 5 per cent on income that is generated from green technology developed and patented in Canada. This is to encourage Canada to be a destination for green innovation. The increased supply of new emissions-reducing technology will in turn make green technology options more affordable for Canadians. Introduce Energy Savings Performance Contracting and a Green Home Retrofit Code To make it easier for builders and contractors to retrofit green homes, we will provide regulatory support for the development of Energy Savings Performance Contracting (ESPC). ESPC is a relatively new concept that has had success in other jurisdictions. It works by using investment capital up front and then having the building owner pay back the investor through the energy savings. We will also establish a Green Home Retrofit Code that will form part of the regulatory backing required for a new ESPC market to be established. Introduce a Green Technology and Innovation Fund To support Canadian innovation, we will leverage up to $1 billion in private investment in new venture capital for Canadian green technology companies. This will build on the success of the previous Conservative government’s Venture Capital Action Plan. We will do this by providing $250 million for a fund managed by the private sector, separate from government. The private sector will be required to invest $4 for each government dollar. We will recover this money for taxpayers by selling the investment when the company gets off the ground and reaches commercial potential. We will consult with industry to make sure our plan supports the best mix of earlystage to late-stage development. Create a Go-to Green Hub for Innovators To help innovators identify where they can find talent, information, and resources from the private and public sectors, we will create a single online hub for green technology innovators. More Innovation to Fight Climate Change 40 More Innovation to Fight Climate Change A Cleaner and Greener Natural Environment Incorporate a Mitigation and Adaptation Lens to Infrastructure Spending To keep our communities safe, we will introduce a mitigation and adaptation lens to infrastructure spending to improve Canada’s resilience to extreme weather events. Communities must be able to identify risks and be able to plan properly to address the risks. Invest in Wildfire Technology To combat emissions from wildfires, we will invest in technology that can improve the early detection of wildfires and better predict their behaviour. In recent years, there has been a series of intense wildfires in western Canada. These events force families from their homes and communities and can result in devastating loss. Work with our Indigenous Communities To better understand the effects of climate change and the environment, we will incorporate the knowledge of the land and the history of Indigenous groups. Canada’s Indigenous peoples have a wealth of knowledge that can help Canada understand the changes taking place in our environment as we continue to manage our air, land, water, and wildlife. A changing climate disproportionately impacts Canada’s Indigenous peoples – especially those living in remote and Northern communities and working in industries such as mining and forestry. We will make sure that Indigenous communities are included as we plan mitigation and adaptation activities. Wildfires are part of the natural cycle of forests. However, a changing climate, including increased forest health issues and the potential for hotter, dryer summers, has resulted in an increased risk of high-intensity fires. This is a problem for communities located in forested regions. More Innovation to Fight Climate Change 41 Review and Modernize Air Quality Standards To help Canadians breathe more easily, we will work to improve air quality standards. Even though Canada enjoys relatively good air quality, air pollution and smog contribute to an estimated 14,000 premature deaths every year. A Conservative government will review and modernize air quality standards and regulations with a focus on urban airsheds in order to combat air pollution. Support for Wetlands and Watershed Protection To support our wetlands, rivers, and lakes, we will support the completion of the Canadian Wetland Inventory, explore ways to protect wetlands on private lands, and provide funding for watershed protection. This includes maintaining funding for the Great Lakes and Lake Winnipeg and restoring the Lake Simcoe Clean-Up Fund. Our wetlands, rivers, and lakes are essential to our quality of life. They provide us with drinking water, provide important habitat for fish and wildlife, and they offer opportunities for recreation. Conserve Wildlife and Natural Habitat To identify the best opportunities to expand our protected areas network, support opportunities for municipalities to create natural infrastructure, and support local projects to restore important habitat, we will lead a science based assessment of our protected area network. Conservatives believe that the quality of our protected area network matters just as much as its quantity. What we do between protected areas also matters. We will restore funding for the National Wetland Conservation Fund and the Recreational Fisheries Conservation Partnership Program, which were cancelled by Justin Trudeau, and create a new fund for projects targeting wildlife enhancement. More Innovation to Fight Climate Change End Raw Sewage Dumps To bring an end the practice of dumping raw sewage into our lakes, rivers, and oceans, we will work with provinces and territories and municipalities. Since taking office, Justin Trudeau has failed to protect our waterways from pollution. In one of her first acts as Environment Minister, Catherine McKenna allowed the City of Montreal to dump 8 billion litres of raw sewage into the St. Lawrence River. The previous Conservative government had an excellent track record on waste management. We created the Wastewater Systems Effluent Regulations to set higher standards for wastewater treatment. We also made significant wastewater investments across the country, including in Montreal and Victoria. Reinstate Lake Simcoe Clean-Up Fund To protect the vital natural resource that so many rely on and call home, we will reinstate the Lake Simcoe Clean-Up Fund. Justin Trudeau cancelled the Lake Simcoe Clean-Up Fund in 2017. It funded over 200 community-based projects that restored fish and wildlife populations, planted thousands of new trees, and reduced harmful sewage and waste dumps into watersheds. 450,000 people call the Lake Simcoe watershed home. Many depend on the watershed for drinking water, water for agriculture, water for our crops and animals, and so much more. Over the years, the increase in urban development, invasive species and other challenges have affected the Lake. Ban the Exports of Plastic Waste To manage our plastic waste, rather than using other countries as dumping grounds, we will ban the export of plastic waste unless it can be shown that it will be recycled at its destination. In too many cases, the plastics Canada ships overseas are not being recycled at all. We will also impose tough penalties for those who violate the ban. 42 More Innovation to Fight Climate Change TIME FOR Harmonize Regulations and Standards for Plastics Recycling To develop a nationally harmonized regulatory regime, including elements of extended producer responsibility and harmonized standards for products and packaging containing plastics, we will work with provinces, territories, plastics producers, and other stakeholders. One of the biggest problems in the fight against plastic waste is the patchwork of standards and regulations across the country. The lack of standardization makes it more challenging for companies either to reduce their plastics waste or to contribute to solving the plastics waste problem. Improve Value Recovery from Plastics To increase the recovery of clean energy products and other valuable by-products from existing plastics waste, we will work with provinces and territories. Plastics waste is a problem, but it is also a potential resource. Technology exists that will allow us to turn plastics – even non-recyclable plastics – into valuable products like chemicals and renewable fuels. Provinces and territories have started to tackle this, and significant work has been done to improve waste management, but an engaged federal partner with a strong focus on technological progress and red tape reduction will help provinces, territories, and the private sector take action to reduce waste. Work with International Partners to Combat Oceans Plastic To meaningfully contribute to tackling oceans plastic, we must recognize that plastic is a global problem that primarily arises from bad waste management in developing countries. Justin Trudeau has failed to understand that. While there are good reasons why Canada should do a better job of managing its plastic waste, it is not because we are a significant contributor to oceans plastic. Banning plastic straws in Toronto will have no impact on plastics in the Pacific Ocean. Conservatives will focus on the real problem and work with international partners to ensure that Canada is making a meaningful contribution to effective solutions. More Innovation to Fight Climate Change 44 More Innovation to Fight Climate Change Taking the Climate Change Fight Global Carbon emissions are a global problem. That is why our plan will reduce global emissions while creating jobs in Canada. The current international approach to fighting climate change is to require countries to self-impose domestic emissions reduction targets. Around the world, countries work to reach their own emissions reduction targets regardless of the cost or risks of carbon leakage to higher-emitting countries. As a result, good opportunities to lower global emissions are sacrificed to focus on policies to meet domestic targets that will have little to no international impact. Canada must look beyond our own borders and confront the climate change reality: it is a global problem, for which global solutions are needed. More Innovation to Fight Climate Change 45 “ A global solution would focus climate change efforts on the most efficient emissions reductions, regardless of what country they are in. There is no way to do this under existing international agreements. As a result, wealthy countries with good environmental practices, like Canada, are forced to subject themselves to expensive emissions reduction strategies while high-emitting developing countries with lower cost emissions reduction opportunities struggle to make those investments. This defeats what should be the ultimate objective of lowering global emissions. There is one mechanism under the Paris Agreement that can be used to facilitate international cooperation on emissions reductions: Article 6. The international community has so far been unable to agree on the rules that would govern Article 6. Canada should be an active participant in those negotiations to ensure that our efforts are recognized. A Real Plan to Protect Our Environment recognizes the powerful position Canada is in to break the status quo and export our technology and expertise to lower emissions in other parts of the world. Our plan lays out three ways we will show leadership: Canadian energy products can be used to replace dirtier foreign energy sources. The export of Canadian Clean products can displace higher emissions products. Technology developed in Canada to reduce emissions can be exported to the world. Andrew Scheer More Innovation to Fight Climate Change 1 Canadian energy products can be used to replace dirtier foreign energy sources. It has been well-established that natural gas products, like LNG, are cleaner and more reliable than coal. Exporting Canadian LNG to replace coal can lower global emissions. For example: Canadian liquefied natural gas (LNG) has the potential to provide a cleaner alternative for power generation in countries like China as they transition away from coal. By promoting LNG, we can support a key driver of the Canadian economy and reduce global emissions at the same time. The world will be better off with more Canadian LNG, and less Chinese coal. Marine shipping accounts for an estimated 2.5 per cent of total greenhouse gas emissions worldwide and, as a result, the International Maritime Organization has adopted a strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from ships by 50 per cent by 2050. A key component of meeting this goal lies in transitioning the fleet from burning heavy bunker fuel to cleanburning LNG. There are currently no LNG bunkering facilities on the Pacific coast of North America. A Vancouver facility could not only support the shipping industry’s transition to cleaner fuels, but it could also give Canada a first mover advantage when it comes to providing LNG to the world’s shipping fleets. Building LNG bunkering facilities at the Port of Vancouver would not only make it more attractive to shippers but would also grow the economy and reduce overall global emissions. We can help get projects like this built by providing regulatory support. 46 2 The export of Canadian Clean products can displace higher emissions products. Canada has abundant natural resources that the world needs and wants to buy. Our production standards are among the best in the world, and our required investments in emissions-reducing technology will make them even better. By promoting our cleanest resources and products and increasing our exports, we can displace dirtier foreign products with Canadian Clean products. For example: Canada produces aluminum more efficiently than the rest of the world. The average Canadian aluminum producer emits much less per ton of aluminum produced than the average Chinese producer. Furthermore, the aluminum industry is international. If Canada does not produce it, another country will. It makes sense to produce aluminum in Canada to support our economy and lower global emissions. Rio Tinto and Alcoa are working on breakthrough technology that would produce carbon-free aluminum smelting. Their R&D facility is in the Saguenay and the technology is expected to be ready for market in 2024. 3 Technology developed in Canada to reduce emissions can be exported to the world. Canada is a global leader in carbon capture and sequestration technology. It has been tested and developed successfully on Canadian facilities, and now we can use that technology know-how to help the world by continuing to consult, improve, and export internationally. China is one country that has shown interest in using this technology in their own facilities. Our farmers have developed technologies that facilitate no-till or low-till farming techniques, which increases the capacity of the land to sequester carbon. Plant science technologies have also allowed Canadian farmers to reduce their use of diesel. More Innovation to Fight Climate Change Canada is already home to many emissions-reducing technologies. Our plan will generate even more by getting industry to invest in innovation, introducing the Green Patent Credit, and investing in the Green Technology and Innovation Fund. Exporting these technologies to the world is an opportunity for Canada to have a global reach on emissions reduction. For example: With close to 3,000 coal plants, if China fitted even just the top 100 plants with carbon capture and storage, they could eliminate more than 300 Mt of CO2e per year – nearly half of what Canada’s entire economy produces. Launch the Canadian Clean Brand To better promote high-quality products that make a difference for our environment we will introduce the Canadian Clean Brand. Our brand will allow buyers in Canada and around the world to have confidence that they are getting a product that makes a difference for our environment. Launch the Green Expansion Accelerator To lower global emissions, we will provide targeted accelerated capital cost allowances to industries proven to reduce emissions in other countries and to producers who can be shown to be among the least carbon-intensive in the world in their industry. Expand Green Bonds To support Canada’s export trade by helping Canadian companies seize international business opportunities and export green technologies around the world, we will expand Export Development Canada’s existing programs. These bonds can provide patient capital and longerterm funding, but they also allow green technology companies to leverage that financing to attract more capital from the private sector. 47 H's TIME FOR To GET AHEAD 7 48 More Help at Home For Canadian Culture and Heritage Support our Cultural Industries To ensure that government programs and institutions support our cultural sector through changes in media and culture, we will work in a consultative way with the arts, music, film, and other industries to understand how government can adapt. Digitization of the economy has changed how Canadians consume media, which has fundamentally changed the way cultural industries finance creative projects. For every internationally renowned superstar musician or actor, there are others who are extremely talented but are struggling to get by until their big break. Government policies and programs meant to help bridge the gap for our artists and creators simply have not kept up. This is true for artistic sectors, as well as for the media. Make Canada’s National Museums Free To encourage more Canadians to celebrate our shared heritage, we will remove admission fees from our national museums across the country. This will apply to museum visitors of any age, including tourists visiting from elsewhere in Canada and abroad. Our national museums conserve and share important stories from our past. By making national museums free, we will allow individuals from all walks of life to interact and come face-to-face with our history. We will also designate the RCMP Heritage Centre in Saskatchewan as a national museum. There are national museums in Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, and Nova Scotia. Our culture is what binds us together as Canadians. Our shared identity stems from the stories we tell each other through music, television, art, and other media. Our cultural industries are a huge economic driver, creating over 765,000 jobs in our economy. More Help at Home 49 Increase Funding for the Building Communities Through Arts and Heritage Program To better support local festivals, community anniversaries, and important community events, we will extend the Building Communities Through Arts and Heritage Program for an additional three years. This funding will provide more opportunities for individuals to celebrate local talent and commemorate the history of their communities. We will also ensure that this program highlights the hidden gems in rural and remote areas, including Northern Canada. Prioritize the Commemoration of Nation Builders To promote our nation’s great history and honour Canada’s leaders, we will ensure that commemoration of those who built our country is a priority for our government. From Thayendanegea, Brock, and Secord to Macdonald, Cartier, and Riel, our country was built up by men and women who devoted great service to the founding of our nation. We will not shy away from commemorating their contributions and telling their stories. We will designate the grave sites of former Prime Ministers and Governors General as national historic sites. More Help at Home 50 More Help at Home For Canadians who are Suffering Invest in Palliative Care To help Canada become a place where all Canadians who suffer are offered relief, we will provide $15 million to implement the Framework on Palliative Care in Canada. The Canadian Hospice and Palliative Care Association has estimated that only 15 to 30 per cent of Canadians who need it have access to palliative care services. More Help at Home 51 More Help at Home For Correctional Systems Make Prison Time Meaningful To better support an individual’s transition from prison to the community, a new Conservative government will tie parole eligibility to job skills training. We will review and improve prison skills training programs to focus on the demands of today’s labour market and put an increased emphasis on skilled trades. To make sure that Canadians have confidence in our justice system, we will take steps towards ending statutory release and replacing it with earned parole, focusing on rehabilitation and skills training. Canada is one of the only western countries that releases criminals automatically before the end of their sentence, regardless of behaviour or progress. More Help at Home Improve Important Rehabilitation Programs To better support personal development and transition from prison, we will continue to fund meaningful rehabilitation programs that focus on literacy, numeracy, anger management, and addiction. To make sure prisoners are prepared to transition back to their communities, we will require that all necessary administrative work is complete before they are released. Institutional parole officers will have to finish all required documents as part of a prisoner’s correctional plan. 52 End Unescorted Day Passes from Prison To keep our communities safe, we will end the practice of giving unescorted day passes from prison. Under Justin Trudeau, more than 250 convicted murderers were released on unescorted day passes – including one that lasted for 303 days. Stop the Prison Needle Exchange Program To make sure convicted criminals are not in possession of needles – objects that can be used as dangerous weapons – putting the safety of our front-line correctional officers at risk – we will end the needle exchange program in prisons. Require Full Body Scans for Those Who Enter Prison To prevent drugs and other illicit substances from being smuggled into prisons, we will require full body scans of individuals entering prisons. In 2018 alone, correctional officers seized more than 7 kilograms of tobacco, 3 kilograms of marijuana, 55 grams of crack cocaine, 376 grams of hashish, 80 grams of crystal methamphetamine, 72 grams of opioids, 23 cell phones, and numerous weapons, with a value behind bars of $1.5 million. More Help at Home 53 More Help at Home For an Ethical Government Launch a Judicial Inquiry into the SNC-Lavalin Corruption Scandal To provide Canadians with the answers they deserve and get to the bottom of the SNC-Lavalin corruption scandal, a new Conservative government will immediately launch a judicial inquiry. Justin Trudeau was found to have broken the Conflict of Interest Act for attempting to stop the criminal trial of SNC-Lavalin. He abused the power of his office. Throughout the SNC-Lavalin corruption scandal – up to and including today – Justin Trudeau has repeatedly denied responsibility and lied to Canadians. He attempted to cover up his actions for months, shutting down three Parliamentary investigations and refusing to cooperate with the Ethics Commissioner. He is currently blocking the RCMP investigation. Canadians deserve accountability from their Prime Minister, and they deserve transparency from their government. Under the Inquiries Act, the government can appoint an individual to oversee investigations into matters of national importance. The judicial inquiry of SNC-Lavalin would have the same power to summon and subpoena witnesses and records as a court of law. We will appoint a distinguished retired judge to examine all questions and get to the bottom of Trudeau’s cover-up. More Help at Home Introduce the No More Cover-Ups Act To prevent corrupt politicians from escaping police investigation by hiding behind Cabinet confidence, we will allow the RCMP to make an application to the Supreme Court of Canada to access information protected by Cabinet confidence. As confirmed by hours of Parliamentary testimony, taped conversations, and an Ethics Commissioner’s guilty verdict, Justin Trudeau politically interfered in SNC-Lavalin’s criminal prosecution by trying to “circumvent, undermine, and ultimately attempt to discredit” former Attorney General Jody Wilson-Raybould. To this day, Justin Trudeau refuses to waive Cabinet confidence, keeping important details of the scandal secret and preventing several key witnesses, including Ms. Wilson-Raybould, from disclosing evidence. While Justin Trudeau has the tools to waive Cabinet confidence and allow Canadians to get to the bottom of this issue today, we want to ensure that no other government can engage in the same pattern of illegal and unethical behaviour. 54 A new Conservative government would amend Section 39 of the Canada Evidence Act to allow the RCMP to access material deemed to be a Cabinet confidence. This would include both obtaining records and conducting interviews. The RCMP Commissioner would be able to make an application to the Supreme Court to access the information, and the government would have an opportunity to make representations at this hearing. This new application mechanism would set a high bar to protect the principle of Cabinet confidence and to ensure that genuine Cabinet deliberations are protected. Cabinet confidence is meant to ensure good government, not protect unethical or illegal behaviour. These measures will safeguard our democracy against the whims of unscrupulous politicians. Increase Oversight Powers of the Ethics Commissioner and Lobbying Commissioner To increase transparency in government, we will empower the Ethics Commissioner and the Lobbying Commissioner to request additional information about the content of meetings in situations where there are an inordinate number of registered communications between government officials and lobbyists. Strengthen Lobbying Restrictions To ensure fairness in our justice system, we will prohibit those charged with a criminal offence from lobbying for changes to laws that they would benefit from in their own criminal proceeding. Strengthen the Conflict of Interest Act When Bill Morneau failed to disclose his villa in France to the Ethics Commissioner, he was only forced to pay a fine of $200. When Justin Trudeau was found guilty of violating the Conflict of Interest Act for accepting a free vacation to the Aga Khan’s private island, there was no penalty at all. When there are no real penalties, Liberal politicians think they can get away with unethical behaviour. We will ensure that politicians who break the law face consequences. To restore accountability and transparency, we will close the loophole in the Conflict of Interest Act that allows the indirect holding of shares by Cabinet ministers. In 2017, it was revealed that Bill Morneau owned shares of Morneau Shepell through a numbered company. Introduce Legislative Reforms for Whistleblowers To protect whistleblowers from retaliation, we will introduce legislative reforms to reverse the burden of proof from the whistleblower onto the employer in cases of reprisals, take steps to provide legal and procedural advice to any public servant that is seeking to make a protected disclosure of wrongdoing or file a reprisal complaint, and expand current protections to include those working on government contracts from the private sector. Public servants who come forward to do the right thing and disclose wrongdoing in the interest of Canadians should not fear for their job security or face intimidation from their employers. It is time to give whistleblowers the robust protections they deserve when they choose to speak out on behalf of Canadians. To discourage unlawful behaviour and restore ethics and accountability in government, we will introduce real penalties for violations of the Conflict of Interest Act. More Help at Home 55 More Help at Home More Help at Home For Fairness in Immigration Remove the Cap on Privately Sponsored Refugees To support the many generous Canadians waiting to help sponsor refugees to Canada, we will remove the annual cap on the number of sponsorship applications that can be submitted. Private sponsors have told us that the government gets in their way and that there are costs and needless red tape that restrict the good work they do. Canada’s churches, mosques, community groups, temples, synagogues, and cultural associations can offer so much to newcomers. So often, Canadians come together and devote their resources of time and money to support a refugee and their family. Their compassion and investments of time and money cannot be replicated by the government. Government data show that even a decade after privately sponsored refugees arrive, they earn more and depend less on government than those who come through government sponsorship. A new Conservative government will do more to enable and support private sponsors welcoming newcomers to Canada. To further support sponsorship groups in the process of privately sponsoring a refugee, a new Conservative government will reduce wait times to approve a privately sponsored refugee by ensuring that departmental resources are sufficiently focussed on PSRs. More Help at Home Prioritize Genocide Survivors, LGBTQ+ Refugees, and Others To ensure that all individuals are wellsupported to integrate to society, we will prioritize genocide survivors, LGBTQ+ refugees, and internally displaced people in the Government-Assisted Refugees program. Genocide still occurs in many parts of the world, as we have seen with ISIS’s persecution of Yazidis, Assyrian Christians, and other religious and ethnic minorities. Around the world, there are LGBTQ+ individuals who have had to escape literal extermination simply for being who they are. Canada is built on a foundation of enduring values, democratic institutions, the rule of law, and fundamental and universal human rights. We will protect these values and support those who choose Canada. Furthermore, to better support people seeking refugee protection because of persecution based on sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or HIV status, we will make the Rainbow Refugee Assistance Project a permanent government program. We will also make sure that those internally displaced persons are included in Canada’s refugee system. We will partner with a broad range of organizations, including organizations other than the UNHCR, to provide refuge in Canada for these vulnerable populations. 57 Support Integration of New Immigrants To better support new arrivals to Canada, we will continue to support settlement services for newcomers. Language training, credential recognition, and specific services for vulnerable newcomers such as women and girls and members of the LGBTQ+ community, are key to the successful integration of new immigrants into their new home. A new Conservative government will preserve the integrity of our immigration system and make sure that our immigration programs lead to newcomers being fully supported and integrated into Canadian society and Canada’s economy. Family is an important element in settling into a new society, so we will also continue to support the Family Reunification Program, including sponsorship of parents and grandparents. To ensure newcomers have access to employment opportunities, we will direct Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) to match employment backgrounds of newcomers to the employment needs of companies that rely on the Temporary Foreign Worker Program. The TFWP should provide temporary help where clear and acute labour shortages exist and where Canadian workers are not available. If Canadians, including new Canadians, are available for work, then companies should be encouraged to hire them. Secure our Border To restore the integrity of our immigration system, we will put an end to illegal border crossings at unofficial points of entry, like Roxham Road. More than 50,000 illegal border crossers have entered Canada from the United States since 2017. Justin Trudeau’s failure to deal with this problem has cost the immigration system $1.6 billion, diverting critical resources away from the world’s most vulnerable. More Help at Home The Safe Third Country Agreement between Canada and the United States is based on the principle that an asylum seeker should stake their claim in the first safe country in which they land. In principle, therefore, no one should be making an asylum claim in Canada if they are coming from the United States. However, this agreement contains a loophole that means people can make an asylum claim if they are coming from the US provided they are not crossing at a legal port of entry. This violates the intent and the spirit of the agreement and undermines confidence in our immigration system. We will close the loophole in the Safe Third Country Agreement to put an end to illegal border crossings. To further strengthen the integrity of our borders, a new Conservative government will forward deploy Immigration and Refugee Board judges to common arrival points so that refugee hearings can be processed more quickly. All asylum seekers will continue to have the right to a hearing. We will make it less attractive to enter illegally and support those who are fleeing violence and persecution. We will also hire an additional 250 CBSA officers to find and deport those who are inadmissible to Canada. A new Conservative government will always extend a welcoming hand to those who want to enter Canada legally and make our country their home, but we will also defend the integrity of our immigration system as Canadians expect. 58 “ My mother loved the scripture verse that goes – “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” One of the last causes my mother took on before she got sick was to serve on the refugee committee at our local parish in Ottawa, at the outset of the Syrian civil war. She did what she could to help financially, but she also showed them around town, had them over for dinner, and made sure they had the things they needed. My father also got involved, helping to celebrate their birthdays by bringing over cakes and gifts. It was deeply moving for me to see, as my mother received medical treatment before her death, how those same refugees visited her in the hospital to return the love and compassion that she had shown to them. This reinforced for me how Canada must continue to be that place for those truly in need. Andrew Scheer More Help at Home 59 More Help at Home For Indigenous Groups Remove Barriers to Prosperity To ensure that Indigenous peoples share fully in the prosperity of our country, a new Conservative government will work collaboratively with Indigenous communities and leaders to review the Indian Act and other government policies and procedures to remove barriers to prosperity. Many Indigenous people face a significant socio-economic gap compared with other Canadians. We will work with Indigenous communities and leaders to identify these barriers and provide solutions. We will work towards modernizing Indigenous governance so that accountability shifts from the federal bureaucracy to the people served by Indigenous leaders. As part of this, we will also work to reduce unnecessary red tape that burdens and takes valuable resources away from Indigenous communities. All government reporting should serve the community – not the bureaucracy. As an example, we will pursue opportunities to allow eligible Indigenous communities to receive the federal Gas Tax Fund directly. More Help at Home To make sure Indigenous groups can participate in the economic benefit of major projects and other economic development opportunities, we will pursue opportunities to assist Indigenous rights holders in accessing capital for equity agreements and economic development. We will also increase support for organizations that facilitate engagement between Indigenous groups and resource development companies. Indigenous communities want to benefit from development of resources within their traditional territory, but they want to do this in a way that is respectful of the environment and of their traditions. Encouraging collaboration will help to achieve this. 60 Improve Indigenous Consultation To make sure decision makers, not just note-takers, are listening to Indigenous voices, we will create a dedicated ministerial portfolio for consulting with Indigenous rights holders on major projects. The courts have been clear that the Crown’s duty to consult must be a genuine two-way communication and that there must be an effort on the part of the Crown to understand and accommodate impacts on Indigenous rights. We will make sure there is responsible oversight and engagement with involved Indigenous groups. Move Forward on Reconciliation To move forward on reconciliation, we will continue to support efforts to end longterm boil-water advisories, which were first started by the previous Conservative government. As we work with Indigenous communities to find a path to prosperity, we cannot ignore the very real problems associated with poverty or Canada’s constitutional obligations to Indigenous people. We will also develop a National Action Plan to address the ongoing tragedy of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls. More Help at Home 61 More Help at Home For Lawful Firearms Owners Repeal Bill C-71 To support lawful firearms owners, we will repeal Bill C-71. Bill C-71 brought in a backdoor gun registry, which is useless and ineffective because it targets farmers and duck hunters. Our approach will target gangs and criminals instead. More Help at Home 62 More Help at Home For Our Freedoms Ban Values Tests To ensure that the federal government never again denies Canadians funding because of what they believe, we will ban values tests for government programs. Grants and contributions should focus on their program objectives, not on whether their views conform with those of the government of the day. We will introduce legislation to prohibit such values tests in the future. Promote Free Speech on Campus To ensure that our universities and colleges are places where ideas can be freely expressed and debated, we will add a commitment to free speech and academic freedom as a requirement for post-secondary institutions to be eligible for research support grants. To take the politics out of the Canada Summer Jobs program, we will only restrict organizations that spend more than 10 per cent of their resources on political activities, similar to longstanding rules of the Canada Revenue Agency, or political activist jobs. More Help at Home 63 More Help at Home For Our Neighbourhoods End Automatic Bail for Gang Members To make it easier for police to target gang members and put them where they belong: behind bars, as part of Andrew Scheer’s plan for a Safer Canada, we will end the practice of granting automatic bail for gang members. We will extend reverse onus bail to all gang crime offences and to those who have previously been convicted of gang crime offences. Make it Easier to Prosecute Gang Members To expedite prosecution for criminal proceedings, we will identify gangs in the Criminal Code, similar to the manner in which terrorist organizations are currently identified. At present, every time a known gang member is prosecuted in court, the prosecutor must prove that this gang is a known criminal organization. This uses up scarce resources that could be better spent cracking down on crime. Identifying gangs in the Criminal Code will spare prosecutors from repeatedly having to establish that the gang in question is a known entity with criminal intent each time a gang member is on trial. More Help at Home Revoke Parole for Gang Members To keep our streets safe, we will amend the Corrections and Conditional Release Act to automatically revoke parole if the parolee associates with gang members. Introduce Tougher Sentences for Violent Gang Crime To discourage and punish individuals who commit or order gang crime, we will implement a mandatory prison sentence of five years for ordering or participating in violent criminal activity. Currently, the Criminal Code does not distinguish between violent and non-violent gang activity. If a gang member commits or orders a violent act, they should face tougher penalties. Crack Down on Smuggled Firearms To make sure smuggled firearms do not end up our streets, we will make the knowing possession of a smuggled firearm a criminal offence with a mandatory sentence of five years in prison. At present, most gun crimes are committed with smuggled guns and possession of a smuggled firearm is not a specific offence. 64 Create a CBSA Firearms Smuggling Task Force To intercept smuggled guns at the border, we will create a CBSA task force to work with local law enforcement on both sides of the border to crack down on smuggled guns. This task force will study increasing the use of artificial intelligence at the border to better predict and intercept those who smuggle firearms back and forth across our borders. Keep Guns Away From Criminals To make sure firearms do not fall in the hands of criminals, we will make it a crime to provide a firearm to anyone who is under a firearms prohibition order. Anyone caught giving a gun to someone who has been prohibited from owning one will face up to 14 years in prison. Implement Stronger Background Checks for Gun Licenses To strengthen background checks for gun licences, we will ensure that the RCMP conducts reference checks and follows up with references. Improve Information Sharing Among Provinces and Territories To solve gang crimes and keep our streets safe, we will implement better information sharing processes to ensure that different police forces can more easily cooperate with each other and with the RCMP to track illegal firearms used in crimes. Fund Police Infrastructure To better support local law enforcement, a new Conservative government will commit $30 million over five years to purchase new equipment. This would benefit mid-sized communities the most, since they do not have the same budget as larger police programs to access technology. We will create a grant program so that our law enforcement has access to every tool and technology available. This will empower law enforcement to keep our communities and neighbourhoods safe. More Help at Home Support Anti-Gang Task Forces To further support local law enforcement, a new Conservative government will provide $60 million over five years to fund anti-gang task forces. Help Our Kids Be Kids To prevent Canada’s youth from joining gangs, we will provide an additional $12 million over five years to the Youth Gang Prevention Fund. This 25 per cent increase to the program will help our children stay out of a life of crime. It’s time to let kids be kids and keep our street safe. Crack Down on Sexual Interference To protect our children from the worst crimes imaginable, we will increase the sentence for sexual interference against a child under 12 from 14 years in prison to life. We will also impose a mandatory prison sentence of five years for sexual assault or sexual interference involving penetration when the victim is under 12 years of age. We will ensure sentences fit the crime by adding aggravating factors relating the length and extent of abuse over the course of a child’s life to reflect the severity of this horrific abuse. We will increase the minimum sentence for sexual exploitation to two years in prison. We will also increase the maximum sentence for sexual exploitation of a person with a disability to 14 years in prison. Today, this sentence is just five years. 65 Ensure the Justice System is Sensitive to Sexual Assault Victims To ensure that our justice system respects the experiences of victims of sexual assault, we will require all judicial appointees to take sexual assault sensitivity training prior to taking the bench. Support Victims Seeking Justice To support victims seeking justice against their abusers, we will work with provinces and territories to remove barriers, such as statutes of limitations, for victims to take civil action for the crimes committed against them. Make Life Sentences Mean Life Behind Bars To ensure that the worst of the worst never again walk free, we will introduce legislation to give judges the option to put someone behind bars for life. Currently, the strictest sentence in Canadian law is life in prison with eligibility for parole after 25 years for first degree murder. However, there are some criminals who should never be allowed to freely step foot on a Canadian street again. We will ensure that judges have the option to lock up the worst criminals for the rest of their life. End Parole for Convicted Murderers who Do Not Disclose the Location of a Victim’s Body To make sure that the families and friends of murder victims have the closure they so rightly deserve, we will ensure that convicted murderers are ineligible for parole without identifying the location of the body of their victim. More Help at Home 66 More Help at Home For Our Most Vulnerable Make the Recovery From Addiction the Goal of Substance Abuse Policy To help more Canadians recover from addiction, we will revise the federal government’s substance abuse policy framework to make recovery its overarching goal. We will reorient the Canadian Drugs and Substances Strategy towards ensuring that every addict has the opportunity to recover from their addiction and to lead a drug-free life and that all policies that fall under the Strategy have recovery as their objective. Invest in Treatment and Recovery Centres To realize our vision to have recovery be the goal of substance abuse policy, we will invest in recovery community centres, recovery high schools, and treatment centres. This will give those who suffer from addiction, their families, and those who have recovered, spaces where they can get the help they need and support each other. Tackling Canada’s addiction crisis and helping people recover requires serious action by all levels of government. More Help at Home Educate Canadians on the Harms of Drugs To empower Canadians, especially young Canadians, to live a drug-free life, we will launch a national education campaign focusing on the dangers of drug use and the benefits of staying drug free. Help Municipalities and School Districts to Clean Up Used Needles To clean up the neighbourhoods and parks, we will partner with municipalities and school districts to help clean up used needles in public spaces. Strengthen our Human Trafficking Laws To protect those most vulnerable to human traffickers, we will bring our laws in line with the Palermo Protocol. Currently, prosecutors must prove that a trafficker exercised an element of fear over a human trafficking survivor, which is challenging to prove in court. We will remove this barrier by including trafficking based on manipulation as grounds for conviction. We will ensure that convicted human traffickers receive consecutive sentences for each conviction and for each of their victims and end automatic bail for those charged with human trafficking offences. We will also renew the National Action Plan to Combat Human Trafficking. 67 More Help at Home For Our Official Languages Promote Canada’s Official Languages To promote official bilingualism, a new Conservative government will partner with official language minority communities and groups, lead by example, and provide better support to the federal government. A new Conservative government will require that all federal government departments establish plans and targets to improve their services in both official languages. We will also make sure that governance issues of the Official Languages Support Programs Branch report to the Treasury Board Secretariat to better coordinate official languages policy. Tribunal to provide recourse when the official language rights of Canadians are violated. We will also support the creation of a francophone university in Toronto by honouring the memorandum of understanding signed between the federal and Ontario governments and by looking at federal government real estate that could be made available as a possible campus and by assisting with start-up costs. To ensure that the federal government is a constant partner in advancing official language minority communities across Canada, we will modernize the Official Languages Act. We will strengthen Part VII of the Official Languages Act to include a requirement for a continual five-year action plan for official languages and consultation with official language minority communities in the development of this plan. We will also ensure that federal funds provided to provinces for official language minority communities are being spent on these communities as intended. A new Conservative government will establish an Official Languages More Help at Home 68 More Help at Home For Rural and Remote Communities Make the Voices of Rural Canadians Heard To force politicians in Ottawa to look at policy through the perspective of rural Canadians, we will ensure that a rural lens is given to all Cabinet decisions. Too often, the concerns of rural Canadians are not heard by the federal government. We will make sure that they are given a proper voice. We will also appoint a Minster of Rural Affairs to make sure government programs consider the unique experiences of rural Canadians. Support Rural Communities To make sure that our rural and remote communities receive a fair share of infrastructure dollars, we will set aside a portion of the federal infrastructure budget specifically for projects in these areas. To support regional media outlets, we will dedicate a portion of federal government advertising dollars for them. Expand Rural Broadband To ensure that the largest number of Canadians are connected to the internet at high speeds, we will set aside a portion of all spectrum auctions for rural Canada. Canadians – no matter where they live – should have access to high-speed internet. Ensuring that public resources like wireless spectrum are prioritized for Canadians living in rural and remote areas will help achieve that. We will also redirect existing rural broadband funding toward strategic priorities, such as high-capacity backbone where there is no incentive for the private sector to fund telecommunications infrastructure. We will take a smarter approach that allows the private sector to do its work, while focusing government investment on areas that are less commercially attractive. To ensure that rural Canadians are not unfairly lumped in with urban centres in spectrum auctions, we will redefine the licence areas for internet providers. We will ensure that Canada’s tourism strategy supports rural tourism and encourages Canadians and visitors from around the world to explore remote parts of the country, including the hidden gems that are off the beaten path. More Help at Home 69 Crack Down on Rural Crime To ensure harsh punishment for criminals who take advantage of rural communities, we will add aggravating factors to the sentences of crimes that target rural victims because of their remoteness from police stations. To better support our law enforcement, we will deduct outstanding criminal fines from any social service or entitlement payments. Many crime prevention programs rely on fines and victim surcharge payments as a source of funds. For criminals who do not pay their debt to society, and who receive entitlement payments, we will deduct the cost of the fine and ensure it goes to frontline services. To ensure that the RCMP protects local communities, we will make sure that the local RCMP is accountable to the communities they serve. Too often, during an international summit or meeting, local RCMP officers are pulled out of their local duties. These areas are already stretched for resources, and any added pressure will leave areas vulnerable to additional crime during these periods. While RCMP will continue to be needed for national duties, we will ensure that the needs of local communities are taken into account before officers are deployed elsewhere. To recognize the fact that many rural Canadians invest in their own home security measures, we will work with the Insurance Bureau of Canada to decrease home insurance rates for individuals who have purchased things like CCTV cameras, additional lights, and barricades. Those Canadians should be able to benefit on their insurance, even though they live in areas where crime is high. More Help at Home 70 More Help at Home For Taxpayers Give Taxpayers a Real Voice at the CRA To make sure that Canadian taxpayers are protected from unfair or abusive behaviour at the Canada Revenue Agency, we will make the Taxpayer Ombudsman an Officer of Parliament to hold CRA to account on behalf of taxpayers. We will also create a duty of care between Canadian taxpayers and the CRA to hold the CRA accountable in cases of negligence. Simplify Tax Collection for Quebecers To make tax time easier for Quebecers, we will negotiate with the Government of Quebec to introduce a single tax return administered by the provincial government. More Help at Home 71 More Help at Home For the North Allow the Territories to Keep Their Resource Revenues To give Northerners more control over their future, we will move to allow territorial governments to keep their resource revenues. The territories deserve to benefit from their own natural resources and reinvest their resource revenues, like the provinces do. Implementation will begin when the federal budget is balanced and will be phased in with the goal of returning 100 per cent of resource revenues by 2027. More Help at Home 72 More Help at Home For Your Health Invest $1.5B Over Four Years to Renew and Expand Medical Imaging Equipment Across Canada To reduce wait times for life-saving tests and ensure timely access to medical imaging tests, a new Conservative government will invest $1.5 billion in its first term to purchase MRI machines and CT machines to replace aging equipment and add new machines across the country. Hundreds of thousands of Canadians wait longer than the recommended time for an MRI or a CT scan. That is just not good enough. This investment will help our health care providers to deliver quality services with the most up-to-date technology, giving patients quicker access to reliable, potentially life-saving tests. Guarantee our Health and Social Programs To guarantee quality health and social programs, a new Conservative government will maintain and increase funding to the Canada Health Transfer and the Canada Social Transfer according to the current formula. Justin Trudeau’s never-ending deficits and out-of-control spending have put Canada on track to hit $1 trillion in debt by 2035. If Trudeau is given four more years, his debt and never-ending deficits will threaten our ability to deliver quality social services. A new Conservative government will live within its means to protect health care in the long term. We will also maintain the additional Shared Health Priorities funding for mental health and home care for provinces. More Help at Home 73 In August 2019, Andrew Scheer wrote a letter to the Premiers of every province and territory with his commitment to increase both the Canada Health Transfer and the Canada Social Transfer if elected Prime Minister this October. It is critical for Canadians to have confidence that these programs will be there for them when they need them. Support Parents in Mourning To support parents grieving the loss of a child, we will ensure that EI parental leave is extended for the eight weeks immediately following the death of an infant. At present, for those who lose a child, EI parental benefits end abruptly the week following their loss. This can be a shock to parents. We will ensure less worry in their time of mourning. Improve Access to Medications To ensure that Canadians with rare diseases have access to the drugs they need, we will work closely with provinces and territories, the Canadian Organization for Rare Disorders, and other rare disease groups to implement a strategy that will encourage more orphan drugs to be developed in and brought to Canada, improve early detection of rare diseases and evidence-informed care, and promote innovative research. We will also maintain the $500 million per year commitment and work with provinces to ensure that Canadians with rare diseases have the access to treatments that they need. About 1 in 12 Canadians, the majority being children, are affected by a rare disease. A rare disease is a condition that affects fewer than 1 in 2,000 people. Unfortunately, those with rare diseases have fewer, if any treatment options, compared to those who suffer from more prevalent diseases. Further, treatments that do exist for rare diseases are often very expensive, in some cases costing millions of dollars per year. Develop a National Autism Strategy To ensure that the federal government plays an important leadership role in developing a strategy to assist those living with autism and their families, we will work with autism stakeholders to develop a National Autism Strategy. An initial investment of $50 million over five years will be used to develop a comprehensive strategy in consultation with autism stakeholders and other levels of government, including Indigenous communities, that will be person-centred, include first-person perspectives, will be culturally appropriate, and will reflect regional needs, especially in northern, rural, and remote communities. The Strategy will be an important first step towards a world where autistic Canadians have access to the resources they need to live to their full potential, are supported where and when needed, and are contributing their unique skills and abilities to the benefit of all Canadians. More Help at Home 74 More Help at Home For Your Privacy Introduce the Cyberbullying Accountability Act To better protect our children and crack down on cyberbullies, we will introduce legislation to prohibit the use of a phone or the internet to threaten or advocate selfharm. Too many children are confronted with the realities of bullying at school and at home. Social media has enabled bullies to do more harm, and they are virtually impossible to escape. Cyberbullying knows no borders. The Cyberbullying Accountability Act will clarify that if a bully is outside of Canada, and the victim is in Canada, the offence occurred in Canada. We will also introduce mandatory penalties for repeat offenders. A new Conservative government will also create a civil liability so that the parents, guardians, or account holders of cyberbullies can be held liable for the cyberbullying activities of their children. We will work with provinces and territories to make sure that law enforcement is working with our schools to tackle cyberbullying. To protect the privacy of consumers, a new Conservative government will establish regulatory standards for ethical and secure use of artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things. Increasingly, parts of our lives are moving online. Paying monthly bills, transferring money between accounts, making large purchases, and investing can all be done with the click of a button or a tap on a device. Canadians need a government that recognizes the importance of modernizing policies to keep up with our growing connectivity and new technology. We will employ sensible regulation, rigorous standards, and strong oversight over the personal information, data, and privacy of Canadians. Create a “Canada Cyber Safe” Brand To establish a standard and educate Canadians about the security features of their devices, applications, and appliances, we will create the Canada Cyber Safe brand. This will empower consumers to make educated choices about the devices they purchase. Protect Canadians Online To safeguard the data and privacy of Canadians, we will require companies to get consent to collect data through plain language agreements. Only data that is necessary to provide the service can be collected. More Help at Home 75 Strike an Expert Committee with Industry Leaders To protect Canadians from largescale data breaches, we will work with our partners to establish binding cyber security standards for critical infrastructure sectors and penalties for non-compliance. There are no binding security standards for service industries, like banks, that can have a real and serious impact on Canadians. Modernize the Government Cyber Protection To coordinate government data policy at the highest levels, we will establish a Cabinet committee on cyber security and data privacy. As holders of some of Canadians’ most sensitive information, the government must abide by the highest possible standards for cyber security. We will run regular cyber security penetration tests on all government departments and establish industry standard performance benchmarks for senior public servants. More Help at Home 76 More Help at Home For Veterans Enshrine a Military Covenant To demand that at all times veterans are given the respect they deserve by federal officials and institutions and to mandate the delivery of services in a timely manner, we will enshrine, in legislation, a Military Covenant between Canada’s veterans and the Government of Canada. Clear the Backlog of Veterans Benefit Applications To better support our military heroes waiting for financial assistance, we will clear the backlog of veterans’ benefit applications within 24 months. As of November 2018, Veterans Affairs Canada was forced to concede that Justin Trudeau had allowed the number of veterans waiting on financial assistance waitlists to balloon to over 40,000 people – an increase of 11,000 over the previous year. Fix Justin Trudeau’s Failures on Pensions To make sure that no veteran is worse off under new pension rules, we will fix the problem revealed by the Parliamentary Budget Officer that Canada’s most severely disabled veterans are actually worse off under Justin Trudeau’s “pension for life” scheme than under the previous system. The PBO found that these veterans have been disadvantaged by an average of $300,000 over their lifetimes. We will fix this failure. More Help at Home Review and Improve Transition Service Rules To ensure that there is no gap between CAF service and VAC benefits, we will review rules around service attribution. Specifically, we will mandate that the Canadian Armed Forces retain medically releasing members until all benefits and services from the Canadian Armed Forces, Veterans Affairs Canada, and the Service Income Security Insurance Plan have been confirmed and are put in place. Put Vital Commemoration Projects Back on Track To honour the sacrifice of our military heroes, we will put vital commemoration projects, like the National Memorial for Canada’s War in Afghanistan, back on track. All military heroes – the veterans of the vanishing generations of heroes who served in World War II and the Korean War, the men and women who have been to Afghanistan or conflict zones around the world – should be commemorated. 77 Conduct an Independent Inquiry to Study the Effects of the Anti-malarial Drug Mefloquine To better understand the effects of antimalarial drugs, which a growing body of research now links to psychiatric problems, we will conduct an independent inquiry into the administration of mefloquine in the Canadian Armed Forces. Under Justin Trudeau, Canada remains out of step with allies such as Australia, Germany, the UK, and USA, all of whom have taken decisive action to study this drug. Establish Guidelines and Fund a Program to Provide Service Dogs To help Canadian veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), we will establish guidelines and fund a program to provide service dogs for individuals with PTSD. Justin Trudeau has been widely criticized for presiding over the collapse of a PTSD service dog standard process and for failing to fund the training of PTSD service dogs despite the mounting evidence of their usefulness. More Help at Home 78 .. 1 :rs To if!? More Help at Home TIME FOR TO GET AHEAD 80 A new Conservative government will show leadership and more strength abroad. Historically, we have been respected and trusted internationally. Around the world, we have been seen as a nation that engages with the world in order to advance principles, not out of narrow self-interest, but out of a desire to make the world a better place for everyone. When we align our domestic values of protecting religious minorities, ensuring equality of women and girls, and championing Canadian values, we not only achieve results for our country, but we also contribute to global peace and security. As Prime Minister, Andrew Scheer will confront the global complexities of climate change, human migration, cybersecurity, and national defence, and work tirelessly to renew relationships and stand up for Canada on the world stage. Strengthen Ties with International Partners To revitalize important relationships with democratic countries, we will reclaim Canada’s role in NORAD, NATO, the Commonwealth, La Francophonie, and the Five Eyes. We will also make greater overtures to India and Japan, specifically through advocating for Canadian membership in the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue. To show leadership abroad, we must show respect to our allies and strength to our adversaries. To be Canadian is a great privilege, and to represent our country on the world stage is a significant responsibility. A new Conservative government will not be afraid of disagreement or fearful of conflict. We will articulate the needs of Canadians and we will listen to the recommendations of our allies. We will be transparent and accountable to balance the needs of Canadians at home and provide help abroad. A new Conservative government will also make sure that Canada is at the forefront of advocating for the CANZUK alliance. More Strength Abroad CANZUK is the diplomatic shorthand for Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom – nations that share common histories and legal systems, and similar views and voting histories in international political fora. The CANZUK movement proposes enhanced free trade, seamless military interoperability, and security and intelligence sharing. Recognize that Jerusalem is the Capital of Israel To formally recognize that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel, we will move the Canadian embassy to Jerusalem. Israel is one of Canada’s strongest allies and a beacon of pluralism and democratic principles. Israel has an inherent right to defend itself and the right to determine where its capital is located, a right claimed by all sovereign nations. Furthermore, we will always defend Israel’s interests at the United Nations. Withdraw from the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank To repatriate Canadian taxpayer dollars from foreign billionaires, a new Conservative government will withdraw its $256 million investment from the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. Reopen the Office of Religious Freedom To protect freedom of religion and belief and promote the Canadian values of tolerance and pluralism internationally, we will reopen the Office of Religious Freedom. Justin Trudeau closed this important office and replaced it with an “Office of Everything” that has accomplished nothing. The need for the Office of Religious Freedom has never been greater, as individuals are being persecuted, imprisoned, tortured, and sometimes even murdered for their religious beliefs. A new Conservative government will ensure that Canada is a constructive power to protect religious freedoms around the world. 81 Put National Security at the Forefront of the Foreign Transactions To ensure the security of our nation’s strategic sectors, we will require an automatic national security review of any takeover of a Canadian company by a foreign state-owned enterprise. In the past four years, Justin Trudeau has either refused or delayed a national security review on a variety of transactions that had serious implications for the security and sovereignty of Canada. We will amend the Investment Canada Act and only approve such a transaction if it is in the best interests of Canadians. Use Magnitsky Sanctions Against Human Rights Offenders in Foreign Regimes To punish the world’s worst human rights offenders, a new Conservative government will apply our Magnitsky sanctions law. For example, given the Iranian regime’s state sponsorship of terror, the ongoing violation of the nuclear deal, and the unacceptable abuse and killing of Canadian citizens, it is absurd that Justin Trudeau has refused to use the Magnitsky law to sanction Iran’s worst human rights offenders. Provide Military Defensive Aid to Ukraine’s Military To renew Canada’s historic support for Ukraine and to help Ukraine secure its borders and defend its people, a new Conservative government will expand current missions and provide Ukraine’s military with the equipment it needs. As Prime Minister, Andrew Scheer will also push for Canadian leadership in a United Nations peacekeeping mission to secure the borders of Ukraine, which has faced armed aggression and the seizure of its territory by Russia since 2014. This mission would allow Ukraine to restore control over their eastern border. We will also expand Operation UNIFIER, initiated by the previous Conservative government, to build and enhance the capabilities of Ukraine’s security forces. This mission has already successfully trained more than 13,000 Ukrainian soldiers. More Strength Abroad A new Conservative government will also restore Canada’s RADARSAT-2 data to Ukraine. Justin Trudeau deprived Ukraine of Canadian RADARSAT-2 imagery, which the previous Conservative government supplied. Reprioritize Foreign Aid To make sure that foreign aid is only spent on the countries that need it most, we will reprioritize Canada’s foreign aid budget and cut overall aid by 25 per cent. Justin Trudeau sends $2.2 billion in foreign aid to middle- and upper-income countries like: Argentina, Barbados, Brazil, China, Italy, Mexico, and Turkey. Worse still, some of Canada’s foreign aid is sent to repressive regimes that are adversarial, if not outright hostile, to Canadian interests and values; countries such as Iran, North Korea, and Russia. Trudeau has also spent $110 million on the United Nations Relief and Works Agency – which is openly antisemitic and continues to support terrorist organizations like Hamas. A new Conservative government will cut 25 per cent of foreign aid spending. The reduction will come from middleand upper-income countries as well as hostile regimes. We will use the savings to pay for policies that help Canadians get ahead at home and redirect $700 million to strengthen foreign aid in lowincome countries and those with an HDI of less than 0.6. We will continue to work in partnership with leading Canadian aid organizations, including volunteerfocused groups that provide much-needed assistance to developing countries. All current funding agreements would continue to be funded in the countries with an HDI below 0.6 (and regional funding for Africa). As part of our reprioritization of aid to those countries that need it most, a new Conservative government will place a special emphasis on protecting children in conflict zones. Conflict has an enduring impact on children, in terms of both their lost education and ongoing trauma. Recent conflicts, including the genocide in Syria, have left thousands of children forever scarred, both physically and psychologically. 82 wafer More Strength Abroad 83 Today, one in six Canadian jobs is linked to our exports, and trade accounts for 60 per cent of our GDP. Canada is a trading nation. International trade has sustained our quality of life, creating opportunities and financing our industries. Today’s globalized world and Canada’s position in the global supply chain offers great opportunities, but it also presents risk if our international relationships are mishandled. Canadians caught a glimpse of this risk with Justin Trudeau’s disastrous trip to India, hurting our relationship with one of the world’s most populous nations. In the recent NAFTA negotiations, Justin Trudeau made numerous concessions to United States President Donald Trump and allowed Mexico to lead negotiations. As Justin Trudeau mishandles Canada’s trading relationships, he puts the livelihoods of Canadians at risk. Conservative governments have always made trade a top priority. The previous Conservative government signed 53 trade and investment agreements, including negotiations with 11 countries in the Trans Pacific Partnership, and 28 countries in the European Union. A new Conservative government will champion our industries both at home and abroad, renew relationships with our trading partners, and work to sign new trade deals to ensure the prosperity of Canada. Diversify our Trading Partners To expand Canada’s trade towards emerging markets and reduce dependence on the US, we will engage the United Kingdom and the countries of Mercosur and ASEAN in negotiations toward free trade agreements. These new markets present opportunities for Canadian businesses to grow and increase their exports. We will also work with the European Union, Japan, and Australia to support and maintain multilateral trade institutions and dispute resolution. Trading nations like Canada benefit from robust multinational trade environments that put us on a level playing field. Canada has struggled in trade disputes with its two most important trading partners – the US and China – both of which are much larger More Strength Abroad than Canada. Canada must continue to play a central role in institutions like the World Trade Organization, as impartial trade arbitrators are usually the most effective way to resolve these disputes. Stand Up for Canada’s Trade Interests To support Canadian industries, a new Conservative government’s focus will remain squarely on promoting Canada’s competitive advantage in global supply chains. Justin Trudeau has prioritized self-congratulatory speeches that charm celebrities and aggravate our trading partners. It is time to focus on Canadians, not Trudeau’s progressive posturing. We will respond forcefully to non-tariff barriers, particularly in the agriculture sector, and foreign industrial subsidies so that Canadians can compete on a level playing field. Many of the trade disputes that have been big barriers to our exports of agricultural goods have been met with half-hearted responses from Justin Trudeau. Canadian canola, soy, pork, beef, berries, lentils, and many other products have been impacted, costing Canadian producers hundreds of millions of dollars. A Conservative government would set up global monitoring of non-tariff barriers and aggressively challenge these at the World Trade Organization. We would also be willing to retaliate with our own trade sanctions, such as imposing tariffs or regulatory restrictions, to forcefully defend Canada’s trade interests. To ensure that our trading partners live up to the spirit, not just the letter, of our agreements, we will insist on chapters dealing with non-tariff trade barriers in future trade deals. Decades ago, the primary barriers to trade were tariffs. As these have come down, it is now regulatory and non-tariff barriers that are the biggest problems for Canadian exporters, particularly in the agricultural sector. Canadian canola, soy, pork, beef, berries, lentils, and many other products have been blocked by arbitrary rules overseas. We will include chapters in future trade agreements to address these issues and to find new ways for resolving these types of regulatory disputes. 84 Create a CETA and CPTPP Accelerator To better support our small and medium enterprises on the world stage, we will provide extra funding to support Canada’s entrepreneurs in finding customers in Europe as well as in markets opened by our new free trade agreements. Sometimes, just signing a trade agreement is not enough. An ‘accelerator’ is necessary to take full advantage of these newly opened markets. This accelerator will provide market intelligence or advice on local regulations, as well as funding to attend trade shows. Share Better Information About our Free Trade Agreements with Canada’s Businesses To help small and medium enterprises understand the benefits of a free trade agreement to their business, we will provide valuable industry-by-industry market intelligence to exporters – not just agreement-by-agreement – so they can learn where the greatest opportunities are. Resolve the Softwood Lumber Dispute with the United States To make sure that our forestry workers are protected and treated fairly, we will work with the US government to find a solution to the continuing dispute that Justin Trudeau has ignored. Canadian lumber producers are paying tariffs of over 20 per cent on exports to the US, which is costing the industry millions of dollars and shuttering mills across the country. According to CSIS, the number one security threat to national security in Canada is terrorism perpetrated by extremists, individuals inspired by terrorist groups such as ISIS and Al Qaeda, those who seek to travel to join terrorist groups abroad, or those who radicalize. Justin Trudeau has undermined our national security agencies and failed to ensure that terrorists who travel overseas to commit horrific atrocities are put behind bars where they belong. Instead, Trudeau has proposed poetry classes to combat terrorism. We must take strong action to protect our national security. A new Conservative government will: Restore Threat Disruption Powers for CSIS To protect Canadians and empower our national security agencies, we will amend the Canadian Security Intelligence Service Act to ensure that CSIS can take actions to disrupt terrorist threats. With Bill C-59, Justin Trudeau has tied the hands of our national security agencies, leaving them unable to effectively respond to threats of terrorism. For example, a CSIS agent now requires a warrant to speak to the family of an individual who is suspected of being involved in terrorist activity. This unnecessarily hamstrings them from investigating suspected threats to the security of Canadians. There are more effective ways to ensure the accountability of CSIS without hampering their mandate to maintain the security of Canadians. That is why we will mandate the Intelligence Commissioner to review these actions. Combat Terrorist Fundraising, Financing, and Planning To stop terrorist fundraising, financing, and planning, we will streamline the process for listing terrorist entities by amending the Criminal Code and allow Parliament to add terrorist groups to this list. In 2018, Justin Trudeau voted in favour of a Conservative motion to list Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist entity, but he has since failed to follow through and act. More Strength Abroad 85 Punish Terrorists who Travel Overseas To make sure that anyone who travels overseas to engage in terrorist activities ends up behind bars, we will create a reverse onus offence for travel to designated terrorism hot spots. Prosecutions of overseas terrorist offences are challenging due to the difficulties of converting intelligence into evidence. This will make it clear that merely travelling to a terrorism hot spot is unacceptable unless the traveller can prove that they had legitimate reasons for going there. Facilitate the Return of Young Children of Terrorists Detained Overseas We will create a process to ensure that young Canadian children of terrorists detained overseas can return to Canada. However, we will draw a hard distinction between radicalized parents who travel overseas for terrorist purposes and the innocent children who have been tagged along in their parents’ travels. Depoliticize Military Procurement To equip the men and women of the Canadian Armed Forces, a new Conservative government will act and use Parliamentary institutions like the House of Commons Committee on National Defence to build a multi-partisan consensus around the needs of our military. For too long, our military heroes have been underserved by governments promising to deliver equipment only to come up short time and time again. Military procurement is hyper-politicized to Canada’s detriment. Successful military procurement requires focused leadership at the highest levels of the Canadian government. We will ensure that the government consults the House of Commons Committee on National Defence early to solicit advice and input on the future direction of procurement for our military so that no party plays politics with our procurement. More Strength Abroad 86 Successful military procurement also requires focused leadership at the highest levels of the Canadian government. To that end, we will restore the Cabinet Committee on Defence Procurement, and create a Defence Procurement Secretariat within the Privy Council Office to ensure that priority projects are progressing on time and on budget. Negotiate Entry to the Ballistic Missile Defence Program To strengthen our national defence, we will enter discussions with the United States to join the Ballistic Missile Defence program and modernize the NORAD alliance. This will build on the Canada-US tradition of joint military partnerships. Replace Canada’s CF-18s To support the Royal Canadian Air Force, we will not delay in selecting a new fighter jet to replace our CF-18s. Justin Trudeau’s ill-considered commitment to run an “open” fighter jet competition while excluding the F-35 has left Canada’s national defence vulnerable. He has repeatedly compounded his errors, first by inventing an alleged “capability gap” that no defence expert agreed existed, then promising to purchase 18 Super Hornets on an “interim” basis, and finally agreeing to purchase a couple dozen 40-year-old F-18 Hornets from Australia. As other nations complete competitions within a year or even sooner, Canada’s Air Force is left wanting. Where Justin Trudeau has failed, we will act immediately. We will select a replacement for the CF-18s in 2020, and have them enter service by 2025. More Strength Abroad Build a Second Interim Supply Ship To support the Royal Canadian Navy, we will negotiate a contract with Davie Shipyards to build a second interim supply ship. We cannot continue to rely on other countries to sustain operations by both our Atlantic and Pacific fleets and around the globe. Canada requires two Auxiliary Oil Replenishment vessels to ensure our Navy can operate effectively abroad as it awaits the construction of the Joint Support Ships. Maintain Contracts for Davie Shipyards for Ice Breakers and Federal Ferries To address the increasing threat to our Arctic sovereignty posed by Russia, China, and others, we will reinforce Canada’s standing as a maritime nation. We will maintain contracts for ice breakers and federal ferries. We must also take steps to protect and promote maritime shipping in the St. Lawrence and Great Lakes regions. Canada must do more to show the world that we are an Arctic power. A new Conservative government will establish, without a doubt, that our sovereignty over the North is non-negotiable. The Arctic is integral to our identity, as is the Northwest Passage. Replace Canada’s Victoria Class Submarines To support the Royal Canadian Navy, we will begin the process of replacing the used British submarines purchased by Liberal Prime Minister Jean Chretien. Submarine capability is vital to protecting Canada’s vast coastlines, particularly in the Arctic. The Australian government has initiated a multi-year strategy to procure its future submarine capability. Canada can look to these and other international models as we seek to ensure that we have the capabilities that are necessary to effectively protect our national waters. 87 .3 r0 GETAHEAD C: TIME FOR - 88 In 2015, Justin Trudeau said he would balance the budget by 2019. His poor judgement and out-of-control spending have led to massive, never-ending deficits. He has spent more money annually than any Prime Minister in the history of Canada and has put Canada on track to be $1 trillion in debt by 2035. Canada will never have a balanced budget under Justin Trudeau. If Justin Trudeau is given four more years, his never-ending deficits will force him to raise taxes even higher and his debt will consume critical public services like education and health care. At present, there are worrisome signs that Canada’s economy is heading for a slowdown. Canadian households are weighed down by record debt levels, Canada’s housing markets show signs of overheating, particularly in the major cities, and Canada’s business investment is depressed by a punishing regulatory burden, particularly in the energy sector. In Canada, in the last quarter of 2018 and the first quarter of 2019, growth slowed to almost zero. At first glance, Canada’s 3.7 per cent growth in Q2 2019 looked good, but almost every contributor to our domestic economy was negative or flat. Canadian households reduced spending, while consumption slowed to 0.1 per cent, the weakest in the seven years since Q2 2012. Businesses retreated as investment fell 4.3 per cent in Q2, with machinery and equipment spending falling 9.3 per cent. Our exports were the only thing pulling us forward. In 2018, labour productivity growth in Canada was zero. Productivity growth is the only sustainable way to increase wages, and it has been severely weakened by low business investment and a punishing regulatory burden. So, while job numbers are positive, wages have not increased. In fact, under the previous Conservative government, from 2005 to 2015, the median real wage in Canada went up 11 per cent (after inflation): 8.6 per cent for men and 13.9 per cent for women. That’s a $4,900 raise for Canadians. Under Justin Trudeau, from 2015 to 2018, wages have been flat, growing just 0.5 per cent after inflation over three years, or $250 per Fiscal Overview person. Canadians have not had a raise in three years. There are strong topline numbers that mask economic weakness and vulnerability. Our domestic economy is weak, while our exports are driving us forward. Canadians are getting by, but they are not getting ahead. Geopolitical tensions have contributed to our economic uncertainty. The IMF estimates that US and Chinese tariffs could reduce global GDP by 0.5 per cent in 2020, which amounts to a loss of about US $455 billion. As a trading nation, this is particularly worrisome for key Canadian industries and therefore jobs. As Prime Minister, Andrew Scheer will: Balance the Budget Within Five Years To lower your taxes and put more money in your pocket so you can get ahead, a new Conservative government will balance the budget on a responsible timeline of five years. We will eliminate $1.5 billion in corporate handouts to profitable companies, reduce Canada’s foreign aid by 25 per cent, cut wasteful spending on high-priced consultants and empty office space, and control spending and invest infrastructure money on a responsible and structured timeline. A fiscal anchor – like the goal of balancing a budget – ensures government accountability. Without one, Justin Trudeau has had no incentive to say no. His government spending has increased, and he has pressured his departments to do more and spend more. Now, he proposes that the Government of Canada subsidize camping trips and build hockey rinks on Parliament Hill. Instead, our commitment to a balanced budget will ensure value for the taxpayer’s dollar. 89 A new Conservative government will make choices and trade-offs to prioritize the value of every spending proposal. Funding will shift from less productive or inefficient programs to more valuable programs and priorities. Every taxpayer dollar matters. A balanced budget will protect the quality of our social programs like health care and education. Like many Western countries, Canada faces significant pressures from its changing demographics. Canada’s rapidly aging population will put increased pressure on our health care system and greatly affect our workforce as there will be a lower ratio of workers to retirees. Balancing the budget will enable us to save more than $600 million per annum in debt service costs by 2024-25. This savings measure alone will pay for our commitment to increase RESP grants. Instead of paying for Justin Trudeau’s debt, we will invest this money in our children’s future. A balanced budget safeguards the economy in case of a downturn. Justin Trudeau’s reckless spending has left us vulnerable. Unless we change course, the cupboard will be bare the next time Canada is faced with a crisis. When a recession eventually hits, deficits soar as the economy’s automatic stabilizers kick in. Government revenues fall because people are earning less and pay less taxes, while spending surges on Employment Insurance and other social programs. The Finance Department estimates that a 1 per cent reduction in real GDP growth for one year will lower the budgetary balance by $5 billion. This means that when the starting point is a $20-billion deficit and Canada goes into a significant recession like what we saw in 2009, then the deficit can easily grow to $40 or $50 billion. That is before the government spends a penny to stimulate the economy. In the lead-up to the global recession, from 2006 to 2008, the previous Conservative government paid down $37 billion in debt. This gave Canada more financial resources to navigate the storm. Canada came out of the crisis faster and with stronger growth than any other country in the G-7. Fiscal Overview Introduce Balanced Budget Legislation To protect social programs and to prevent tax increases, a new Conservative government will introduce legislation to require the federal government to maintain a balanced budget once the current deficit is eliminated. We will tie the salaries of the Prime Minister and ministers to the implementation of a balanced budget. Debt and deficits are the biggest threat to important government services like health care. The only way to guarantee them is to balance the budget. Require Saving Proposals for New Government Spending To ensure future governments live within their means, we will require all new spending proposals be offset with savings equal to the cost of the new spending. A new Conservative Government will implement a PAYGO (or pay-as-you-go) budget rule for all new spending. It will require that any new proposal must either be “budget neutral” or contain offsetting savings or new revenues. The goal is to constrain governments in prioritizing expenses and exercising fiscal restraint. The Conservative Party of Canada has relied on projections from the Parliamentary Budget Officer (PBO) as the basis for our budget plan. The PBO has reasonable, conservative estimates for the fiscal outlook over the next decade. 90 “ Trudeau’s Deficit In 2015, the previous Conservative government left Justin Trudeau a balanced budget. Canada’s economy was growing, and the middle class had the largest median income in 40 years. Four years later, wages are stagnant, debt is mounting, and there is no end in sight to Trudeau’s deficits. Because of his out-of-control spending, he will have added $71 billion to the federal government’s debt by the end of this year. When Justin Trudeau revealed his platform, he announced a staggering $57 billion in campaign promises. The tally of his disastrous campaign is mounting, and so is his debt. Justin Trudeau’s campaign promises will pile on $100 billion of new debt to the books. His deficit will hit at least $27.4 billion in 2020. The total debt by the end of Justin Trudeau’s second term would be over $800 billion. To pay just half of Justin Trudeau’s deficit next year ($14 billion), he would have to either raise the GST by 2 per cent or raise the rate on the first income tax bracket from 15 per cent to 19 per cent. This election will come down to the choice between a government who thinks they can spend your money better than you, raises taxes, and makes your life more unaffordable – and a new Conservative government that will lower your taxes and put more money in your pocket. Andrew Scheer Fiscal Overview 91 Fiscal Plan - New Tax Cuts and Spending ($ millions) 2020-21 2021-22 2022-23 2023-24 2024-25 Repeal The Carbon Tax -222 -168 182 187 180 The Universal Tax Cut 548 2,778 4,860 5,890 6,085 Tax-Free Home Energy 1,348 1,338 1,340 1,361 1,379 Green Public Transit Tax Credit 227 228 229 234 243 Green Home Renovation Tax Credit 894 687 0 0 0 Commission of Inquiry on Money Laundering 10 10 0 0 0 Build More Homes Competition 0 0 300 0 0 Cancel Liberal “Housing Supply Challenge” -63 -63 -63 -63 -63 Fairness For Persons With Disabilities Act 40 43 45 49 53 Expand Eligibility For Volunteer Tax Credits 3 3 3 3 3 Make Maternity and Parental Benefits Tax-Free 616 967 970 989 1,022 EI Adoption Leave (Gross Cost) 13 15 15 16 16 EI Adoption Leave (Cost Recovery) -5 -14 -15 -15 -16 Increase The Adoption Expense Tax Credit small small small small small Introduce The Children’s Fitness Tax Credit 241 239 239 242 249 Introduce The Children’s Arts and Learning Tax Credit 56 56 56 56 58 Boost The Registered Education Savings Plan 0 145 612 640 664 553 565 579 605 638 Repeal Trudeau’s Tax Increases On Small Business Savings 500 537 562 583 603 Exempt Spouses From Trudeau’s Tax Increases On Family Business 32 32 33 34 36 Minister For Consulting Indigenous Rights Holders 1 1 1 1 1 Facilitate Engagement Between Indigenous Communities And Resource Development Companies 10 10 10 10 10 Protect Our Forests From Pests 5 5 5 5 5 122 0 0 0 0 More Resources For PMRA 3 3 3 3 3 Enhance And Rebuild Wild Atlantic And Pacific Salmon Stocks 14 14 14 14 14 Support Small Craft Harbours 0 0 47 33 3 Section 1: More money in your pocket Increase The Age Credit Section 2: More good jobs Return Overcharged User Fees To Farmers Fiscal Overview 92 Fiscal Plan - New Tax Cuts and Spending ($ millions) 2020-21 2021-22 2022-23 2023-24 2024-25 Green Investment Standards 8 8 8 8 8 Green Patent Credit 7 7 8 9 10 Green Technology And Innovation Fund 8 9 6 5 4 Green Hub For Innovation 1 1 1 1 1 7.5 7.5 7.5 7.5 0 Conserve Wildlife And Natural Habitat 5 0 0 0 0 Support For Wetlands 9 9 9 4 0 Fund For Wildlife Enhancement 5 5 5 5 5 Section 3: More innovation to fight climate change Lake Simcoe Clean-Up Fund Canadian Clean Brand 10 10 1 1 1 Green Expansion Accelerator 500 350 250 0 0 Make Canada’s National Museums Free 24 25 25 25 25 Increase Funding For The Building Communities Through Arts And Heritage Program 0 12 12 12 0 Judicial Inquiry Into The SNC-Lavalin Corruption Scandal 10 10 0 0 0 Hire An Additional 250 CBSA Officers 8 22 29 30 31 Invest In Palliative Care 5 5 5 0 0 CBSA Firearms Smuggling Task Force 5 5 5 5 5 Fund Police Infrastructure 6 6 6 6 6 Support Anti-Gang Task Forces 12 12 12 12 12 Youth Gang Prevention Fund Section 4: More help at home 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 Minister Of Rural Affairs 1 1 1 1 1 Invest In Treatment And Recovery Centres 12 12 12 0 0 Educate Canadians On The Harms Of Drugs 10 10 10 0 0 Help Municipalities And School Districts To Clean Up Used Needles small small small small small Strengthen Our Human Trafficking Laws 6 6 6 7 0 Official Languages Tribunal 5 5 5 5 5 Support The Creation Of A Francophone University 20 14 14 0 0 Make Our Tax System Simple And Fair 10 10 0 0 0 Replace MRI And CT Machines 250 250 500 525 0 Support Parents In Mourning small small small small small Develop A National Autism Strategy 10 10 10 10 10 Allow The Territories To Keep Their Resource Revenues 0 0 0 0 8 Canada Cyber Safe Brand 10 15 2 2 2 Strike An Expert Committee With Industry Leaders 1 1 0 0 0 Clear The Backlog Of Veterans Benefit Applications 25 26 0 0 0 Fix Trudeau’s Failures On Pensions 103 51 51 50 50 Ensure That There Is No Gap Between DND Payroll And VAC Benefits 0 0 7 7 8 Independent Inquiry For CAF Members Who Were Administered Mefloquine 10 10 0 0 0 Funding For Service Dogs 1.5 1.5 1.5 0 0 Fiscal Overview 93 Fiscal Plan - New Tax Cuts and Spending ($ millions) 2020-21 2021-22 2022-23 2023-24 2024-25 Recognize That Jerusalem Is The Capital Of Israel 2 0 0 0 0 Reopen The Office Of Religious Freedom 1 1 1 1 1 Provide Military Defensive Aid To Ukraine’s Military 7 7 0 0 0 Create a CETA and CPTPP Accelerator 10 10 10 0 0 Buy A Second Interim Supply Ship 148 129 63 65 66 2020-21 2021-22 2022-23 2023-24 2024-25 1,291 1,446 3,376 5,271 6,726 0 48 211 381 558 823 1,828 2,861 3,920 5,005 1,500 1,500 1,500 1,500 1,500 400 500 600 700 726 1,500 1,500 1,500 1,500 1,500 Make Tech Giants Pay Their Fair Share 410 450 500 560 610 CRA Tax Gap Analysis And Enforcement 276 1,310 2,490 3,548 3,370 Force Tobacco Companies To Pay For Anti-Tobacco Campaigns 58 58 58 58 58 Withdraw From The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank 9 9 9 9 9 196 242 314 342 362 Fiscal Plan - Summary ($ millions) 2020-21 2021-22 2022-23 2023-24 2024-25 PBO Projected Budgetary Balance -23,263 -15,426 -12,527 -11,214 -8,951 Fiscal Plan - New Tax Cuts And Spending -6,222 -8,507 -11,113 -11,683 -11,448 Fiscal Plan - New Savings And Revenue Measures 6,463 8,891 13,419 17,789 20,424 Change In Public Debt Charges -4 9 91 311 642 New Annual Budgetary Balance -23,026 -15,033 -10,130 -4,797 667 Section 5: More leadership abroad Fiscal Plan - New Savings and Revenue Measures ($ millions) Prioritize Infrastructure Spending Maintaining Public Service FTEs Other Operating Expenses Reduction Cut Corporate Welfare Cancel Increases To International Agenda Reprioritize Foreign Aid Repeal Parts Of Budget 2019 Fiscal Overview 94 Fiscal Overview Additional Details A new Conservative government will: ƒƒ Prioritize infrastructure spending ƒƒ Maintain 2020-21 Staffing Levels in the Federal Government ƒƒ Save on Non-Personnel Operating Expenses ƒƒ Cut Corporate Welfare ƒƒ Cut Foreign Aid ƒƒ Cancel parts of Budget 2019 ƒƒ Make large technology companies pay their fair share ƒƒ Keep taxes low by ensuring tax fairness ƒƒ Make tobacco companies pay for anti-tobacco campaigns ƒƒ Reduce Public Debt Charges Prioritize Infrastructure Spending A central promise of Justin Trudeau’s 2015 platform was to run “modest deficits” to invest in infrastructure and grow the economy. Unfortunately, the reality in government has been an utter failure. Failed spending: Justin Trudeau has been unable to get infrastructure money out the door. Despite establishing a multi-year, $187-billion budget for infrastructure spending in 2016, his actual spending on infrastructure has been not as advertised. According to the PBO, 40 per cent of Justin Trudeau’s infrastructure funds lapsed unused in his first two years. In other words, for every dollar he promised, he only spent 60 cents. Fiscal Overview Failed accountability: Although we know that Justin Trudeau’s infrastructure budget lapsed 40 per cent in past years, no one seems to know how much the government is currently spending on infrastructure. ƒƒ As part of their analysis of Budget 2018’s “update” on Justin Trudeau’s infrastructure budget, the PBO noted: “Budget 2018 provides an incomplete account of the changes to the Government’s $186.7 billion infrastructure spending plan. PBO requested the new plan but it does not exist” (emphasis added). ƒƒ In 2019, Infrastructure Canada told the PBO that “the federal government does not have a framework to identify the incremental effect of the [Investing in Canada Plan] on capital spending from lower levels of government.” In other words, the federal government is unable to determine the impact that its spending is having on actually getting infrastructure built. ƒƒ Furthermore, as part of this costing process, the PBO reached out to the Department of Infrastructure to request a list of all specific infrastructure projects funded by the government. They were unable to answer. 95 Failed results: Despite all this, Justin Trudeau has nonetheless spent billions of dollars on infrastructure. However, he has no results to show for it. ƒƒ Statistics Canada’s Infrastructure Economic Accounts show almost no increase in infrastructure spending in Canada. Between 2015 and 2018, the most recent year available, annual inflationadjusted infrastructure investment went from $70.7 billion to $71.5 billion. There was a tiny $0.8 billion annual increase in infrastructure despite a staggering $35 billion in infrastructure spending allocated by Justin Trudeau over those three years. Failed economic growth: In Budget 2016, the Liberals claimed that their infrastructure plan would increase GDP by an average of 0.3 per cent per year. However, once again, the PBO found that the reality was not as advertised and that Justin Trudeau’s infrastructure plan increased GDP by at best 0.1 per cent – a shortfall of 67 per cent. Fiscal Overview In short, Trudeau’s infrastructure ‘plan’ has been a failure. Over the next four years, they claim that they will spend $56.2 billion. The PBO’s estimates show that they do not expect the Liberals to spend that money. As exemplified by their massive spending lapses, Justin Trudeau is unable to get money out the door. A new Conservative government will spend the same amount on infrastructure that the Liberal government had allocated to the Invest in Canada Plan, but we will spread it over a reasonable and responsible timeframe. We will extend the Investing in Canada Plan by an additional three years so that the entire $187-billion program is spent over 15 years instead of 12. Our new infrastructure profile will be realistic, yet ambitious, and focused on results. We will gradually bring the annual infrastructure allocations to levels that had been historic highs only seen during the stimulus spending of the last recession. Once the budget is balanced, we will gradually increase the infrastructure budget as the budgetary surplus grows. 96 :Fiscal Overview As Prime Minister, Andrew Scheer will: 1. M aintain all projects committed to by the Liberal Government; 2. Maintain all statutory spending such as the Gas Tax Fund; 3. Commit to a reasonable and responsible infrastructure timeline; and, 4. Fund important projects such as: ƒƒ The George Massey Tunnel Replacement Project (British Columbia) ƒƒ The Ontario Line and the Yonge Subway Extension (Ontario) ƒƒ The third link between Quebec City and Levis (Quebec) Maintain 2020-21 Staffing Levels in the Federal Government We will maintain the number of Full Time Equivalents in the federal public service at 2020-2021 levels until the budget is balanced. Spending on the public service would continue to grow, because wages would continue to increase as scheduled, pensions would be protected, and sick leave would be protected. The PBO calculated the savings by subtracting current levels from projected growth. Public servants can be reassured that a Conservative government would appreciate the excellent work they do. Fiscal Overview Save on Non-Personnel Operating Expenses Every year, the federal government spends billions on consultants, travel, and conferences. Across the country, thousands of square feet of office space remains under-used, but rents are still paid. These contribute to the government’s non-personnel operating expenses. A new Conservative government will maintain these expenses at 2019-2020 levels for five years and find savings of an additional 1.2 per cent each year, until 6 per cent cost savings are achieved. The savings will be achieved by: ƒƒ Reining in March madness spending. Under Justin Trudeau, spending in March as a percentage of overall spending has gone up compared to the previous Conservative government. Exercising control over March madness could save a significant amount of money. ƒƒ Finding savings from consultant fees. Often, consultants are brought in to replace our public servants, who do excellent work already. ƒƒ Controlling expenses on travel and hospitality. ƒƒ Tightening procurement rules. ƒƒ Gradually reducing the footprint of federal government real estate. Over time, the government could achieve a 30 per cent reduction in office space from the current 140 square foot per employee to 100 square feet per employee, which is more in line with the private sector. The Government of Canada owns the largest and most diverse portfolio of real estate in the country with 37,000 buildings. Reducing the need for these buildings could save the government rent and potentially free them up for alternative development. 98 Cut Corporate Welfare A Conservative government will save $1.5 billion per year by reviewing all business subsidy programs, grants and contributions. Programs where the money benefits wealthy shareholders, executives, and foreign companies, or the money goes to lobbyists and consultants, will be eliminated. The review will be conducted by a commission led by a distinguished Canadian or distinguished Canadians. It will be managed by detailed performance metrics to look at overall effectiveness, outcomes in terms of growth, the number of jobs supported, and return on investment, to determine what works, what does not, and what needs to be fixed. Those programs which are most successful can be expanded or replicated elsewhere, while other business subsidy programs can be overhauled, and some can be cancelled. We will also review innovation programs (such as SR&ED) to see if they are supporting Canadian companies that provide benefits, profits, and patents that stay in Canada. If an innovation program disproportionately benefits the subsidiaries of foreign multinationals, then we will examine how it could be refocused. “ Corporate welfare costs Canadian taxpayers billions of dollars every year. Justin Trudeau’s long list of corporate welfare handouts includes: ƒƒ $18 million to a private jet airport, which was only cancelled because of media attention ƒƒ $12 million taxpayer dollars to purchase fridges for Loblaws (net 2018 earnings: $719 million) ƒƒ Two multimillion-dollar loan write-offs for the Irving family, one of Canada’s wealthiest ƒƒ $40 million for Blackberry (The company’s CEO even said they did not need the money) ƒƒ $49 million for Canada-Kuwait Petrochemical Corp. ƒƒ $20 million of a $743 million project by Maple Leaf Foods ƒƒ $4.5 billion-dollar Kinder Morgan pipeline nationalization ƒƒ $72 million to Canadian National and Titanium Corp for clean technology upgrades (which companies would have to pay for themselves under our Conservative environment plan) ƒƒ And many more… Hardworking Canadians are rightly offended as Justin Trudeau makes them pay more for gasoline, groceries, and home heating as they see their tax dollars going to further the interests of the wealthy and well-connected friends. I will put an end to handouts to wealthy executives, shareholders, and foreign companies and instead put that money in Canadians’ pockets so they can get ahead. Andrew Scheer Fiscal Overview 99 Cut Foreign Aid The overall Canadian international assistance envelope stands at approximately $6 billion annually. These funds are often distributed around the world with little or no accountability or oversight. In fact, approximately $2.2 billion goes to countries that are relatively well-off. We will reduce foreign aid by $1.5 billion and use the savings to pay for policies that help Canadians get ahead at home. We will also redirect $700 million in foreign aid support to the world’s poorest countries, with a special focus on support for children in conflict zones. We will also cancel the planned increases to the international assistance envelope. Cancel Parts of Budget 2019 In Budget 2019, Justin Trudeau offered a business subsidy for companies that invest in electric vehicles. This corporate welfare will benefit the largest companies that already make investments in electric vehicles. There is no need for this program. The Canada Training Credit is poorly designed. There are no standards for relevant courses and it is not targeted to those who need it most. The Canadian Federation of Independent Business said that it was “poorly linked to the needs of employers” and objected to the lack of relevancy standards that could allow people to “study Latin or interpretive dance”. The Canada Training Credit has not yet been implemented, so no one has benefited from it. Make Large Technology Companies Pay their Fair Share Many of the largest technology companies earn billions in Canada, but do not pay any corporate taxes here. A new Conservative government will ensure a level playing field with Canadian businesses. In line with similar taxes in Europe, we will apply a 3 per cent tax on revenues of businesses that provide a social media platform, search engine, or an online marketplace to Canadians. The tax will only apply to the largest companies; those with worldwide revenues of more than $1 billion and revenues in Canada of more than $50 million. We will include a pathway for these companies to set up shop here in Canada. If a company chooses to locate here and pay regular corporate income tax, then we will allow them to deduct their corporate income tax from the large technology company tax. Ultimately, our goal is to encourage companies to set up a corporate headquarters in Canada. This off-ramp will encourage them to do so. Keep Taxes Low by Ensuring Tax Fairness The tax gap is the difference between the amount of tax that should, in theory, be paid to the government, and what is actually paid. But much more important is how a detailed tax gap analysis can be Foreign aid should alleviate poverty, not be a slush fund to boost Justin Trudeau’s image on social media. Fiscal Overview 100 used by the tax authority to better allocate resources, understand the relative size of the losses, and address the causes of noncompliance. We are proposing to allocate more revenues to tax segments where additional enforcement efforts could bring in the most revenue, most notably in international tax, and going after tax evasion. In the UK, Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) produces an annual tax gap analysis for each customer group (e.g. individuals, small businesses, large businesses) and each type of taxation (personal income tax, VAT, corporate income tax, excise, alcohol and tobacco). They also publish the behavioural reasons for the tax gap (e.g., taxpayer error, legal interpretation, hidden economy, avoidance, failure to take reasonable care, etc.)i. This understanding of the tax gap enables HMRC to allocate more resources where the tax gap is greatest, to get more bang for the buck. It also helps the department to understand why noncompliance occurs and how HMRC can address the causes. For example, if it is a lack of understanding, more education/ simplification is needed; if it is a strange legal interpretation or loophole, then a legislative remedy can be used; if it is criminal or evasion, then more enforcement is needed. This identifies problems so they can be addressed, brings in more revenue, and improves the overall health of the tax system. The results have been very impressive with the UK lowering their tax gap from 7.2 per cent to 6.0 per cent over five years, bringing in an additional £4 billion of revenue (C$6.5B)ii. As part of this tax gap analysis, we will reallocate $750 million of spending from other government departments towards the Canada Revenue Agency to invest in stronger enforcement of taxation for multinational firms, taxation of large corporations, international taxation, and other tax evasion. The PBO estimates that this would pull in $3.37 billion by 2024-25. This policy will also increase revenues for provincial governments that rely on the CRA to administer their tax system. PBO notes that “this cost estimate does not reflect consequential revenue increases for provincial governments that occupy the same tax base.” When large multinational corporations don’t pay their fair share of taxes, lawabiding business owners and ordinary Canadians have to fill the gap. By ensuring everyone pays what they legally owe, we will ensure that taxes for all Canadians remain low. Make Tobacco Companies Pay for Anti-tobacco Campaigns A new Conservative government will charge an annual cost recovery fee to the tobacco industry (proportional to the revenues of each company) to provide full reimbursement for the annual cost of the federal tobacco control strategy. Reduction in Public Debt Charges Finally, because of the above measures, our deficits will be smaller and we will balance the budget in 2024-25. That means that our debt service charges will be smaller. Currently, the Trudeau Liberals are projected to spend tens of billions of dollars every year on interest payments for the national debt. Their uncosted 2019 platform pushes that debt even higher, which will push interest payments even higher. However, the Liberals failed to include these higher public debt charges in their deficit calculations, which prove once again that their numbers are not as advertised. We used the PBO’s “Public debt charges calculator” to determine that our savings measures will mean savings of nearly $600 million per year by 2024-25 on debt charges alone. We will use those savings to invest in our children’s future by increasing the RESP grant. Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/820979/Measuring_tax_gaps_2019_edition.pdf i ii Fiscal Overview Ibid. Page 6 101 TO GETAHEAD ECONSERVATJVE I TIME FOR 2019 Conservative Party of Canada