Platform Breakdown: Liberal Party of Canada

By: Laura Steiner

The Liberal Party of Canada introduced its platform September 29th, 2019.  It breaks policy down to three different priorities.

More Money for Middle Class Families: A re-elected Liberal government would cut taxes for the middle class giving the average family $600/ year.  They would also raise the Basic Personal Amount by $2,000 for those earning under $147,000.

Climate Change: If re-elected the Liberals would commit to bringing Canada to a net zero by 2050.  They propose to do this by planting 2 billion trees, and making it easier for tech companies to operate.

Gun Control: If re-elected the Liberals would ban assault weapons, and strengthen gun control laws.

Liberal Fiscal Plan: A re-elected Liberal government would invest $9.3 billion in the 2020-2021 fiscal year.  It would increase to $16.9 billion in 2023-2024.  The Liberals would also increase the deficit to $27.4 billion next year.  It would decrease to $21 billion by 2023-2024.

Questions:

Will there be a Carbon Tax Increase?  Some experts believe the proposed $50/ tonne will not be enough to make much difference. There has been continued talk of raising it in recent months.  In August Environment Minister Catherine McKenna started backing down from a promise that would hold the controversial levy at the $50 level in 2022.   A Quebec candidate further mused on the issue late last month. 

How do the Liberals plan to pay off the deficit?  During the 2015 federal campaign the Liberals promised to limit the deficit to no more than $10 billion/ year for the first three years.  This year’s deficit was $14 billion according to the department of finance.

To learn more about the platform visit the party’s website.