Front Burner - Election platform primer (Part 1 of 2)

Episode Date: September 15, 2021

Election day is just around the corner, so CBC’s Ryan Maloney is here to provide back-to-back platform primers for the major parties. First up: The Liberals and Conservatives.

In the Dragon's Den, a simple pitch can lead to a life-changing connection. Watch new episodes of Dragon's Den free on CBC Gem. Brought to you in part by National Angel Capital Organization, empowering Canada's entrepreneurs through angel investment and industry connections. This is a CBC Podcast. Hi, I'm Jamie Poisson. So Monday is election day, and this short summer campaign has flown right by. We've done some deep dives on a few issues we know are really important to a lot of you, issues like housing affordability and climate change, and you can go back and find those in our feed. But today and tomorrow, we want to give you a quick rundown of some of the other things in the

major national parties' platforms to give you a sense of what their big promises are and how they differ from one another so that you can feel more informed heading to that ballot box. Today, we're kicking things off with the liberals and the conservatives, and tomorrow, we'll take a look at what other parties have on offer. CBC Parliamentary Bureau's Ryan Maloney is back with us again. Ryan, hello. Thank you very much for coming back so soon. Well, thanks for having me back. I appreciate it. All right, so let's get started with the Liberals, the party who was in charge and called this thing. When Liberal leader Justin Trudeau came out and

explained why he'd done this back in August, why he called the election, he said it was because we're in a, quote, pivotal, consequential moment. Canadians need to choose how we finish the fight against COVID-19 and build back better. So let's start there. What has Trudeau said about how the liberals would finish the fight against COVID-19? Liberal leader Justin Trudeau has made it clear that he basically sees vaccines as the only ticket out of this. And right before the election call, his government announced that it would demand federal public servants and travelers on planes and trains and cruise ships that they have those two shots. So if you get on a plane, you won't have to worry if the person beside you or across the aisle from your daughter has had both doses. You know they have.

The liberal platform really doubles down on all of that and criticizes Conservative leader Erin O'Toole over the matter. It puts a billion dollars on the table for the provinces and territories to create their own proof of vaccination credentials or vaccine passports. A vaccine mandate for non-essential businesses is a good idea. We'll pay for the development and rollout of that program. Liberals are also promising legislation to ensure that businesses and organizations requiring proof of vaccination can be protected from legal challenges, but the details of that are a bit scarce.

They're promising free COVID-19 booster shots as well. And they're also promising seven more days of paid sick leave for federally regulated workers, 10 in total. The NDP, you know, sort of accused them of the height of cynicism for including that in a platform rather than just sort of doing it. But here we are. OK, so that's pretty much the overview of where the liberals are when it comes to what they say they're going to do to get us out of the pandemic. And we're going to come back to what conservative leader Erin O'Toole and the conservatives are saying about those mandatory vaccinations in a couple of minutes. But this slogan about building back better, let's talk a bit more about what it entails for the liberals. What are the big campaign promises here for recovery after the

pandemic? And I know, of course, just before the election call, Trudeau is out touting his agreements with various premiers on $10 daycare. We've already signed agreements so that families living in British Columbia, Nova Scotia, Yukon, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador, and now Quebec, will see quality child care become affordable. Yeah, so that's perhaps the signature liberal policy that they have been fighting about in this election. Their promise for $10 per day child care within five years and a 50% cut in child care fees next year. The spring budget outlined $30 billion over five years to create such a system. And as you mentioned, the government, you know, signed deals with eight different provinces and territories

before the election call. So liberals have pitched this as sort of an economic program. They say that the pandemic has proven how hard it is for women to enter the workforce or contribute fully without solid child care. And that's sort of their big ticket item, their big pitch in this campaign. Okay. And speaking of affordable child care, we know affordability in general is an issue on a lot of people's minds. And to that end, there are also pledges to extend EI benefits to self-employed people, to scrap the federal portion of the interest on Canada student loans and Canada apprentice loans. But there's another pandemic recovery pledge I want to bring up here. In the spring budget, the Liberals promised to create a million jobs. They've now promised in their election platform to go beyond that. And Ryan, is there any indication how they're going to do that? Yeah, that was a fun little edit to see in their platform. I was thinking about someone in liberal headquarters asking, you know, guys, what's better than a million jobs?

And someone putting their hands up and saying, let's go beyond that. Let's go beyond a million jobs. Yeah. So the way they intend to do that is basically to help employers cover wages. They extended the emergency wage subsidy to October, but they've also set a similar program. They'll extend a similar program, the Canada Recovery Hiring Program, to March. sector with temporary wage and rent support up to 75% to sort of see them through the winter. Liberals are also promising a bunch of investments in green technology to create what they call the kind of jobs of the future with the goal of reaching net zero emissions by 2050, including some big tax breaks for corporations and small businesses that are making zero emissions technology. So that's sort of where they're focusing. I just want to note here again,

for people listening, that we've done an episode each on climate change pledges and on housing affordability pledges this election season, which are both really important top of mind issues for people. But it's also why we're skipping those in this episode. So I hope you'll go back and find those in our feed. But now I want to do a bit of a speed round. What else sticks out to you in the Liberal platform? Well, Liberals are promising about $10 billion more in new spending on health care. There's a minimum of $1 billion that they've put on the table to support provinces and territories who want to implement a ban on handguns. One thing that I thought was interesting,

there's a promise of a new Canada mental health transfer that would send money to the provinces, just sort of like health and social transfers do right now. But that Liberal plan would pump $6.5 billion into mental health services over five years. And it sort of crystallizes the importance of that issue, I think, by having it be its own sort of separate transfer. There's also a promise to strengthen federal powers under the Canada Health Act, which would allow the government to deduct transfers from the provinces who enable extra billing for publicly insured services. So that's targeting the sort of for-profit two-tier elements of health care. And they want to establish new regulations under the Canada Health Act to require that all provinces make abortion services available to everyone everywhere in the country. So

potentially spoiling for a fight on that issue with provinces too. All right. And maybe I'll take a stab at a few that might be worth mentioning. Trudeau announced this week, very timely, that if reelected, he would make it a criminal offense for protesters to block access to health care buildings, including hospitals and vaccine clinics. And they're pledging to appoint a special interlocutor to develop a legal and regulatory framework to advance justice, that's a quote, over unmarked graves at former residential schools. So what are the liberals saying about how they're going to pay for these promises? Unsurprisingly, they all cost a lot of money. So there's about $78 billion worth of fresh spending here

on top of already existing spending. So are they proposing any new revenue streams? Well, they're looking to tax the rich more to help cover these costs, which is a sort of popular idea on the left and center left, of course. They're targeting some of the most profitable banks and insurance companies. They promised to hike the corporate income tax rate from 15% to 18% on all bank and insurance earnings over a billion dollars. Liberals also say they'll create a minimum tax rule, ensuring that top earners, those

who make more than $216,000, pay at least 15% each year, regardless of the tax deductions and write-offs that they get to enjoy. And the spring budget also included luxury taxes on cars and boats and planes. So I'm sorry, Jamie, your days of living the high life in your private plane and speed boat could potentially be getting more expensive. I just want to be clear here. There is no promise from the liberals to balance the budget by X year, correct? Correct. That's not a point that they bring up anymore.

I mean, there was something in 2015 about doing that, and now it's just gone. Before we move on to the conservatives, I just want to note that the liberals have been in power for six years now. So I wonder if there's anything you think people should keep in mind as they consider this platform. Yeah, well, one thing that I think has certainly gotten a lot less attention this time around is their pharma care plan. They have promised universal pharma care. And it's not as if liberals haven't been working on it.

It's a complicated issue that requires negotiations with the provinces. But actually, I should say that before the election, the government did sign a deal with Prince Edward Island to help cover some prescription costs. Their platform mentions that. We've been there specifically to lower the cost of prescription drugs for Canadians over the past number of years, and we will continue to make sure nobody in this country

has to choose between paying for groceries or paying for groceries or paying for the medications that keeps them safe and healthy. But it's definitely fair to say that Pharmacare is not the huge feature of this platform that it was in 2019, with the focus really seemingly having shifted to their child care plan, which I say is, again, is their big ticket item this time. Right, right. I guess that also serves as a fair reminder that all these, these are promises. They're not a fait accompli, right?

Absolutely. And the classic example beyond the 2015 pledge to return back to balance was that the Liberals said, you know, that would be the last election under first past the post, and they abandoned that pledge. So yes, take everything with a grain of salt. and they abandoned that pledge.

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Let's move on to the conservatives. Under Aaron O'Toole, this is, of course, his first election as leader of the party. And we started by talking about what the Liberals say they're going to do to see us through the end of the pandemic. And what do the Conservatives have to say about that? We need to work together to deliver more vaccines, track outbreaks, and manage crises. So Conservatives have called their platform Canada's recovery plan, and I think that's for a reason. They want to be seen as the best party for the economic recovery from COVID, and that's mostly where their focus is.

They are promising to wind down some of the emergency support programs, but they say that'll be done in a responsible way, in a compassionate way as more people are vaccinated and the economy reopens. But they have talked about being better prepared for future pandemics and future emergencies by ramping up pharmaceutical research so that we can make more vaccines domestically, ensuring that we have domestic production of personal protective equipment that was so important. And of course, they're huge on rapid testing, rapid testing at border entry points. And they're promising to quickly close

the border to travelers from hotspots if needed, because they've been critical that the liberals, in their view, were too late on that issue. And what have we heard from them on vaccine mandates? And how does it differ specifically from the Liberals and I guess other parties too? Right. Mr. O'Toole has, he has promoted vaccines as safe and effective, but he does oppose mandatory vaccines for travelers and federal civil servants. And that's been a huge wedge issue between the Liberals and the Conservatives this whole campaign. Do we want public officials to promote an us versus them approach at a time we should be uniting together against a fourth wave?

O'Toole has said it's a personal health decision and that they would instead rely on rapid testing. So you need to show that you're negative for COVID before you get on a plane or if you're a civil servant before you report for work. And Liberals have been hammering the Tories over this issue throughout the campaign. So I think that explains why O'Toole had a separate event where he promised to boost Canada's vaccination rate beyond 90% within two months. It's not totally clear how they would do that, but they said they would appeal to Canadians' patriotism and try to make sure that reasonable questions are answered.

to Canadians' patriotism and try to make sure that reasonable questions are answered. They're also promising booster shots. And he conceded, for what it's worth, after not really answering this question earlier, that he would appoint a Conservative health minister who would be fully vaccinated. And here is something Mr. Trudeau seems to forget. I've been advocating for vaccines for over a year. With myself and my wife having COVID ourselves, we publicized our vaccination process through a video. Maybe worth noting, just about 84% of eligible adults in this country have already received one vaccine dose. Okay, let's move on now to, as you mentioned, what the conservatives are really, really framing their platform around, which is the post-COVID recovery.

And so what are they pledging on that front? Yeah, conservatives are really promising and proposing a host of different measures that they think will kickstart the economy and help all kinds of different businesses. They have some eye-catching populist measures in there that have gotten some attention. They're pitching a GST holiday in December, for instance, where they would suspend the 5% GST collected by Ottawa on sales made in retail stores. They think that'll help, you know, your local shops and retail stores. And they're also promising to help the tourism and hospitality sector that's obviously been badly hit by the pandemic. They're proposing a Dine and Discover program, that's what they call it, giving Canadians a 50% rebate for food and non-alcoholic drinks

purchased by those dining in restaurants between Monday to Wednesday for one month. It's not clear which month, but they said it'll apply once it is safe to do so whenever that is. And a new initiative to give a 15% credit for vacation expenses up to $1,000 for those who take a trip in Canada in 2022. So trying to get people out and about and seeing their country and eating and doing those types of things to help to help those businesses. Okay. And like the liberals, I guess not totally like the liberals, because the liberals have promised to go as we talked about beyond this, but they're also promising a million jobs. And how do they say they're going to do that? Yeah, yeah. So just 1 million jobs there with one year, which is still a pretty big promise. They're promising or pledging a Canada job search plan.

That's what they're calling it. A conservative government will pay up to 50 percent of the salary of new hires for six months when the wage subsidy program ends in October. That's one of the centerpieces. They've got a bunch of new loans and tax credits for small businesses getting back on their feet. We know that small businesses are so important to local communities as sort of employers, including the Main Street business loan to give small businesses loans of up to $200,000 with up to 25% forgiven. So a lot of focus on local small businesses, So a lot of focus on local small businesses, medium businesses hiring again. Okay. And so if the cornerstone of the liberal platform is child care, what are the conservatives saying about child care?

Only our plan helps families immediately and lets parents decide what works best for their children and for their circumstances. Families need help now. Yeah, so conservatives said that they would scrap the liberals $30 billion plan and instead basically rely on a tax credit system. They want to transform the existing child care expense deduction into a refundable tax credit covering up to 75% of the cost of child care for lower income families. Mr. O'Toole, he had an interview, a face-to-face interview with Rosemary Barton this week where he did concede that this is a measure that would mostly help lower income families, whereas the liberal plan is more for all kinds of different families. So he says that his overall plan, I think, will help all families is how he sort of frames it. Six years of inaction by Mr. Trudeau, now he's telling families to wait another five or six years. We're going to help them now.

These are essentially also two very different approaches to child care. So the liberals are really wanting to build up a system, like a government system of daycare, while the conservatives are more geared at offering people a little bit more flexibility in terms of how they choose to spend their money on different kinds of child care. Obviously, there are very strong proponents on both sides of this debate. Let's do a speed round. The Conservatives, what are some of the other policy pledges that stick out to you from the Conservative platform? Well, I think a signature promise from the Conservatives is to increase the Canada health transfer to the provinces.

They're promising to pump $60 billion into the health care system over 10 years with no strings attached. They say they'll work with the provinces to see that they dedicate a significant chunk of that to mental health. So again, mental health is very important. And speaking of that, they are promising to encourage employers to add mental health coverage to their benefit plans with a tax credit to cover up to 25% of the cost

for three years. They're also promising a national suicide prevention hotline. Liberals are also promising that, I should say. Yeah, it's really interesting to see both parties concentrate so heavily on mental health, but I guess it's not really that surprising considering how during the pandemic that this has become, you know, such a very real issue to so many people. Absolutely. And it's one that cuts across all sort of political stripes and political lines too, right? They're also promising some new help for so-called gig workers, which I thought was interesting. They would require gig economy companies to make contributions equivalent to CPP and EEI premiums into a

portable tax-free savings account. There's also some measures for animal lovers, which I thought was kind of an interesting thing. They want to ban puppy mills and cosmetic testing on animals. And there was a campaign event that he had where there was lots and lots of doggies and things like that. I'd like to start today by announcing a very controversial position. I am a dog person. Again, perhaps changing how people view him and view conservatives. Yeah, well, a lot of people did get dogs this year. Also, on the issue of gig workers, the liberals have also pledged,

I don't think we mentioned this before, to strengthen rights for workers employed by digital platforms like Uber and Lyft and have the platforms pay like associated EI and CPP contributions. Also, if I can just add two for the speed round, they're promising to launch this super EI program that would temporarily provide 75% of salary instead of the current 55% when a province goes into recession. And then there is this pledge about increasing fines and criminal penalties for grocery price fixing. And this comes, of course, after the bread price fixing scandal from a few years back. Finally, you know, we've never seen Aaron O'Toole govern as leader of the Conservatives.

And the Conservatives haven't been in power in six years. And so what's something you'd say that voters should keep in mind as they consider the Conservative platform? Well, a central promise that he is making is that Conservatives can balance the budget within 10 years without making cuts. And it's that without making cuts piece that we should keep in mind. You know, other parties are basically not saying, as we mentioned, that they can balance the budget in that time. They're not really talking about that. But Mr. O'Toole says it can be done. And much of the Conservative plan is sort of predicated on annual GDP growth of 3%,

which is a target that I think we've reached only once since 2011. So he has faced some questions about how realistic that is. Liberals have said, you know, that's magical thinking. O'Toole says that with the way he intends to kickstart the economy, it can be done. So we will see. All right. Well, Ryan, thank you so much for this. I think you're back with us again tomorrow, right? And we're going to be covering some of the other parties. I think so. Yeah. I'll show up whenever you ask me to. I'm happy to. Wonderful.

Thank you so much. Thank you. All right, so before we go today, we want to play you some Norm MacDonald. The Canadian comedian's death was reported yesterday after a long private cancer diagnosis. He was 61. Best known for his stint on Saturday Night Live in the 90s, Norm was the host of the Weekend Update segment for three years.

On top of having his own Netflix talk show, he also was an excellent talk show guest. In remembering him yesterday, Conan O'Brien tweeted, Norm had the most unique comedic voice I have ever encountered, and he was so relentlessly and uncompromisingly funny. I will never laugh that hard again. And so to play us out, here's Norm MacDonald on Conan O'Brien's show in 2014. When I was young, there was a fellow, went by the name of Jacques de Gauthier. And he was from Tamiskaming, Quebec.

And Jacques de Gauthier, he was a fella that really thought. And he was smart, you know, he was our hope, I guess. And he was, while I was scrambling to get out of high school, Jacques Zagatineau had already... I think he just changed his last name. Well, you know, a man grows. He, uh... But this is the point. Yeah.

Jacques de Gatineau, he went to McGill University, and he got three degrees, by golly. And he went to the, over across the pond, to the fellows with Cambridge, and he even stood up to them. And we thought, boy, he's going to be the next. We had Jean Marchand, Jarelle Tertier, Pierre Trudeau, the three wise men of Quebec, by God, Jacques de Gatineau was going to be the next.

He'd be the next gun. Yeah, but he vanished. And I met him, I started to do stand-up and travel from here to there and to here again. And one time I was in Niagara Falls, and by gosh, I went over to the SeaWorld there. You know how they have the SeaWorld? You know, with the different fish. You know. I didn't know that, but okay.

Yes. The SeaWorld. I've been there many a time. Okay, so I was checking out the beluga. You know. I didn't know that, but okay, yeah. The sea world, I've been there many a time. Okay, so I was checking out the beluga whales and stuff, and I look over, and who do you think I see? I hope it's that guy. No, it was,

it was just an attendant, but, but he showed me to the place I wanted to see, which is where they feed the little baby dolphins, because I love dolphins, you know. And who do I see there but Jacques de Gatineau. And here he is, he's feeding the baby dolphins.

And I go up to him and I go, Jacques de Gatineau, I feel shame for you. You were our hope. You were to go to Canada's nation's capital of Ottawa. And you were to be a great man, Jacques Zagatineau. And we were all, you know, we pinned our, all of Temistocamine, Quebec, pinned our hopes on you. Now, that's a hell of a burden for a man to have a town's hope pinned on them, isn't it, Conan? It is a lot. Big burden. So he was feeding these baby dolphins, you know, and I said, I'm ashamed of you, Jacques Zagatineau. You could have done so many great things.

And he said, well, he said, I think I'm serving a youthful porpoise. Now I believe that... I believe that, uh... No! No! I knew that was gonna happen. I knew that was gonna happen. You don't encourage that! That was a 40-minute story! It's like somebody...

Youthful Puypus? Youthful Purpus? Yes! Not Puypus. I don't know! Good God! I know, that was way out of line. No, that was way out of...