Pain In The World Essay, Research Paper

LIBERAL PARTY PLATFORM OVERVIEW

OPPORTUNITY FOR ALL

THE LIBERAL PLAN FOR THE FUTURE OF CANADA

STRONG FINANCES

? As of January 1, 2001, we will reduce the 29% top tax rate to 26% for incomes ranging from $60,000 to $100,000, and we will eliminate the deficit reduction surtax.

? In 2000, we reduced the 26% middle rate for those earning between $30,000 and $60,000 to 24%. As of January 1, 2001, we will reduce it further, to 22%.

? As of January 1, 2001, we will reduce the bottom rate to 16% from 17% for incomes below $30,000.

? We will provide fuel tax rebates of up to $250 per household to help low- and modest-income Canadians cope with the higher costs of fuel prices this winter.

? We will help postsecondary students with the rising costs of education by doubling the amount on which the education tax credit is based, to $400 per month for full-time students and $120 per month for part-time students.

? We will increase the disability tax credit from $4,293 to $6,000 to help individuals who, because of disability, are severely limited in their ability to carry on basic activities of daily life.

? We will increase the caregiver tax credit to $3,500 from $2,386 to help individuals who provide in-home care for elderly or infirm family members.

? Cut the top corporate income tax rate from 28% to 21% by legislating 2% cuts in 2002 and the two subsequent years. We will reduce the capital gains inclusion rate from 66% to 50%.

1. SMART COUNTRY

? Help Canada move by 2010 to the top five countries for research and development performance by at least doubling federal expenditures on R&D.

? A new Liberal government will make high-speed broadband Internet access available to residents and businesses in all communities in Canada by 2004. We will work with the private sector to achieve this goal.

? A new Liberal government will be a model user of information technology and the Internet, so that by 2004 Canada will be known around the world for having the government most electronically connected to its citizens.

? One of the Liberal government’s highest priorities has been helping to provide Canadians with more opportunities and resources for learning.

? A new Liberal government will create Registered Individual Learning Accounts to help Canadians finance their learning needs.

? A new Liberal government will significantly improve loans available for part-time students to help workers learn while they earn.

? A new Liberal government will add substantially to tax supports for learning.

? The measures we announced in February and October 2000 will cut taxes for families with children by an average of 27%.

? The Canada Child Tax Benefit (CCTB) provides further support for families. The maximum benefit will be increased to $2,500 for the first child and will also be increased for each additional child.

? We will increase tax support for families caring for children with severe disabilities.

? Beginning January 1, 2001, the Liberal government is doubling maternity and parental benefits from six months to one full year.

? The Liberal government is committed to making the substantial investment of $2.2 billion over five years in early childhood development.

2. HEALTHY PEOPLE, HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT

? A new Liberal government will increase health care transfers to provinces by $18.9 billion over five years, the single largest investment in medicare ever made.

? A new Liberal government will invest $2.3 billion to help provinces address critical health care needs and services:

? We are committing $1 billion to a medical equipment fund to shorten waiting lists and waiting times and make advanced medical equipment like MRIs and linear accelerators for cancer treatment more accessible to Canadians.

? We will invest $800 million over four years to improve primary health care services so that Canadians can get timely access to coordinated care from family physicians, nurse practitioners, and other front-line health care providers in their communities.

? We will invest $500 million for health information technologies to implement electronic patient records that will ensure faster and more coordinated care and reduce red tape for patients as they move through the system.

? A new Liberal government will create a citizens’ council on health care quality to provide the public’s perspective on measures of quality that are relevant and meaningful to Canadians. The council will also provide advice on benchmarks of health system performance that Canadians can reasonably expect.

? As part of its overall commitment to increase federal research spending, a new Liberal government will provide a further major increase in funding for the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.

? A new Liberal government will champion community action on illness prevention, health promotion, and wellness.

? We will strengthen efforts at the national level to combat smoking by increasing tobacco taxes, strengthening regulation, and enhancing prevention and cessation initiatives.

? A new Liberal government will build on the success of the Aboriginal Head Start Program by increasing its resources to give our children a smart start in life. We will also create programs for Aboriginal children with special needs.

? A new Liberal government will increase the caregiver tax credit to provide additional support for caregivers.

? A new Liberal government will continue to support the development of cleaner engines and fuels, and we will strengthen emissions standards for vehicles. We will greatly reduce sulphur in diesel fuel.

? A new Liberal government will work with the provinces, territories, and municipal governments to create the first building code for municipal water and wastewater facilities.

? A new Liberal government will provide additional funding to Parks Canada to protect our national parks and create new ones.

3.CANADA: VIGOROUS AND PROUD

? A new Liberal government will further protect children by adding to the Criminal Code specific offences against children, such as criminal child neglect or using the Internet to lure children for a sexual purpose.

? We will better protect children from those who may reoffend, and we will make it easier for children to provide testimony in criminal matters.

? Tougher consequences for youths age 14 and over who commit violent crimes, while encouraging alternatives to custody for non-violent offenders.

? We will review and strengthen anti-gang laws.

? We will provide federal law enforcement agencies with the resources they need to fight organized crime.

? A new Liberal government will implement a National Drug Strategy to reduce both the supply of and the demand for drugs, and to crack down on organized crime.

? A new Liberal government will work with provincial and municipal partners to help improve public transit infrastructure.

? A new Liberal government will work with our provincial partners to create the Affordable Rental Program (ARP).

? The new federal-provincial-municipal Infrastructure Canada program will fund sewer and water improvements over the next six years and will designate funds specifically for rural projects.

? A new Liberal government will preserve the federal government’s essential role in protecting and promoting Canada’s official languages, and we will foster the development of official-language minorities across Canada.

? A new Liberal government will move Canada’s immigration levels closer to 1% of the population each year and ensure that sufficient resources are available to help families settle properly in Canada.

? A new Liberal government will make it easier for employers to bring highly skilled foreign workers and their spouses to Canada.

? A new Liberal government will continue to ensure that the Canadian Forces are properly equipped and prepared to respond quickly to calls for help at home and abroad.

? We will press for a Free Trade Agreement of the Americas.

? A new Liberal government will increase resources aimed at improving democracy, justice, and social stability abroad, and we will continue to lead the push for debt relief for the world’s poorest countries. We will help make trade work for developing countries by reducing tariffs on their goods.

? Liberal Party of Canada, 2000

Published by:

Liberal Party of Canada

81 Metcalfe Street,

Suite 400

Ottawa, Ontario K1P 6M8

Telephone: (613) 237-0740

This document is also available in PDF format on the Liberal Party

website: www.liberal.ca

ALLIANCE PARTY PLATFORM OVERVIEW

A Time For Change: An Agenda of Respect for All Canadians

Stockwell Day’s plan to re-direct savings from wasteful spending towards:

o meaningful tax cuts of $1,604 per year on top of Budget 2000 for an average family of 4

o full restoration of health transfers to the 1995 level of $18.7 billion, and stable, guaranteed

health funding in the future

o a legislated, politician-proof debt reduction plan that starts with $6 billion a year, then increases as we can afford it

Stockwell Day’s Fair Tax Plan

o more money in your pocket through meaningful tax relief by moving towards a single 17% rate for everyone

o an average family of four, will save $1,604 a year, about 24% less than they would pay under Budget 2000

o give all families more choice through fair tax treatment

o increase exemptions and introduce a child tax deduction so that a family of four will pay zero

tax on the first $26,000 of income

o lower payroll taxes, to create more jobs

o lower taxes on your investment gains

o increase the RRSP contribution ceiling to 30% of your income

o lower taxes on high tech businesses to 21% and on small businesses to 10%

Stockwell’s plan for health

o maintain Canada’s Medicare vision and the five principles of the Canada Health Act

o replace federal-provincial confrontation with a more co-operative approach

o maintain funding commitments to health care with a built-in funding escalator

o improved funding will increase access to quality care for your family, when you need it

o guarantee in law long-term funding to the provinces so they can rebuild our health care system with confidence

o improve information reporting so you can see how your health care measures up

o work with the provinces to develop national standards of care

o ensure freedom of choice in natural health products

Stockwell Day’s plan to make safer, stronger communities

o get tough on violent crime to make our neighbourhoods safer

o introduce truth-in-sentencing to keep repeat offenders off our streets

o change the Young Offenders Act to ensure that serious offenders don’t get off scot-free

o secure our borders from criminal organizations and illegal “people smugglers”

o make families a priority in future legislation

o make our government more responsive to ordinary citizens

o have strong provinces within a united, strong Canada

o fight to protect farmers’ interests while we transition to a new era in agriculture

o welcome new Canadians, but keep out criminals

For more information call

1-888-733-6761 or 403-269-1990

Or visit our web site at www.canadianalliance.ca

PC PARTY PLATFORM OVERVIEW

A Progressive Conservative government would:

? Immediately restore the cash portion of the Canada Health and Social Transfer to at least 1993-94 levels. This would restore completely the health and post-secondary education dollars the Liberals cut from transfers to provinces.

? Add a sixth principle to medicare – guaranteed stable and predictable long-term healthcare funding – through legislation. Never again will a Liberal government be able to scoop billions of dollars out of health care.

? Increase and make refundable the caregiver credit, in consultation with groups representing seniors and Canada’s disability community.

? Change the repayment terms for Canada Student Loans to provide that loans are repaid as a percentage of net after tax income starting the first full working year after graduation.

? Introduce a tax credit for post-secondary students repaying Canada Student Loans to a maximum of 10 per cent of the loan principal, per year, for the first 10 years after graduation, provided they remain employed in Canada.

? End the taxation of scholarships awarded to students in colleges and universities.

? Provide the RCMP with stable funding, and with an explicit priority to defeat organized crime, particularly money laundering, human and contraband smuggling, fraud and computer crime.

? Replace the federal Young Offenders Act with new legislation that reflects the principles of protection of the public, deterrence and denunciation balanced with rehabilitation, and the greater use of restorative justice.

? Repeal the current long gun registration system and uphold and enforce provisions that control criminal and unsafe use of firearms.

? Make the health of Canada’s children an explicit priority of environmental legislation by introducing a Safe Water Act and a Safe Air Act.

A Progressive Conservative government would:

? Cut taxes for all Canadians by raising the basic personal exemption from the current level of $7,231 to $12,000 by 2005. This tax cut will remove 2.3 million low income Canadians – those least able to pay taxes – from the tax rolls. It will also deliver across-the-board tax relief of up to $1,100 (federal/provincial) to the average taxpayer.

? Increase the married and equivalent spouse amount to $12,000 by 2005. When this change is fully implemented, a single earner family would not pay income tax until their income reached $24,000 per year.

? Introduce a child tax amount of $1,176 to assist Canadian families. This will create a tax cut for families with children of $200 per child.

? Eliminate the personal capital gains tax immediately. This will free venture capital, reward personal initiative and help reverse the brain drain by encouraging entrepreneurs to build their future in Canada.

? Cut excise taxes on gasoline, diesel fuel and home heating fuels to help ease the burden of rising energy costs.

? Eliminate the national debt – the mortgage on our children’s future – within 25 years, and pay down the principal on the debt by $25 billion over the next five years.

? Implement an annual “Red Tape Budget” detailing the estimated total of each new proposed government regulation, including the enforcement costs to the government and the compliance costs to individual citizens and businesses.

? Actively expand global trading partnerships with other nations, while promoting human rights and the environment, and protecting our culture.

? Establish the Federal Agriculture Stabilization Transfer (FAST), a comprehensive national safety net program, to include a revenue/income stabilization component and a reliable disaster relief fund.

? Work with the international community to protect trans-boundary fisheries from unsustainable harvesting practices on our east and west coasts.

A Progressive Conservative government would:

? Strengthen the role of MPs by allowing more free votes in the House of Commons. MPs must be able to represent the views of those who elected them.

? Empower Parliament to scrutinize the spending practices of federal departments without a time limit.

? Introduce comprehensive “whistle-blower” legislation.

? Increase annual defence spending over the next five years to support adequate strength levels, improve the quality of life of armed forces personnel and support the procurement of new equipment.

The numbers add up for Canada. In our five-year plan:

? We’ve placed the greatest emphasis – over $55 billion – on reducing taxes to leave more money in the hands of Canadians. It’s their money, and we want to leave it up to them to save, spend or invest as they see fit.

? Our mandatory debt repayment plan will eliminate the debt mortgage on our children’s future within 25 years. Over the coming five years, our plan will reduce the federal debt by $25 billion. As part of this plan, we will reallocate1.3 per cent of the current annual program budget to reducing the debt.

? We have identified targeted new investments in programs totaling $7.4 billion.

There is change you can trust. Progressive Conservative Party of Canada

National Headquarters

(613) 238 6111

Authorized by the PC Canada Fund, the registered agent of the Progressive

Conservative Party of Canada

Change you can trust

www.pcparty.ca

NDP PARTY PLATFORM OVERVIEW

Think how much better Canada could be?

We’ll make sure quality health care is there when you need it by:

? increasing federal funding for medicare

? stopping two-tier medicine

? creating a national home care plan

? creating a national pharmacare plan

We’ll protect the environment by:

? implementing comprehensive, enforceable and understandable standards for water and air quality and for food safety

? investing in services that clean up the water, clean up the air, stimulate green investment and expand public transit

? making workplaces safer

We’ll make jobs our first economic priority by:

? setting targets for jobs

? rebuilding programs like health care

? broadening and deepening our capital investment base

? providing leadership on job training

? easing the adjustment for people affected by the changes

? strengthening community economic development

? providing access to capital

? supporting local development agencies

We’ll provide real help for working families by:

? doubling the Child Tax Benefit

? investing in housing

? creating better opportunities for children and youth

? providing early child care and education

? making post-secondary education affordable

? reforming EI

We’ll negotiate fair trade deals by:

? making sure rules are in place to protect human rights, core labour standards, cultural diversity and the environment

? eliminating NAFTA rules that let foreign corporations sue democratically-elected governments

We’ll stand up for Canadian communities by:

? protecting the family farm and the environment

? supporting sustainability in our forestry and fishery

? beginning to rebuild the CBC

? making our communities safer

We’ll see that low and middle-income families get a fair share by:

? doubling the Child Tax Benefit to $4,200

? making sure no individual who makes $15,000 or less pays federal tax

? increasing the GST credit

We’ll fight for equality for all Canadians by:

? setting up new anti-poverty and anti-discrimination measures

? protecting programs that support minorities

? working with Aboriginal communities

? supporting programs for persons with disabilities

We’ll build a stronger Canada in a stronger world by:

? enhancing the role of Canada’s forces as international peacekeepers

? working to address the roots of conflict

? increasing our international aid

? working to reform the IMF and the World Bank

We’ll develop responsive federalism by:

? working cooperatively with other governments

? setting up a new deal for our cities

? making government more accountable

New Democratic Party of Canada

900 – 81 Metcalfe

Ottawa, Ontario

K1P 6K7

Phone: (613) 239-3134

Fax: (613) 234-1304

E-mail: [email protected]

COMMUNIST PARTY PLATFORM OVERVIEW

A People’s Alternative for Canada!

Defend and expand health & social programs

Reverse federal cuts in transfer payments for health, education and social

welfare, and preserve Canada-wide standards. No to privatization – block

Alberta’s Bill 11 and other provincial attacks on Medicare. Rescind the

Drug Patent Act (which guarantees mega-profits for the big

pharmaceuticals, and high costs for health care), and introduce universal

Pharmacare and Denticare. Immediately establish an accessible,

affordable and non-profit childcare and infant care program across

Canada – no more delays! Stop the war against the poor, such as

“workfare” and welfare cutbacks. Spend at least 1% of the federal budget

on social and non-profit housing. Stop the “war on drugs”; treat addiction

as a medical issue, not a criminal act.

Jobs with decent pay

Legislate a 32-hour work week with no loss in take-home pay; ban

compulsory overtime, and raise minimum annual paid vacations to four (4)

weeks. Lower the voluntary pension age to 60, and substantially increase

pensions. Extend benefits to part-time, home-based and contract workers.

Raise the federal minimum wage to $10.50/hour. Stop Ottawa’s theft of

the EI fund; set EI benefits at 80% of previous earnings to all unemployed

workers. Develop environmentally-sound primary industries and

manufacturing; rebuild social programs and Canada’s decaying municipal

infrastructure.

Stop Corporate Globalization – Defend Canadian sovereignty

Curb the power of transnational corporations; Cancel NAFTA and pull

Canada out of all corporate-driven trade and investment negotiations,

such as the FTAA, the WTO and the GATS. Develop mutually beneficial

trade agreements that protect the environment and respect Canadian

economic, social and cultural sovereignty. Ban water exports. Restrict

capital flight and job loss with currency exchange controls and strong plant

closure laws. Block foreign takeovers. Put the banking and insurance

system under public ownership and democratic control. Reverse the

privatization of Air Canada, PetroCanada and CN Rail. Restore funding

for the CBC, the arts and Canadian culture.

Tax the greedy, not the needy

Legislate progressive tax reform based on ability to pay – no ‘flat’ tax!

Scrap the regressive GST. Raise taxes on the wealthy and eliminate taxes

on incomes below $30,000; apply taxes to 100% of capital gains, and

increase other taxes on big corporations and banks. Close tax loopholes,

collect deferred corporate taxes, and tax the speculators through

introduction of the “Tobin tax”. Impose a special “windfall profit tax” on

large oil and other resource companies. Establish wealth and estate

taxes.

Democratic constitutional reform – Convene a Constituent

Assembly

Resolve the crisis of Confederation and build Canadian unity on a new

basis. Elect a democratic Constituent Assembly to draft a new

constitution, based on an equal and voluntary partnership of the First

Nations, Quebec, and English-speaking Canada. Recognize Quebec’s

national right of self-determination, and the inherent rights of Aboriginal

peoples to self-government and just settlement of all outstanding land

claims, based on proposals of the 1996 Royal Commission on Aboriginal

Peoples.

Full equality for women

Close the wage gap – full pay and employment equity for all working

women. Protect women’s reproductive rights; provide publicly funded,

accessible, quality abortion services in every province, and guarantee

their security. Ensure over-the-counter availability of RU-486 (the “morning

after” pill). Stop violence against women. Restore adequate funding for

NAC and other women’s groups, crisis centres, and transition houses.

Endorse the demands of the World March of Women to end poverty and

violence against women.

A future for youth: education and jobs

Increase federal support for education at all levels. Roll back and then

eliminate tuition fees for post-secondary education, and stop the

privatization and corporatization of our schools, colleges and universities.

Shift from loans to grants for student assistance. Expand youth access to

training and apprenticeship programs. Create decent-paying jobs and

improved services for youth, not more prisons and ‘boot camps.’

Fight racism and discrimination

Strengthen employment equity programs for people of colour, Aboriginal

peoples, and people with disabilities. Scrap the “head tax” on new

immigrants. End discrimination against lesbians, gays, bisexuals and

transgendered persons; guarantee the marriage and adoption rights of all

Canadians, regardless of sexual orientation. Promote the rights of people

with disabilities for equal access to all social, medical and educational

facilities and services. Strengthen and enforce laws against hate

propaganda (including on the internet), hate crimes and neo-fascist

groups, and prosecute war criminals living in Canada.

Protect & expand democratic rights

Eliminate Election Act barriers against smaller political parties, and

provide fair media access for all parties and candidates. Enact a new

electoral system to combine election of individual MPs with proportional

representation, and the right to recall MPs. Defend the right to dissent -

stop government spying and police attacks against protesters and

progressive organizations. Strengthen civilian control over the armed

forces and police.

A Bill of Rights for labour

Enshrine the constitutional right of all workers to organize, bargain

collectively, picket, strike and take collective political action. Ban

strike-breaking and scabbing. Strengthen labour laws and employment

standards; block anti-labour “right-to-work” laws.

Save the environment

Put the environment ahead of corporate profit. Impose stronger penalties

on polluters. Make Canada a world leader in reduction of ozone-depleting

gases and hydrocarbons. Phase out nuclear power, and reduce reliance

on fossil fuel consumption; expand energy saving programs and

alternative power sources. Stop destructive forestry practices, such as

clear-cutting. Require labelling on genetically-modified food products.

Create jobs through protection and cleanup of the environment. Increase

research on the long-term effects of human economic activity.

Peace, disarmament and global justice

End Canadian participation in US/NATO military aggression. Reject the

mis-named policy of ‘humanitarian interventionism” – respect the UN

Charter and international law. Slash the military budget by 50%; convert

military to civilian jobs. Pull Canada out of NATO and NORAD. End

economic sanctions against Iraq. Support negotiations for the abolition of

weapons of mass destruction and arms exports. Support fair and mutually

beneficial international trade. Strengthen friendship and trade with Cuba

and other socialist countries.

Communist Party of Canada

290A Danforth Ave

Toronto, Ont.

M4K 1N6

Ph.(416)469-2446

Fax.(416)469-4063

? 2000 Communist Party of

Canada

GREEN PARTY OVERVIEW

The Green Party would redirect and reassign government funds to support the transition to

sustainability through the following measures:

? implementing the Precautionary Principle, and ensuring that corporations are

responsible for their products from cradle to grave

? enforcing the Polluter Pay principle by requiring polluters to pay compensation for

previous destructive use of resources

? establishing programs that will phase out harmful activities, coupled with a fair and just

transition program for workers and communities A Renewable Energy Future Clean and

renewable sourc