The French-language leaders debate will be held at the Canadian Museum of History in Gatineau, Quebec, on Sept. 8, and party leaders are expected to discuss topics ranging from pandemic recovery, the cost of living, and climate change to reconciliation and foreign policy.
In the leadup to the debate, here’s a roundup of recent announcements made on the campaign trail.
Liberals
The Liberal Party is promising to beef up protection of the French language in Quebec and across Canada. If re-elected, the Liberals will reintroduce legislation to modernize the Official Languages Act within 100 days of a new mandate, the party announced in a statement on Sept. 8.
The Liberals also announced various programs to support the cultural sector amid the pandemic and reiterated plans to require web giants to “pay their fair share“ of taxes on revenue generated in Canada, as well as for those companies to be held accountable for ”harmful content published on their platforms.”
The Liberals also pledged to increase funding for CBC/Radio-Canada “to reduce its dependence on advertising revenue” with an aim to eliminate ads entirely during news and public affairs programs.
Conservatives
Conservative Party Leader Erin O’Toole announced a plan on Sept. 8 to support restaurants hard-hit during the pandemic. His party’s “Dine and Discover Program” would give Canadians a 50 percent rebate for food and non-alcoholic drinks purchased for dine-in meals from Monday to Wednesday for one month, “once it is safe to do so.”
“This will pump almost $1 billion into our hard-hit hospitality sector,” he said in a Sept. 8 video Tweet.
NDP
On Sept. 8, NDP candidates proposed specific policies for northern Ontario residents that promise more affordable living, health care services, job creation, reconciliation, and climate change response plans.
Party Leader Jagmeet Singh continued to promote his plans for more affordable housing on Sept. 7, by reiterating his promise to tax home flippers by increasing the taxable amount of their capital gains profit from 50 to 70 percent. A 20 percent foreign buyers’ tax would also be imposed to curb housing speculation.
People’s Party
While campaigning in Dauphin, Manitoba on Sept. 7, PPC Leader Maxime Bernier announced that, if elected, his government will prioritize improving the trade and labour mobility between provinces and territories.
“In order to protect local special interests, provincial governments have adopted all kinds of measures that erect barriers to trade and labour mobility. This is not what the Fathers of Confederation had intended,” he said in a statement on the party’s website.
“A People’s Party government will reassert the authority and leadership of the federal government on internal trade.”
Green Party
The Green Party released its election platform on Sept. 7 with plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 60 percent below 2005 levels by 2030 and to cancel all pipeline projects and any new oil exploration.
Their platform also lists plans to expand social programs by abolishing tuition for post-secondary education, cancelling federal student loan debt, and introducing universal pharmaceutical, dental and child care.
