Roundup: Canada's political parties unfold platforms to pledge help for working-class families

Roundup: Canada's political parties unfold platforms to pledgehelp for working-class families

by Mark Bourrie, Zhang Dacheng

OTTAWA, April 12 (Xinhua) -- Canada's four national politicalparties are gearing their campaign promises toward working-classfamilies and the elderly in their pitches for power in the May 2federal election.

No over-riding issues have emerged at midway point in theelection, although opposition parties have pounced on Prime MinisterStephen Harper for his government's decision to buy F-35 fighterjets.

On Monday, the prime minister promised to extend a popular homerenovation tax break that was used by thousands of Canadians toimprove their homes. Brought in as a recession stimulus program tohelp the building trades, the program was supposed to end on April1, 2011.

When he released his party's platform on April 7, Harper promisedto balance Canada's national budget a year ahead of time and to gettough on crime. The prime minister has pledged to pass a raft oflaws to toughen the country's criminal laws if he has control ofparliament after the election.

Harper's Conservative Party is promising an income tax cut forworking families, but the tax reduction will not be introduced untilthe country's budgets are balanced in 2014-2015.

The Conservatives also promised to strengthen Canada's militaryand, echoing a long-term personal interest of Harper's, pledged astronger Canadian presence in the Arctic. They would also continuefree trade negotiations with India and the European Union.

Harper pledged to balance the budget by reducing the size of thefederal bureaucracy, which has grown dramatically during his fiveyears in power. His party also hopes the economy's revival from therecession will increase tax revenues.

All of the political party leaders seem wary of making expensivepromises at a time when the federal budget deficit is near 50billion Canadian dollars (about 52 billion U.S. dollars) this yearand the national debt sits at a new record of 562.5 billion Canadiandollars.

Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff, who seeks to replace theConservative leader Harper as Canada's prime minister, announced hisparty's platform at a party meeting in Ottawa on April 2. Ignatieffunveiled a five-point plan to help families, which he called the"Liberal Family Pack."

Ignatieff said he would get the best deal possible for newfighter planes to replace Canada's aging fleet of F-18s, but hestopped short of promising to cancel the current government's dealto buy 65 F-35 Lightning stealth fighters at 475 million dollars perplane.

Ignatieff promised to raise the money for 8 billion Canadiandollars in breaks for individuals and families by raising thecorporate tax rate from 16.5 percent to 18 percent and by cuttingthe size of the government. The Conservatives have pledged to cutthe corporate tax rate to 15 percent.

Ignatieff pledged 4,000 Canadian dollars for each student to payfor college and university education. Echoing Liberal platforms inother election campaigns, he also promised money for pre-schooldaycare.

The Liberals also promised 140 million Canadian dollars to paythe education costs of Canadian war veterans. Most of the eligiblesoldiers have fought in Afghanistan since 2002.

Ignatieff also promised tax breaks for people looking after theirsick and elderly relatives. He recalled that his father and brotherhad struggled to take care of his mother when she suffered fromAlzheimer's Disease.

A stronger national pension plan that would charge higherpremiums to working people and pay out more to low-income seniors isalso being promised by the Liberals.

And the Liberals are promising a tax break to families that refittheir homes to save energy. That program would cost about 400million Canadian dollars a year.

Ignatieff also promised to reduce Canada's national budgetdeficit from some 50 billion to 18 billion Canadian dollars in twoyears.

On April 10, the New Democratic Party (NDP), a left-of-centerparty that relies on support from union members and students,unveiled a platform it called Giving Your Family A Break: PracticalFirst Steps.

The NDP leader, Jack Layton, said the New Democrats would spend8.9 billion Canadian dollars in the first year. Layton said he willdeliver a balanced federal budget by 2014-15.

He promised 25,000 new daycare spaces and better tax breaks foruniversity and college students. He also promised to freeze tuitionfees.

Layton said he would pressure banks to cut the interest rates oncredit cards, give every Canadian access to broadband Internet andregulate Canada's cell phone companies, which charge some of thehighest rates in the world.

Layton promised tax breaks to help small businesses create jobsand hire more employees. He also pledged money to hire 2,500 morepolice officers and 200 food inspectors.

The New Democratic Party has never held power in Canada and, atmost, could come out of this election holding the balance of powerin a minority parliament. In that case, Layton could demand a largerparty adopt some of his policies in return for support.

Meanwhile, in Toronto, the Green Party released its platform at apress conference last Tuesday. Its "Green Book" contains tax cutsfor low-income Canadians, the same tax break promised by Harper, andmeasures to clean up the environment and reduce greenhouse gasemissions.

The Green party got the fifth most votes in the 2008 federalelection, but failed to get even a seat in the House of Commons.

Harper's Conservative government was defeated on March 25 by theopposition parties' non-confidence move, which found the governmentin contempt of parliament.

The parliament was dissolved the following day and Canada's 41stfederal election, the fourth in the past seven years, has beenslated for May 2 with 308 seats to be decided in the House ofCommons.

None of the political parties have been able to generate whatCanadian media term a "ballot question," an overriding issue thatdominates the campaign. Canadian governments are usually turned outof office in campaigns that have ballot questions that embarrass thegovernment.

In 2006, the Liberals lost power to the Conservatives because ofpublic anger over a kickback scandal involving governmentadvertising in the province of Quebec.

The political party leaders' debate on Tuesday night may breakopen a campaign that so far has not engaged the attention ofCanadians. The standing of the political parties in most recentpolls showed Canada returning the same kind of minority parliamentthat has caused political deadlock since 2004.