Election 2015: Party Positions On Key Issues

If you’re not one of the 3.6 million Canadians who voted in the advance polls, you may still be wondering who to vote for.

We’ve compiled a list of quick facts on key issues as well as information on where the parties stand, compiled by other groups and organizations, to help you make up your mind.

We’ve also included a link to all the party platforms, and important information on how to vote and your rights when you get to the polls.

Feel free to share this list – post it, Tweet it, and pass it along!

Poverty Reduction

QuickFacts:

• 1 in 7 Canadians live in poverty
• 1 in 5 racialized families live in poverty
• 15% of seniors live in poverty
• 21% of single mothers live in poverty
• Click for more info from Canada without Poverty
• Click for more info on income inequality from the CCPA

What the Parties Say:

• Canadian Association of Community Health Centres’ issues report card
• Canadian Association of Social Workers’ report card

Child Poverty

QuickFacts:

• 1.3 million Canadian children are living in poverty
• 4 in 10 Indigenous children live in poverty
• First Nations child welfare agencies receive 22% less than provincial agencies
• Click here for more info from Campaign 2000

What the Parties Say:

• Campaign 2000’s child poverty report card
• Coverage on the parties’ positions in The Tyee

Employment Insurance

QuickFacts:

• Only 40% of unemployed Canadian workers get EI
• You need to work between 400 – 720 hours per year to qualify
• The maximum EI rate is $524 / week for a maximum of 45 weeks
• Click here for more info from the Workers Action Centre

What the Parties Say:

• Good Jobs for All’s issues chart on how the parties compare

Housing

QuickFacts:

• 1 in 8 Canadian households live in unaffordable or crowded housing or housing that’s in disrepair
• 235,000 Canadians experience visible homelessness
• 50,000 are considered “hidden homeless”
• 1/5 of Canadians who are homeless are youth between 16-25
• Click here for more info from Raising the Roof

What the Parties Say:

• Advocacy Centre for Tenants Ontario report card
• The Homeless Hub’s election guide

Childcare

QuickFacts:

• Canada ranks 32^nd out of 35 countries in investments in early childhood programs
• The annual cost of childcare ranges from $1,824 in Quebec to $20,612 in Toronto
• Click here for more info in Toronto Star coverage

What the Parties Say:

• CCPA-BC Office on where the parties have landed on childcare

Pharmacare

QuickFacts:

• Canada is the only country with a universal health care system that doesn’t include coverage for prescription drugs
• One-third of working Canadians do not receive employer-provided health benefits
• Women, young people, people paid low wages, and those who work part-time are less likely to have coverage – which has a particular impact on people from racialized communities
• Click here for more information from the Wellesley Institute

What the Parties Say:

• Campaign for National Drug Coverage report card

Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples

QuickFacts:

• 94 calls to action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission
• The enduring legacy of residential schools
• 1,181 missing or murdered Indigenous women
• Click here for more from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission

What the Parties Say:

• The Globe and Mail election primer

Tax Fairness

QuickFacts:

• $199 billion in federal revenue lost to corporate tax havens
• Stock option loopholes that cost $10 billion per year
• $43 billion in ineffective tax cuts since 2006
• Click here for more information from Canadians for Tax Fairness

What the Parties Say:

• Canadians for Tax Fairness analysis

In their own words

What the Parties Say:

• Click here to read each of the parties’ platform documents

Important Information on How to Vote

Your Voting Rights:

• Elections Canada confirmation that people can register to vote at the polls (click here)
• Comprehensive information on what you need to know about how to vote, from the BC Civil Liberties Association (click here)
• Information for people who are young, homeless, have been evicted, or have no permanent address, from Community Legal Education Ontario (click here)
• Check to see if you’re on the registered list of voters (click here)