Sunday, October 22, 2000

   Our Policies

The Canadian Alliance cares about people. We want to help people succeed. We want to help people fulfil their dreams, to have greater opportunities, to be secure, to be healthy, to look after their families, and to look after themselves.

Unfortunately, the present federal Liberal government has undermined your ability to get ahead. Liberal policies have eroded health care, threatened your physical security and diminished your standard of living. It's a time for change, a time to set things right.

A Canadian Alliance government will keep the best and fix the rest to help you and your family succeed in the 21st century. That is, we must support programs such as health care, education, and benefits for children and seniors. We must invest in basic infrastructure and science and research to strengthen the economy. But we must also fix the areas where your tax dollars have been wasted, such as corporate welfare and regional hand-outs, and fountains in the river of the Prime Minister’s riding.

To achieve greater prosperity, we must reduce taxes and lower the debt. The Canadian Alliance believes that you and your family can spend your money better than a bureaucrat or politician. Please see below for how our policies will specifically help you.

Health Care

  • ·        Maintain Canada's Medicare vision and the five principles of the Canada Health Act

  • ·        Replace federal-provincial confrontation with a more co-operative approach

  • ·        Maintain funding commitments to health care with a built-in funding escalator

  • ·        Improved funding will increase access to quality care for your family, when you need it

  • ·        Guarantee -- in law -- long-term funding to the provinces so they can rebuild our health care system with confidence

  • ·        Improve information reporting so you can see how your health care measures up

  • ·        Work with the provinces to develop national standards of care

  • ·        Ensure freedom of choice in natural health products

Wasteful Spending

  • ·        Last year government auditors found that the Liberals bungled billions of taxpayer dollars with government grants and contributions - there was evidence of obsessive waste and political favouritism

  • ·        A Canadian Alliance government will bring an end to boondoggle grant spending

  • ·        A Canadian Alliance government will end "corporate welfare" subsidies because it's simply not the role of government to pick and choose which businesses will have an advantage over others.

  • ·        The Canadian Alliance will privatize various Crown corporations

Tax Rate

  • ·        We will put more money back in your pocket through meaningful tax relief by moving towards a single 17% rate for everyone.

  • ·        Increase the Basic Personal Exemption from $7,231 to $10,000 - that's the base amount of income that you can earn before you must pay tax

  • ·        6,700 low income Fraser Valley residents will be taken off the tax rolls altogether

  • ·        Our plan means an average of $1,550 in tax relief for every working Canadian

  • ·        We will reduce fuel taxes for everyone

  • ·        We will reduce E.I. payroll taxes

  • ·        We will cut small business taxes

  • ·        We will reduce capital gains taxes

Equality for Aboriginals

  • ·        A Canadian Alliance government will respect existing Aboriginal and treaty rights while helping Aboriginal peoples participate fully in the mainstream of Canadian social and economic life

  • ·        We will ensure that natives are able to participate in the market economy through direct private ownership of their land and resources

  • ·        We will negotiate the delegation of local powers to Aboriginal governments and ensure that band councils are accountable for the taxpayer money they spend, as well as to their own communities

  • ·        We will resolve land claims through fairness, finality and affordability.

Hope for Youth

  • ·        We will require registration of all convicted sex offenders.

  • ·        We will take whatever action is necessary to uphold Canada's current law against child pornography in the face of those who would allow greater access to child pornography in the name of free speech

  • ·        The Canadian Alliance will change the Young Offenders Act to ensure that serious offenders don't get off scot-free

  • ·        We will reform the Canada Student Loans system and replace it with a new income contingent repayment loan program to encourage more Canadians to acquire and upgrade their skill

  • ·        We will put in place a legislated debt reduction plan which will set out the minimum annual payment of $6-billion per year on our national debt

  • ·        Our tax cut plan will encourage skilled workers and entrepreneurs will keep more of our talented young people in Canada

Family

  • ·        Under our fair tax plan, an average family of four will save $1,604 a year, about 24% less than they now pay

  • ·        The Canadian Alliance will 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

  • ·        We will increase the Spousal Exemption amount from $6,140 to $10,000. This will allow families with stay-at-home spouses to earn the same tax-free amount as families with two incomes

  • ·        The Canadian Alliance Fair Tax Plan will benefit all families by introducing a $3,000 per year, per child tax deduction to recognize both the cost and the value of raising children

  • ·        We will protect the institution of marriage as the exclusive union of one man and one woman

Justice System

  • ·        The Canadian Alliance will get tough on violent crime to make our neighbourhoods safer

  • ·        We will introduce truth-in-sentencing to keep repeat offenders off our streets

  • ·        We will change the Young Offenders Act to ensure that serious offenders don't get off scot-free

  • ·        We will secure our borders from criminal organizations and illegal "people smugglers"

  Democracy

  • ·        The Canadian Alliance will allow free votes in the House of Commons, on everything except budget votes and non-confidence motions

  • ·        We will allow Canadians to bring forward citizen-initiated referendums to put their priorities on the national agenda through a Canada-wide vote

  • ·        We will allow constituents to recall MPs who fail to serve and represent the people of their riding

  • ·        We will appoint only Senators who have been directly elected in their province or territory as a first step towards having an effective Senate elected on an equal basis

 

 

Authorized by Dwight Martin,Official Agent for Chuck Strahl