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Election 2015

Who Promised What: Tyee's Rapid-Fire Party Platform Reader

A clip-and-save primer for pledges on climate, inequality, First Nations and more.

Sarah Berman 14 Oct 2015TheTyee.ca

Sarah Berman is managing editor of The Tyee.

While one veiled new citizen and the still-secret Trans-Pacific Partnership deal captured much of last week's headlines, Canada's major parties also finally released the full text of their party platforms.

Now that all four national parties have their pledges on paper, The Tyee dug into each platform and pulled out the issues our readers have ranked as their top priority this election.

If you're undecided or just curious, here's your chance to compare the pledges side by side before the Oct. 19 vote.

CLIMATE CHANGE

NDP

The New Democratic Party pledges to introduce a cap-and-trade program that allows provinces like British Columbia and Ontario to opt-out if their own carbon pricing exceeds federal standards. They also promise to:

Liberals

The Liberal Party pledges to attend the UN climate conference in Paris, and within 90 days establish a new Canadian framework for combatting climate change. The plan includes plenty of money for "climate resilient infrastructure," promising to:

Conservatives

The Conservative Party platform reaffirms Canada's commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions 30 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030, a pledge made in May 2015.

The party aims to balance climate and economic interests and provide "support for companies and researchers to develop new, cleaner technologies."

Greens

The Green Party has laid out the most ambitious emissions targets of all the national parties. The party aims to:

INEQUALITY

NDP

The New Democrats have tackled inequality by proposing a $15-an-hour federal minimum wage and $15-a-day childcare, raising corporate taxes and closing tax loopholes to pay for the programs. On inequality, they pledge to:

Liberals

The Liberals have focused on an income tax break for the middle class, while raising taxes on the wealthiest one per cent. Inequality platform highlights:

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