Canadian Future Party
Interim Policy Framework
CFP
Not left, not right, but forward.
Canadian Future is a democratic party. Our policies will be approved by our members. These policies serve as an interim policy framework. This is not a complete platform and it will be added to and amended. To input ideas into the framework you can use this link.
Personal Freedoms
Governments should not be involved in the private lives of adult citizens, except to protect their rights when they are infringed. That’s it.
Freedom isn’t a slogan, it’s a value we live out every day: when you can talk to who you want, how you want; travel freely and safely; believe in what you want, and have a private life that is not regulated by the state. The right of every citizen to enjoy life free from discrimination is the best path to a society based on the strength of each citizen’s character and efforts to grow and prosper.
But freedom depends on another value: responsibility. Responsibility not to infringe on the rights and freedoms of others, and the obligation to uphold and protect them. Responsibility to act and speak up in the interests of our communities. Responsibility cannot be separated from freedom, and obligations cannot be separated from rights. We live within an ever-broader national and global network of people; defending Canada’s self-interest requires an engagement with the world, and so the individual and their society need to work together.
Open Government
Governments should not be involved in the private lives of adult citizens, except to protect their rights when they are infringed. That’s it.
Freedom isn’t a slogan, it’s a value we live out every day: when you can talk to who you want, how you want; travel freely and safely; believe in what you want, and have a private life that is not regulated by the state. The right of every citizen to enjoy life free from discrimination is the best path to a society based on the strength of each citizen’s character and efforts to grow and prosper.
But freedom depends on another value: responsibility. Responsibility not to infringe on the rights and freedoms of others, and the obligation to uphold and protect them. Responsibility to act and speak up in the interests of our communities. Responsibility cannot be separated from freedom, and obligations cannot be separated from rights. We live within an ever-broader national and global network of people; defending Canada’s self-interest requires an engagement with the world, and so the individual and their society need to work together.
Responsible Spending
Civil service and government reform. Government should focus efforts where evidence shows it can make a positive difference.
Where appropriate, let civil society and the private sector take the lead, with applicable government oversight.
Our tax system has become too complex. A new party would deliver, in eighteen months, a simplified tax code that would close loopholes. Provinces and territories would be invited to participate.
A new party would deliver a report on federal corporate subsidies – including the supply management system – and their impact measured against promised outcomes. If returns on investment cannot be measured, government money should not be spent.
Government procurement to be overhauled based on private sector best practises. That means military procurement based on national security, not economic development.
A strategy to ensure our national debt is controlled and then reduced.
Stronger Together: At Home
Climate change is real. We need a transition plan including carbon capture, nuclear and renewable energy, the use of democratically sourced fossil fuels, especially Canadian energy, and an incentive-driven program to reduce carbon emissions.
Large emitters must pay, but those costs should not be imposed directly on citizens.
Respect the Constitution and reduce federal interference in areas of provincial authority. The federal government should ensure laws are followed, and share data on areas where federal money is used.
Working with the provinces and territories, negotiate and conclude agreements with First Nations on self-government and resource sharing.
Create a national civil defence corps to increase resilience in the face of natural disasters, to offer young people an opportunity for service.
Reform the RCMP to serve as a domestic intelligence service; community policing should be left to the provinces and territories.
Canada needs millions of new housing units. We need millions of workers. Working with the provinces and territories, housing needs to be built and immigrants directed to the economic and geographic areas where they’re needed most.
The Canada Health Act needs to focus on ensuring access to healthcare. Provinces and territories should decide how healthcare money is spent but must share data on that spending so the country can see what works and what doesn’t. Also, immigrants with health and other critical qualifications must be assessed for work within six months.
Canada needs to lead in technological innovation and digital transformation, attracting young Canadians and new arrivals through significant government investment in pure science and research and development.
Stronger Together: Abroad
Canada needs a comprehensive foreign policy and defence review that defines our values as a country and the diplomatic and military tools required to make those values come alive.
Canada should support an alliance of democracies for diplomacy and trade, restrict trade with countries that violate basic democratic norms, and encourage free movement between like- minded countries, starting with Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.
Following the foreign policy and defence review, Canada must increase its military spending to at least the 2% of GDP level agreed to by our NATO partners.