Move forward on providing adoptive parents an additional 15-weeks of leave to make sure they get the same level of support to care for their children as other parents.

— Forward. For Everyone., retrieved 2021-09-02

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Update CBC/Radio-Canada’s mandate to ensure that it is meeting the needs and expectation of today’s Canadian audiences, with a unique programming that distinguishes it from private broadcasters.

Reaffirm the role of the public broadcaster in protecting and promoting the French language and Francophone cultures in Quebec and across the country.

Increase production of national, regional, and local news.

Strengthen Radio Canada International, our voice for peace, democracy, and universal human values on the world stage.

Ensure that Indigenous voices and cultures are present on our screens and radios.

Bring Canada’s TV and film productions to the world stage.

Provide $400 million over 4 years to CBC/Radio-

Canada so that it is less reliant on private advertising with a goal of eliminating advertising during news and other public affairs shows.

— Forward. For Everyone., retrieved 2021-09-02

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Reimagining Canada Post could provide rural communities with high-quality public services that have been overlooked by successive governments. A Green government would expand the mandate of Canada Post to include banking, high-speed internet hubs, and EV charging stations. It would also increase the salaries of Canada Post employees operating in rural communities (who are predominantly women) and ensure pay gaps between urban and rural services are closed.

— Be Daring., retrieved 2021-09-11

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We need to do better for Canadians in uniform and for the defense of our country. A New Democrat government will make sure that our troops have the equipment, training, and support they need to do the difficult and dangerous work we ask them to undertake. We will ensure that funding supports our national defence and international commitments, with a renewed priority of advancing multilateral peacekeeping initiatives around the world.

Here at home, New Democrats are committed to bringing our search and rescue response times up to international standards, and ensuring that our capabilities are sufficient to meet the needs of the North.

In contracting for new military equipment, including ships and fighter jets, New Democrats will ensure maximum industrial benefits and jobs. This will help ensure the survival of healthy shipbuilding and aerospace industries all across Canada. And when it comes to operations here at home, New Democrats oppose the privatization of services on Canadian Forces bases across the country.

Our vision is a military where Canadian Armed Forces members can work safely, get the support they need when they need it, and count on fair policies to govern their work.

A New Democrat government will make mental health support for members and their families a priority. No member or veteran of the Canadian Forces should ever feel that they are all alone in dealing with the impact of their experiences or in transitioning to civilian life. They – and their families – need to know that their country and their government has their back, during their service and for the rest of their lives.

We are also committed to putting an end to sexual harassment and assault in the military. The Liberals have talked about the issue for six years but have failed to make needed changes, while survivors of sexual misconduct continue to suffer from a culture of silence and impunity that extends right to the top of the chain of command. We will immediately implement the recommendations of the Deschamps Report, including establishing independent oversight and accountability for sexual harassment and assault in the military.

New Democrats will also ensure that the recruitment and retention efforts of the Canadian Armed Forces reflects the diversity of Canada. Finally, we will reform the universality of service principle to make sure that ill and injured Canadian Armed Forces members are not unfairly pushed out of service.

— Ready for Better, retrieved 2021-08-27

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A New Democrat government will bring in mixed-member proportional representation that works for Canada – and we will do it in our first mandate in government. We’ll establish an independent citizen’s assembly to recommend the best way to put it in place for the next election to ensure both local representation and a federal government that reflects the voters’ choice of parties.

Once Canadians have the opportunity to experience the new voting system and compare it to the old one, we will hold a referendum to confirm the choice.

Young people are increasingly engaged in the world, and many are worried about facing a future with rising inequality and catastrophic climate change. It’s no surprise: often they can see themselves paying the biggest price for the decisions governments are making today. Young people can and should have a say in their future. Simply put, if you are old enough to work and pay taxes, you are old enough to have a say in who forms the government. It’s time to lower the voting age to 16.

— Ready for Better, retrieved 2021-08-27

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Require financial institutions offer flexible repayment options by default if you fall on hard times or face a life event that causes financial stress. This will include a mandatory option for a 6-month deferral of mortgage payments in qualifying circumstances.

Establish a single, independent ombudsperson for handling consumer complaints involving banks, with the power to impose binding arbitration.

Crack down on predatory lenders by lowering the criminal rate of interest.

Enhance the powers of the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada to review the prices charged by banks and impose changes if they are excessive.

Move forward with a made-in-Canada model of open banking that will launch no later than the beginning of 2023. This system will ensure that you, not your bank, control your data.

Modernize Canada’s payments technology to deliver faster and lower cost options so that you can securely and conveniently manage money, pay bills, and transfer funds to loved ones around the world.

— Forward. For Everyone., retrieved 2021-09-02

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New Democrats will bring in tougher penalties in the Conflict of Interest Act to ensure that the abuse of public trust is treated seriously, and to fully ban cash-for-access events we will prohibit government officials from accepting donations from anyone whose private interest could be benefited by their decisions.

The rule of law also has to be free from political interference. Unfortunately, the last six years have made it clear that for this Liberal government, there is one set of rules for the well-connected – and another set of rules for the rest of us.

That’s why New Democrats will formally prohibit corporations facing criminal charges from lobbying elected officials. Prosecutions of corporate crime must be thorough and completely independent of political interference.

— Ready for Better, retrieved 2021-08-27

We’ll also introduce an ethical, social and environmental screen on government procurement, so that Canadians can be confident that their tax dollars are not going to pay for bribes in foreign countries, or pollution that we'll all have to pay to clean up later. Finally, we will empower the Auditor General to review taxpayer-funded government advertising to make sure that it is non-partisan.

— Ready for Better, retrieved 2021-08-27

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When it comes to accessing help from government, people want reliable services that work – but the Liberal government failed to even pay public servants correctly, and the Conservatives are more interested in making cuts than in making government work. A New Democrat government will put in place a Service Guarantee that will make departments responsible for establishing and publishing binding service standards for programs like Employment Insurance, veterans support, Indigenous services, passports, Canada Revenue Agency call centres, and other services. Ministers will be held responsible for delivering on these targets.

— Ready for Better, retrieved 2021-08-27

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Ensure the cost of in vitro fertilization (IVF) becomes an eligible health expenditure under the Assisted Human Reproduction Act.

Expand the Medical Expense Tax Credit to include costs that have been reimbursed to a surrogate mother for her IVF expenses.

— Forward. For Everyone., retrieved 2021-09-02

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Create the Diversity Fellowship in the Public Service to mentor and sponsor diverse groups in the public service and implement an action plan to increase representation in hiring and appointments, and leadership development within the Public Service.

Create a fellowship for 1000 students and new graduates and offer French Language Training to 3rd and 4th year students to help bridge current gaps including language barriers.

Increase diversity by offering language programs to racialized employees and expanding the public service recruitment program to international students and permanent residents.

Help community organizations foster students to enter the public service.

Establish a mental health fund for Black public servants, and support career advancement, training, sponsorship, and educational opportunities for Black workers.

— Forward. For Everyone., retrieved 2021-09-02

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Implement a “right to repair” to extend the life of home appliances, particularly electronics, by requiring manufacturers to supply repair manuals and spare parts and facilitate their replication after the part is no longer produced.

Introduce a new 15% tax credit to cover the cost of home appliance repairs performed by technicians (up to $500).

Introduce a bill that includes provisions to better inform citizens of the environmental impacts of consumer products.

Require businesses to inform Canadians of the environmental impacts of consumer products.

Amend the Copyright Act to ensure that its provisions cannot prevent the repair of digital devices and systems, even when nothing is being copied or distributed.

— Forward. For Everyone., retrieved 2021-09-02

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People in rural Canada deserve better access to services – and the future of our rural communities depends on those services being available. That’s why a New Democrat government will focus on improving access to in-person services in Northern and rural communities. In order to make our rural and Northern communities safer, and to recognize the selfless work of our volunteer emergency responders, we’ll also expand the Volunteer Firefighters Tax Credit and ensure that federal funding for rural and First Nations policing is made available in a fair, predictable and sustainable way.

In many rural areas, simple things like going to the bank have become complicated and difficult. Despite record profits, financial institutions are closing rural branches and cutting services in more and more communities every year. It’s clear that we need to find other ways to deliver these important financial services. Today, almost 1,200 rural communities in Canada have a post office, but no financial services. That’s why a New Democrat government will work with Canada Post to develop a model of postal banking that will help nearly two million Canadians access more affordable, quality banking services where none are currently available.

Travel is a necessity of life in rural Canada – and it should be easier to get around without putting a dent in the family budget. But instead of improving rural transit services, the lack of funding and coordination under this Liberal government made the situation worse. Combined with Greyhound’s route cancellations, too many communities have been left stranded without reliable transportation services.

New Democrats believe that every community in Canada should be able to count on reliable transit to connect them to their jobs, health care services, schools, and family members. Greyhound’s service cuts have hit rural communities hard, and we need a reliable alternative to help people get where they need to go. That’s why we’ll work with the provinces, territories and Indigenous communities to create an affordable public transit service that connects rural areas, including restoring cancelled bus services, expanding into under-served areas , restarting the Ontario Northlander train, re-establishing vital regional air routes and much more to keep our communities connected.

Staying connected digitally is more essential than ever, yet too many rural communities in Canada don’t have reliable cell phone or broadband service.

A New Democrat government will change that, delivering high-speed rural broadband to all communities in Canada without delay, and ensuring that reliable cell phone service is expanded to every area of Canada – while keeping rates affordable for families and businesses.

Rural Canada drives at least a third of the country’s economy, but successive Liberal and Conservative governments have missed the opportunity to develop these regions to their full potential. COVID-19 has hit small communities and rural areas hard, and Canada’s economic recovery plan needs to respond to that reality. A New Democrat government will invest in regional economic development agencies and provide economic support for rural areas to invest in job creation in areas like tourism and community development.

Many Northern, rural and remote communities are working hard to retain families, attract workers and stop out-migration, but they can’t do it alone. That’s why New Democrats will put in place a new tax credit for graduates to work in designated rural and Northern communities, and make it easier for employers to hire and retain the workers they need.

To make all of Canada’s communities sustainable for the long term, we need to change how we build them. Rural communities need fair access to federal infrastructure and transit funds, and more help to prepare for and deal with the increasingly severe impacts of climate change. New Democrats will work with provinces to put in place a new deal for rural infrastructure programs that provide long-term predictable funding for communities – and we’ll increase the amount of help the federal government provides to communities to adapt to climate change and rebuild when disasters happen. We’ll make sure that affordable housing investments go to rural communities, too – and that federal infrastructure dollars flow now to create good local jobs that stay in the community.

— Ready for Better, retrieved 2021-08-27

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● Address disparities in delivery, access, and funding for rural services

● Establish a parliamentary committee to collect information on place-based needs in rural and remote communities, including the state of funding for rural services in the context of the economic/social realities faced by those communities, and develop recommendations on how these gaps can be closed in ways that work at the local level.

● Make investments to expand transit services and infrastructure. This will create jobs, provide cleaner and safer alternatives to driving, lower rural Canada’s carbon footprint, and improve access to services for rural Canadians.

● Reevaluate the Canada Health Transfer (CHT) so that rural communities are being covered with an equitable amount of funding to meet the needs of the community.

● Support the provinces in implementing innovative delivery models such as Telemedicine to improve health access in rural Canada.

— Be Daring., retrieved 2021-09-11

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Implement the recommendations of the Independent External Comprehensive Review led by Justice Arbour to address sexual harassment and misconduct in the Canadian Armed Forces, including instituting external oversight and independence over the processes of reporting, investigating, and adjudicating complaints, outside of the chain of command.

Modernize the military justice system and ensure survivors are treated with respect and have the full range of options and services available in the civilian system, including implementing recommendations from the Third Independent Review of the National Defence Act led by Justice Fish.

Expand resources available to survivors through the Sexual Misconduct Response Centre and make these services available to all members of the defence team, including DND employees, veterans, and members of military families.

Expand health services available to women in the CAF, ensuring comprehensive access to sexual and reproductive health resources, child care, and mental health resources. We will increase investments to address the clinical, occupational and deployment health needs of CAF women in cooperation with the newly established National Institute of Women’s Health.

Co-design and fully fund a permanent peer-to-peer support program for CAF members who have experienced military sexual trauma and make it accessible to all members of the defence team.

Work to root out all sources of anti-Indigenous and anti-Black racism, LGBTQ2 prejudice, gender bias, and white supremacy in the Canadian Armed Forces and implement the recommendations of the Advisory Panel on Systemic Racism, Discrimination to ensure that all members of the defence team work in a safe and respectful workplace.

Undertake ambitious efforts to improve the diversity of the CAF, including women, LGBTQ2, Indigenous, Black, and racialized Canadians and persons with disabilities.

— Forward. For Everyone., retrieved 2021-09-02

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We'll work with the provinces towards abolishing the Senate. In the meantime, a New Democrat government will insist that theSenate change its rules so unelected Senators can't hold up legislation for months when it has already been adopted by the elected Members of Parliament, who have been sent by voters to Ottawa.

— Ready for Better, retrieved 2021-08-27

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Move forward on our plan to launch a pilot program next year that will provide rent supplements and wrap-around supports to homeless Veterans, so that they can get the housing and services they need.

Introduce a Veterans stream to the Rapid Housing Initiative which will see new affordable housing become available for Veterans.

— Forward. For Everyone., retrieved 2021-09-02

Continue our work to reduce wait times and ensure Veterans and their families receive decisions on their applications in a timely manner.

Invest the necessary resources to accomplish this, such as hiring more case workers and adjudicators, continuing to enhance disability benefit processing, and by enhancing innovative digital solutions.

Ensure the benefit system and Veterans Affairs services are responsive and meet the needs of underrepresented Veterans including women, LGBTQ2, racializes, and Indigenous Veterans.

— Forward. For Everyone., retrieved 2021-09-02

Launch Canada’s first National Veteran Employment Strategy, with a goal of ensuring that every Veteran can find meaningful work after releasing from the Canadian Armed Forces. A part of this strategy will include improving qualification recognition so that certifications earned while in service can be used in civilian life.

— Forward. For Everyone., retrieved 2021-09-02

Support Commemorate Canada and ensure this program recognizes modern Veterans as well as women, Indigenous, racialized, and LGBT2Q Veterans from all conflicts.

Ensure that we recognize the valuable contributions of Canadian Armed Forces Veterans who have served our country in domestic operations such as wildfires, ice storms, and floods.

— Forward. For Everyone., retrieved 2021-09-02

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A New Democrat government will honour the special bond of mutual obligation between Canadians and veterans, and deliver the services that veterans need and deserve. As part of this process, we will work with veterans to design a system that provides fair benefits to all veterans, including equal access to lifetime pensions.

Veterans shouldn’t have to wait weeks or even months or years to receive the services they need. We’ll get rid of backlogs and step up high-quality, personalized service delivery by actually providing one caseworker for every twenty-five veterans, hiring more disability adjudicators to clear the backlog, putting in place automatic approvals for the most common injuries, and improving services that are delivered by phone and online.

There’s also much more that we can do to ease the transition from service for veterans. A New Democrat government will give Canadian Forces members access to care and support before the transition, and make sure that their benefits are in place before they are released from service.

New Democrats know that sometimes a sacrifice abroad means being unable to care for yourself when you return, and we will help support veterans and their families by expanding the caregiver allowance to more people.

New Democrats will work with partners in community services and the veterans community to end veteran homelessness for good – because one veteran on the streets is one too many.

To ensure that taxpayer money earmarked for veterans care actually gets spent on it, we will automatically carry forward all annual lapsed spending in Veterans Affairs to improve services. There should never be an incentive for any government to save money on the backs of veterans.

And finally, to hold all governments accountable to the sacred commitments we make to veterans, New Democrats will make the Veterans Ombudsman fully independent so they can report transparently and directly to Canadians.

— Ready for Better, retrieved 2021-08-27

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