This article is a part of a Narcity series breaking down the highlights of what you need to know about where Canada's Political Party Leaders stand on issues important to millennials. Each leader was contacted by Narcity for comment. You can read more of our coverage of Canada's 2021 Federal Election here.
Although the People's Party Of Canada (PPC) won no seats in Canada's 2019 federal election, Maxime Bernier promised his party would be back — and they are.
Despite not being invited to the official federal leaders' debates, Bernier says his party will not stop campaigning and reaching out to Canadians.
Ahead of Election Day on September 20, the PPC has launched a platform focusing on things like supporting legal firearms owners, ending lockdowns and mask mandates, cutting taxes and "protecting Canadians from censorship and discrimination."
Here's a look at some of the party's main election promises:
1. Firearms
One of the main policies in the PPC platform relates to legal firearms owners in Canada. The party says this group is currently unfairly targeted and current legislation "does not respect their property rights."
If elected, it promises to replace the current Firearms Act and "prioritize effective measures to improve public safety and fight crime in Canada."
The party says it would also replace the current "costly and burdensome licensing system" with one that would give a lifetime certification for gun owners who follow mandatory vetting, safety training and testing.
2. Equalization for Provinces
The PPC also wants to make changes to Canada's Equalization Program, which it describes as "unfair and inefficient."
The party says it would reduce the total amount of equalization payments to provinces, and ensure only regions with the greatest needs would benefit from it.
Bernier and his candidates are also promising, if elected, to ensure the new program "respects our Constitution" and makes provincial governments more responsible for their own policy decisions.
3. COVID-19 Policy
One of the issues Maxime Bernier and the PPC have been most vocal about is the current government's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. In its election platform, the party criticizes lockdowns, mask mandates and school closures, among other health measures.
The PPC promises to fire Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam, scrap vaccine mandates and COVID-19 testing for federal workers, repeal vaccine passports for travellers and oppose "other authoritarian measures imposed by provincial governments."
The party says it would also support emergency provincial measures to protect the most vulnerable, but stop bailing out provinces that impose economically destructive lockdowns.
4. Climate Change
When it comes to the environment and global warming, the PPC says it is committing to fighting "climate change alarmism."
The party promises to withdraw from the Paris Accord and "abandon unrealistic greenhouse gas emission reduction targets" and "stop sending billions of dollars to developing countries to help them reduce their emissions."
It also wants to scrap subsidies for green technology and let private players develop alternatives, while prioritizing "practical solutions" to bring clean drinking water to remote First Nations communities in Canada.
5. Freedom of Expression
"What some people find politically incorrect, offensive or even hateful cannot serve as the legal basis for discrimination and censorship," says the PPC election platform.
The party says it would restrict the definition of hate speech in Canada's Criminal Code, repeal existing legislation that "curtails free speech" on the internet and ensure Canadians can "exercise their freedom of conscience to its fullest extent as it is intended under the Charter and are not discriminated against because of their moral convictions."
It also promises to withhold funding from any post-secondary institution that "violates" the freedom of expression of its students or staff.
6. Other Priorities
Other policies outlined in the PCC platform include plans to phase out COVID-19 spending programs, cut personal income taxes and support veterans of the Canadian Armed Forces.
Another key issue for the party is what it calls "Canadian Identity." It says it would work to end official multiculturalism in Canada and "preserve Canadian values and culture" by repealing the Multiculturalism Act, eliminate all funding to promote multiculturalism and substantially lowering the number of immigrants and refugees Canada accepts each year.
To learn more about the People's Party Of Canada election promises, check out their campaign platform here.
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