Seeking the Peace and Prosperity of the City Federal

Seeking the Peace and Prosperity of the City: 2004 Federal Election Chart What connections between faith and politics should people consider in electing a government? Should it be a party’s position on abortion, same-sex marriage, or the hate crimes bill? What about protection of the poor, of cultural and religious groups, of the marginalized and weakest in our society? Perhaps it should be the wise stewardship of our country’s wealth – holding government and corporate bodies to financial and social accountability; ensuring the quality of food, water and air; care for our natural resources and environment; enabling people to develop and make the most of their gifts, abilities and vocations. Or perhaps it should be the promotion of true health – not just medical technology, hospitals and drugs, but caring relationships, secure housing, dignified employment, a pollution-free environment. In response to the unspoken question of “why should we care about others who do not share all of our beliefs, our view of the world?” God gave this answer to the Israelites in Babylon through the prophet Jeremiah: “Seek the peace (shalom) and prosperity of the city… for if it prospers, you too will prosper” (Jeremiah 29:7). We too seek the shalom and prosperity of the city. We are a non-partisan group of friends of various beliefs and political leanings, many of us finding a place to belong in the ETCBC (East Toronto Chinese Baptist Church) community. The purpose of our project is to encourage deeper theological reflection, particularly among people of faith, on this question: How can government act as a steward to the public good and contribute to the goal of life-engendering shalom (peace, wholeness)? We have compiled the positions of the 4 national parties (i.e. parties fielding candidates in all electoral ridings) on a number of topics from party platforms. We have also added questions to prompt further thought – further thought about our identities (are we primarily tax-payers and consumers of services, or also citizens, stewards, and neighbours?), about how a party’s policies might contribute to reconciliation (between people, between people and the Creation with which we have been entrusted), on how policies may free people to grow in maturity and dignity (i.e. the Jubilee principle of the bible), on how we may together envision and create a society in which all can love mercy, act justly, and walk humbly with God (Micah 6:8). God gave this answer to the Israelites in Babylon through the prophet Jeremiah: “Seek the peace (shalom) and prosperity of the city… for if it prospers, you too will prosper” (Jeremiah 29:7). Author list (alphabetical order): Debbie Chan, Tim Chan, Cecilia Chau, Clinton Chau, Doret Cheng, Sandra Cheng, Jason Chim, Brenda Hsueh, Tammy Law (editor), Brian Lim, Alan Liu, Carol Ng, Jennifer Shiu, Janet Sio, Anita Tong, Jennifer Trehearne, Norman Young Foreign Policy • • • Concerned with Canada’s relationship to other countries on a wide spectrum of issues, such as (but not limited to) trade, international law, global military operations, humanitarian aid, peacekeeping, peacemaking and nation building. Conservative Party Green Party Liberal Party NDP Questions Enhance NAFTA with the • Work to increase influence • Reduce or cancel debts • Opposed to the “Star Wars • To what extent does a policy look out U.S. by harmonizing tariffs of International Court of owed by poor countries missile defence” for the physical, economic and social and pursuing common Justice programme well-being of people in other nations, • Dedicate $100 million to labour, environmental and especially those that are poor? How poor countries for • Abstain from participating • Reduce or cancel foreign security standards does it promote cooperation and equity HIV/AIDS in weaponization of space debt in developing between countries? countries Coordinate foreign policy • Support provision of • Forge a more sophisticated to advance Canada’s royalty-free medicine for relationship with the U.S. • Promote replacement of • How might trade agreements positively economic interests while Africa and ensure the Canadian trade deals like NAFTA or negatively affect the coffee grower in promoting human rights voice is heard with agreements based on Colombia, or the handcraft maker in • Renegotiate multilateral equitable trade Pakistan? trade agreements to include • Expand Canadian Forces to Support patent reform to fair trade allow low-cost drugs to be enhance peacekeeping • Impose economic sanctions • What are some advantages to promoting sold in Africa to alleviate efforts on companies that violate free market economies in developing • Reduce unjust debts AIDS human rights nations? Disadvantages? imposed on developing nations • Ensure generic drugs are available to the developing world for AIDS and other diseases Relates to the legal and policy initiatives that should be taken to reduce crime and increase safety within our communities. Conservative Party Green Party Liberal Party NDP Questions Will try youths who have • Use alternative forms of • Set up a national Internet • Implement a national sex • What causes crime? Should crime be committed violent or repeat sentencing rather than tip line to combat sexual offender registry fought using punitive measures or offences and who are aged prison for first-time nonexploitation of children on • Launch anti-drug through community initiatives? 14 and over in adult court violent offenders the Internet campaign; promote safe • What is the optimal way of eliminating injection sites; introduce drug addiction while ensuring the safety Detain indefinitely people • Legalize and tax • Create a new offence in the non-punitive approach to of the community and the drug addict? convicted of a third violent production and Criminal Code for human marijuana or sexual offence consumption of marijuana trafficking • What type of criminal laws and policies will alleviate the poverty and despair Enforce consecutive rather • Recommend creation of • Modernize marijuana laws • Develop a Victims’ Bill of that is frequently at the root of criminal than concurrent sentences safe-injection clinics, Rights • Tougher sentencing for gun behaviour? for multiple offences needle exchange programs, crimes and trafficking • Fight crime by combating and access to prescribed poverty and investing in Repeal gun-registry safe doses children and cities legislation • Provide counselling for sex • Toughen up sentences for workers trying to leave the repeat violent offenders trade Law & Order • • • • Arts & Culture • • • • Focuses on the development, funding, maintenance and creation of the culture of our nation. Conservative Party Green Party Liberal Party NDP Relax foreign ownership • Provide stable funding to • Ensure cultural institutions • Support distinctly rules on the Canadian the CBC, as well as quality produce more successful Canadian media industries culture industry, including television and radio Canadian programming of • Protect domestic telecommunications and programming in both all genres ownership of cable and broadcast distribution official languages telecommunications • Provide increased support companies for Canada’s major arts Initiate a review of the • Increase support for organizations viability of arts funding community and grassroots • Increase and stabilize arts programs and sponsor funding for CBC / RadioCommercialize the CBC • Support linguistic duality regional arts festivals Canada and population’s cultural May reduce the current and regional diversity arts-funding mandate, and • Support more educational • Income tax deductions and particularly funding to the programming credits for artists CBC and the National Film • Encourage competitive and • Remove GST from books, Board. diverse media industry magazines • • • Questions Which platform enables our community to reflect and reinforce our identity as creative people (i.e. the ability to create meaningful new forms?) Does the platform support and give us access to a wide range of lifestyles and perspectives? Does it offer something for everybody? Does the platform promote the creation of a community that has distinctive character? A kind of community that will attract new and diverse groups of people? and ensure that people of all Questions How much of our lifestyle is made possible because of the investment of others? What are the real costs of building a country that we want to live in? How can our government be efficient and attractive for continued investment? Taxes • • • • • Concerned with the government’s use of taxes and the tax system to redistribute wealth, raise money for social programs, economic levels have basic necessities. Conservative Party Green Party Liberal Party NDP Reduce middle-income tax • Lower taxes on income, • Control spending, reducing • Close income tax loopholes • rates by > 25%; raise tax profit and investment debt by 25% in 10 years • Exempt essential products brackets from GST • Reduce tax rate on the • Spur growth of small lowest federal tax bracket. businesses by accelerating $2000 per child deductions • Ensure $15,000 earners • 12% tax rate for families pay no tax • Increase taxes on environmentally unfriendly • Increase medical and Reduce EI premiums • Inheritance tax on • activities such as fuel use disability-related tax inheritances of more than Transfer 3 cents of gas tax deductions for caregivers $1 million. to provinces • Impose corporate capital to $10,000. taxes that reflect social & Cut corporate subsidies • Increase the Child Tax economic responsibility Benefit to $4,900 per child. Relates to Canada’s military Conservative Party Increase defence spending • by $1.2 billion per year Increase the size of the military and modernize its equipment Fully support NORAD, as • well as increased cooperation with US • intelligence agencies Create a Veterans’ Bill of Rights; improve regulation of Veterans’ services capabilities and the issues of homeland and international security Green Party Liberal Party NDP Only commit to U.N. • Increase defence spending • Modernize the military and sanctioned military by 30% improve the pay and operations; maintain benefits of personnel • Increase the size of the Canada’s peacekeeping military and modernize its • Protect the rights and initiatives equipment liberties of citizens through Re-evaluate membership in • Implement a security the use of legislation that NATO “blueprint” to ensure respects peaceful protest homeland security, while and human rights. Ban sale of military maintaining commitment hardware to fragile • Improve training and to world peace initiatives democracies, or nations equipment of Canada’s with a history of human peacekeeping forces. rights abuse Defence • • • • • • • Questions Where will the funds for the Armed Forces come from? Where will sacrifices have to be made, e.g. health care, education, economy? Does more peacekeeping lead to greater security in foreign countries? Will more involvement with the U.S. lead to better security, or will it forfeit Canadian values, freedoms, and liberties? Government Reform • • • • Deals with changes to the way our democracy functions and in turn affects the exercise of our citizenship rights and voice Conservative Party Green Party Liberal Party NDP Questions Allow free votes in House • Implement proportional • Increase the use of “free • Hold a referendum on • Given that majority voting may be used of Commons on moral representation voting votes” in the House of changing to a proportional to deny minority rights, should issues; support the use of system; fixed elections Commons representation voting important issues be decided by public referendums to approve dates and “mid-term” system referendums and free votes in the House • Parliament can review constitutional amendments referendums of Commons? appointments to Crown • Full disclosure of funding agencies and the Supreme to political parties Allow Parliament, and not • Hold a national referendum • Do referendums and free votes on Court the courts to decide on on the future of the Senate constitutional issues undermine the • Abolish the Senate constitutional issues; use protections in the Charter of Rights and • Broadcast committee and • Create agency to improve • Create Aboriginal seats in the notwithstanding clause Freedoms? citizens’ meetings on public service the House of Commons to override court decisions television and the Internet • What changes will promote a more democratic and representative Create an elected Senate • Consult citizens in creation government? of a “national business Implement fixed election plan” dates Relates to issues dealing with the sustainability of our natural surroundings such as (but not limited to) greenhouse gas emissions, water quality, wildlife parks, energy conservation, and endangered species. Conservative Party Green Party Liberal Party NDP Questions Scrap Kyoto Accord in • Support Kyoto accord • Support Kyoto accord • Support Kyoto accord • Given that many environmental changes favour of legislation that will require longer than elected 4 year • Reduce energy demand by • Invest $1 billion in • Reduce energy caps smog-causing terms to implement, which platform taxing fuels and pesticides; environmental technologies consumption with national pollutants attempts to get at the root cause of our implement tax breaks for over next 7 years building retrofit programs environmental problems? retrofits in commercial and • Support greater use of Work with provinces to • Share half the federal gas residential buildings; offer develop national strategy wind energy tax with municipalities to • Which platform best integrates loans to businesses for for alternative energy and support various forms of environmental with economic concerns? • Support public transit in reducing energy energy conservation sustainable public, mass Toronto and Montreal • Which platform is the most sustainable? and individual transit • Revive Canada’s Oceans • Committed to cleaning up and Fisheries via cuts to contaminated sites in • Work with industry and commercial fishing quotas, Canada (like tar ponds in communities to find reducing use of destructive Nova Scotia) sustainable practices and technologies, improving alternatives to fossil fuel waste disposal systems, and nuclear power and establishing marine • Implement fines for parks and reserves polluters that match clean up costs • Ban clear-cutting of forests; promote • Protect clean water via sustainable forestry creating a department of alternatives; ban export of water stewardship, banning raw logs export of fresh water Environment • • Aboriginal Peoples • • • Concerned with the Canadian government’s special obligation towards our First Nations people, and includes (but is not limited to) issues such as land claims, aboriginal rights, and the alleviation of aboriginal poverty. Conservative Party Green Party Liberal Party NDP Questions Allow individual • Recognize Aboriginal • Committed to improving • Settle land claims to foster • Which platform best gets at the roots of ownership of land on people’s traditional rights, social conditions and economic development in Aboriginal poverty, despair, and reserves, which will in turn traditional lands, and their economic poverty of on-reserve communities; oppression? encourage the selling or fundamental right of selfAboriginal peoples. encourage partnerships • Reserve lands currently serve as cultural lending of reserve land governance; conduct between businesses and base for the maintenance of Aboriginal • Put in place quality of life rights to non-Aboriginal settlement negotiations Aboriginal people cultures: which platform best preserves improvements in the areas buyers within a “nation to nation” aboriginal heritage and ownership of the of education, employment, • Recognize the unique framework. land? Is selling land to non-Aboriginal health, clean water and needs of Aboriginal Tie education funds with buyers a good idea? adequate housing communities for clean the placement of aboriginal • Legislate hunting, fishing, water and health care students. logging and trapping rights • Provide incentives to create • Given the long history of social and for Aboriginal peoples comprehensive K-12 First cultural oppression as well as poverty Affirm application of the • Create Aboriginal seats in Nations education systems on aboriginal reserves, which platform Charter of Rights and Parliament to ensure • Deliver health care, will best benefit Aboriginal peoples? Freedoms to aboriginal Canada’s first peoples’ education and other What is the most effective funding self-governments voices are always present services in a way that policy for aboriginal schools and in national debates incorporates traditional communities? Aboriginal practices Focuses on the funding, implementation and sustainability of our current health care system and the 5 principles of the Canada Health Act – public administration, comprehensiveness, universality, portability, and accessibility. Conservative Party Green Party Liberal Party NDP Questions Ensure reasonable access • Reinforce our publicly run • Endorse publicly funded • Enforce Canada Health Act • Is health a common good for all citizens to quality health care and financed universal health care system (i.e. stop user fees, queuing (rich and poor), or should health regardless of ability to pay health care system & de-listing of services) services depend on a person’s wealth? • Increase health transfers to What does each platform say about their provinces of $37 billion Implement $36.8 billion in • Focus on prevention • Increase federal funding to philosophy with respect to health care? over 5 years new funding 25% of total • Create opportunities for outdoor physical activities Increase accountability to • Establish initiatives to • Work with provinces and • To what extent does the platform Canadians via performance • Increase coverage for solve the current problems Aboriginal peoples to commit to the prevention of indicators and reports in the health care system invest in new health care privatization and the provision of health alternative and Establish Canada Public facilities services through profit-driven complementary health care Explore ways to decrease Health Agency & a new companies? (i.e. natural products, waiting times • Decrease drug cost with Chief Public Health Officer chiropractors, etc) national bulk-buying 1% of federal funding to • Which platform best ensures the longprogram increase physical activity term sustainability of the health care • Support of community • Decrease shortage of initiatives; increase support system? based self-help groups, medical personnel by • Establish regulatory bodies for Canadian Olympic social service agencies, increasing enrolment and to recognize foreignAgency, amateur athletes independent living centres accelerating qualification trained medical and activities for school & advocacy projects of foreign trained medical professionals age children professionals • Restore prevention programs such as ParticipAction Health • • • • • The Land • • • Encompasses all issues dealing with the management and cultivation of Canada’s natural resources, ranging from our fisheries to farms to forests to the production of energy. Conservative Party Green Party Liberal Party NDP Questions More freedom to fisheries • Legislate against • Foster technological • Ban forced bulk export of • Which platform recognizes the fragility industries to manage stocks genetically-modified foods; advancement in agriculture water to the US of our natural resources and best reflects shift research to sustainable to ensure food safety and a sustainable use of the environment? Protect fish stocks from • Establish programs to food production global competitiveness international encroachers protect family farms from • How do laws on genetically modified unexpected drops in foods play a role in the competitiveness Loans to lumber companies • Seek alternative energy • Continue with subsidies for income due to natural of the agricultural sector? What are the affected by tariffs; ensure sources; prevent global competitiveness, disasters and trade rules environmental and health consequences future of lumber industry proliferation of nuclearand provide help to farmers of genetically modified foods? by supporting free trade based power generation facing natural disasters • Promote environmentally sustainable agricultural • Promote sustainable • What is the rationale behind subsidizing methods; mandatory fisheries; promote local food production? labelling of genetically sustainable agriculture modified foods through a Green Farm Plan Includes (but not limited to) issues relating to the definition of marriage, the right of a woman to choose abortions, childcare, and maternity benefits Conservative Party Green Party Liberal Party NDP Questions Allow free vote in • Supports same-sex • Defer to Supreme Court for • Supports same-sex civil • What are the long-term social, Parliament on the marriage and equivalent definition of marriage; will marriages; respects each educational, moral and economic definition of Marriage and legal status not over-ride religion’s right to define effects of the platforms on family issues abortion; respect religion’s unconstitutional legislation marriage; supports and values? • Create national child-care right to define marriage with the ‘notwithstanding retroactive CPP benefits strategy; link child-care • Which platform best reflects the moral clause’; will not force for same-sex couples services across 3 levels of views of citizens in the country? How Would use the religious institutions to government; create tax will these values be upheld in a popular ‘notwithstanding clause’ to • Ensure women have access perform ceremonies incentives for businesses vote? What happens when popular enforce unconstitutional to safe, therapeutic to implement on-site values conflict with the constitution? definitions of marriage and abortion services • Respects the right of a childcare and flexible positions on abortion woman to choose abortion • Create 200,000 publicly • Which platform best deals with the schedules funded child care spaces justice issues relating to women, Create a national child-care • Build a national child-care children, and gays and lesbians? system system and contribute $5 • Enforce pay equity for • Create not-for-profit billion over 5 years women homecare plan Concerned with the federal Conservative Party Improve internal trade • between provinces Transfer federal fuel excise tax to the provinces to enhance federal airports, and National Highways government’s relationship with the provinces and the special issues surrounding Quebec Green Party Liberal Party NDP No official platform found; • Commit to regional, rural, • Work co-operatively with currently reconsidering and industrial development provincial governments to position on Quebec develop national standards • Implement a “Northern for social policy Strategy”; improve economic development of • Recognize Quebeckers as a Northern Canada without people and embrace them compromising environment as a multi-ethnic society • Implement annual • Rectify the current fiscal meetings with First imbalance that favours the Ministers federal government Family • • • Provinces • • • • Questions Who can fairly see to Quebec’s needs as well as to those of the other provinces? Which level of government should be given control over our natural resources and social programs? Trade • • • Focuses on Canada’s relationship and policy towards its international trading partners Conservative Party Green Party Liberal Party Support rule based systems • Continue a non• Review international like NAFTA and WTO to interventionist policy policy with the aim of promote free trade, regarding exchange rates bolstering Canada’s global especially with partners of influence; create • Propose reform of the unequal size Department of WTO International Trade to Open up NAFTA to • Renegotiate multilateral focus trade efforts harmonize tariffs trade agreements to include punitive tariffs for nations Create a Secretary Of State • Improve the Community who fail to act on for Canada/US relations Investment Support ecological reforms or the within the Department of Program to help protection of human rights Affairs communities attract foreign investments • Match funds for community-based • Build trade relationship organizations to encourage with developing countries: international trade China, India, Brazil • • NDP Re-open NAFTA, to guarantee access for Canadian industries to the United States, and to ensure conformance with existing environmental, cultural or labour treaties. Strengthen Canada’s independent voice for fair trade on the world stage • Questions Will expanding or contracting trade policies create a better or worse standard of living for Canadians? Foreign trade with a developing country can produce at least 2 effects: reduce poverty and increase labour abuse. Does the party’s trade policy address these secondary by-products? Education • • • Addresses the provision and funding of adequate schooling for students of all ages, all levels, and all socio-economic backgrounds Conservative Party Green Party Liberal Party NDP Questions Reduce financial barriers to • Ensure that all • Build and fund a national • Add 200,000 publicly • Will the platform ensure a better post-secondary education communities have access child-care system funded child-care spaces educational foundation for all peoples in and training; first-year to affordable family Canada? • Create a Learning Bond • Implement national plan to tuition grants for lowplanning and early that will provide a grant of lower tuition fees by • Does the platform consider education in income families childhood services. $500 to every child born cutting fees by 10 per cent the early years, school-age, secondary after 2003 to families and increasing federal and post-secondary education? Improve student loan • Tuition-free access to earning less than $35,000 a funding system; create an RLSP colleges and universities • Are the platforms equitable for both year. fund for retired people low-income and higher-income • Reduce financial barriers to families? education by replacing the Encourage families to save • Reduce the up-front cost of • Contribute a further 40% privately administered for education post-secondary tuition to of the first $500 each year • Are the platforms realistic? Millennium Scholarship increase accessibility to a RESP. Fund with needs-based • Boost participation in co• Provide low-income grants; crediting all interest operative education families with grants worth accrued on federal student programs and up to $3,000 toward their loans against graduates’ apprenticeship first-year tuition. income taxes. • Work to achieve national • Improve the Canada standards for Student Loans Program • Work with provinces to postsecondary education stop the creation of private, for-profit colleges and • Reduce student debt by universities in exchange for over 40% by providing stable education funding needs-based grants. Cities • • • Includes a large range of issues affecting urban centres including (but not limited to) transportation, housing, infrastructure, funding formulae, and municipal governance and power Conservative Party Green Party Liberal Party NDP Questions Provide relief to people • Revive social housing • Transfer 5 cents per litre of • Share 50% of gas tax with • How much of a role should cities play with lower and fixed program; work with local the federal gas tax to municipalities for in federal politics and federal policy? incomes in order to help social agencies to provide municipalities for sustainable infrastructure; • Does the platform limit cities from them cope with rising innovative housing for infrastructure projects full GST refund to cities making grassroots and actual changes to prices. non-traditional families within the next 5 years; your community and daily life? Which • Set aside 1% of federal provide municipalities with platform provides the most flexibility to budget towards affordable Negotiate a transfer 3 cents • Ensure new houses meet full GST relief serve the needs of municipalities across housing of gas tax to the provinces the R-2000 standard; Canada? through a national provide support to owners • Provide $1-1.5 billion over • Implement a 10-yr infrastructure agreement who renovate to meet 5 years to assisted housing National Housing Plan: • How does the platform help address the standard build 200,000 affordable variety of problems faced by Canada’s Enhance airports, ports, • Give municipalities a units, renovate 100,000 modern cities? and national highways by greater voice at the • Support creation of existing units, provide phasing out federally run national table municipal charters 40,000 tenants with rent infrastructure programs • Negotiate transfer of • Accelerate $1 billion supplements. except for the Border federal revenues to cities infrastructure fund for Infrastructure Program spending within 5 years • Allow cities to exercise • Create tax incentives to more control over restore downtown core and • Ensure 5% of energy transportation rebuild city centres. comes from wind-power within 10 years • Restore VIA to all major • Support permanent routes infrastructure program to protect water supply Involves legal and policy initiatives aimed at regulating, integrating, and providing for strangers and aliens in Canada Conservative Party Green Party Liberal Party NDP Prosecute and speed up • Special funding to schools • Refugee board • Permit immigration levels deportation of immigrants in “landing zones” appointments to be made to rise to 1% of total and refugees who abuse the • Reduce barriers to by experts rather than population system political parties recognizing immigrant • Create a family credentials reunification law Will establish system to • Accelerate immigrants’ regrant foreign trained qualification process • Increase penalties on • Work with provinces to professionals equivalent “human smugglers” recognize professional • Strike a new deal with Canadian status immigrant qualifications cities which would allow • Regulate immigrant cities to handle their own consultants Link with provinces to • Set up immigration posts in immigration integration create a policy and budget Beijing & Delhi • Consult ethnic groups to policies for immigrant settlement deal with criminal migrants • Eliminate head taxes and costs regulate private • Give cultural organizations immigration consultants charity status • Improve multi-level links • Introduce laws banning with immigrants’ home racial profiling and gender countries bias in the immigration and refugee system Immigration and Refugees • • • • • • Questions How does Canada welcome the “alien” and the “stranger” to a new land, in terms of resettlement, job provision and equal Canadian functional status? What programs does Canada provide to help new immigrants and refugees become self-sufficient? How should Canada improve the refugee screening process to reflect fairness and justice to all peoples?