Illustration by Katie Doyle
As the September 20 federal election date quickly approaches, students are encouraged to vote for the party likely to uphold their values and benefit their interests most effectively. While recurring student issues such as high tuition and employment rates are typically at the forefront of discussion, concerns over how party leaders plan to revive various affected sectors following the pandemic will be of particular importance during the current election. Moreover, the Canadian Federation of Students has drawn attention to other causes of growing anxiety among “Generation Vote” – notably, climate change, mental health, and equitable treatment for Indigenous communities.
So how are the leading electoral candidates fairing with respect to addressing student interests? Below is a snippet of each of the front-running party’s stance on key issues.
Liberals
The incumbents have earned both praise and criticism under Justin Trudeau’s leadership. According to Statistics Canada, the unemployment rate fell to 7.1 per cent, the lowest it has been since 2019, and 90,000 jobs were added under Liberal leadership in the month of August. Student loan repayments were postponed interest-free considering the pandemic. A minimum carbon price was introduced to discourage environmental pollution, which will soon be tripling. This year, Liberals imposed an emissions target that fell 40 per cent below 2005 levels. It is worth noting that as prime minister, Trudeau has fallen short on several commitments such as eliminating all water advisories in Indigenous communities and increased government transparency. Proposed bills such as the criminalization of conversion therapy for queer individuals were also sidelined when the election was called.
The Liberals have promised that re-election would uphold policies such as the $6,000 Canada Student Grant. In addition, Trudeau has promised to delay student loan repayments until graduates make a minimum of $40,000 per year; pardon all interest on federal loans; and spend $721 million to assist with job searches. Along with investing $4.5 billion into mental health services, especially to those most impacted by the pandemic, the Liberals have pledged to support post-secondary schools by hiring 1,200 mental health professionals.
Further increasing their commitment to climate change, the party has promised to impose a greenhouse gas limit on oil and gas, with the objective of cutting all emissions. Under Trudeau’s leadership, the country would be on track to meeting its target of running all electricity grids on non-emitting fuel sources by 2035. Among discussions for public transit expansion, Liberals have proposed zero-emissions buses.
The incumbents have also made a plethora of promises to the Indigenous peoples, including a repeat of Trudeau’s 2019 election campaign to eliminate drinking water advisories. They have vowed to build permanent infrastructure for the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation and invest $500 million and 10 per cent thereafter every year to aid Indigenous post-secondary schools.
NDP
In an effort to appeal to young voters, the New Democrats have offered multiple incentives to students. Most notably, Jagmeet Singh has pledged to pardon thousands of dollars of federal student debt in an effort to transition Canada into a tuition-free country – an initiative that is estimated to cost $4 billion in the first year and $1.5 billion in the following years. A five-year moratorium on paying back student loans may be implemented along with permanent erasure of student debt interest. The NDP promises to will maintain and expand on pandemic measures laid out by the current government, including prolonging rent subsidies and pausing student loan repayments for the time being. Commuting students will be particularly pleased at the NDP’s commitment to injecting 1.8 billion into the Toronto Transit Commission, with the promise of eventually electrifying all transit vehicles.
The party has also pledged to match Trudeau’s commitment to fighting climate change. While the NDP supports the minimum carbon price initiative, they would turn up the heat on heavy emission producers such as the oil industry and set emission limits on various economic sectors. A stricter emissions target of 50 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030 and the opposition of the Trans Mountain pipeline extension are especially notable for the party this election.
The NDP platform has advocated for full support of reconciliation for Indigenous communities. The only party to have made a full commitment to addressing the 94 Truth and Reconciliation “Calls to Action,” Jagmeet intends to form a national council dedicated to organizing its implementation. The NDP has also pledged to fund a fully nationalized TRC day, lift drinking water advisories immediately and invest in the search for residential burial sites.
Jagmeet has received criticism for the lack of specificities on how the NDP will fund its ambitious plan for the country. It is unclear whether proposals to tax the wealthy and foreign homeowners would be enough to sustain the party’s financial needs.
Conservatives
The Conservative party, with a view to controlling the federal debt, plans to dial back many of the emergency subsidies legislated by the current government. Erin O’Toole has promised significantly less with respect to tuition and wage subsidies – however, his platform suggests it could make housing more affordable for students in the future. Along with expanding eligibility criteria for mortgages, the Conservatives have pledged to ban non-residents from purchasing residential property with an eye towards bringing down inflation rates.
O’Toole has advocated in defence of the Trans Mountain oil pipeline and will continue to prioritize pipeline projects going forward. The party intends to revive Canada’s oil industry by investing in Newfoundland’s oil export division and re-authorize oil tankers exports. A peculiarly unique initiative spearheaded by O’Toole however involves a tax on the usage of fossil fuels; the proceeds collected in this fashion would be moved into a TFSA that individuals can pull from to use for “green” purchases, such as a transit pass to restrict the number of vehicles on the road.
O’Toole plans to implement 6 of the 94 TRC “Calls to Action.” The Conservatives promise full funding into the investigation of schools that may have unmarked graves, including those that have been searched already. The party would work towards ending water advisories, beginning with high priority, high-risk water systems.
Please note that students will not be able to participate in the Vote on Campus program this election and advanced polling has closed. Click here to learn more about how you can cast your vote over the next week.
