Your ballot box briefing
Learn about where each party stands on the issues you care about and make an informed vote this election.
This election, we’re rating these federal parties on the following issues.
Housing
Over 1.7 million households, or more than 3.3 million people, were assessed to be in core housing need in 2022. This means almost 1 in 10 people in Canada were living in housing that is unaffordable, doesn’t have enough bedrooms or needs major repairs—and there is no alternative they can afford in their communities.
We have a housing crisis in Canada because of housing has been treated as just another commodity for investors to profit from, instead of being recognized as a basic human need (a process known as financialization). Instead of restricting real estate speculation that drives up both rents and house prices, tax breaks for things like capital gains, actually encourage it.
NUPGE Position
NUPGE believes that housing is a human right, but just building more homes isn’t enough. To make a difference, new homes must be affordable. That means the federal government must build more social housing (government-assisted non-profit housing that provides lower cost rental units to households with low-to-moderate incomes) and curb real estate speculation that drives up both rents and house prices.
For more information on NUPGE’s work on the housing crisis, see the policy paper Affordable Housing Can’t Wait.
The federal government also need to be honest with people about the reasons the cost of housing is going up. There is no correlation between the number of immigrants in Canada and housing prices. Scapegoating immigrants and international students is not going to end the housing crisis.
Party track records on housing
B+
D-
A-
A+
Grade: C-
| Plan to end property speculation (which pushes up rents and housing prices) | D- |
| Pledge government investment in social housing and co-ops | B |
| Intend to use federal land for affordable housing | C- |
| Plan to provide funding to municipalities to encourage building more affordable housing and reduce the need for property tax/user fee increases to pay for the infrastructure needed for new homes | B |
| Party correctly identifies the source of the housing crisis | D- |
| Average grade | C- |
The Liberals abandoned their plan to increase the capital gains tax which would have made real estate speculation less attractive. The Liberals’ National Housing Strategy recognized that the federal government has a role to play building housing, but much of the funding went to loans to for-profit developers and less than one-third of units were affordable.
Other Liberal proposals are eliminating the Goods and Services Tax (GST) for first-time homebuyers on new builds at or under 1 million dollars and funds to encourage municipalities to make it easier to build housing (though not necessarily affordable housing). Similarly, there are plans to use federal lands for housing, but again there are no guarantees that it will be affordable.
Grade: F
| Plan to end property speculation (which pushes up rents and housing prices) | F |
| Pledge government investment in social housing and co-ops | F |
| Intend to use federal land for affordable housing | F |
| Plan to provide funding to municipalities to encourage building more affordable housing and reduce the need for property tax/user fee increases to pay for the infrastructure needed for new homes | D |
| Party correctly identifies the source of the housing crisis | F |
| Average grade | F |
The Conservatives opposed all efforts to increase the capital gains tax even though it would help curb real estate speculation. They believe the federal government shouldn’t be building housing and will leave things to the private sector, even though its that approach that helped create the affordability crisis.
Like the Liberals, the Conservatives have promised to eliminate the GST for first-time homebuyers on new builds at or under $1 million. The Conservatives also want to encourage municipalities to make it easier to build housing with a mix of incentives and financial penalties.
Grade: A-
| Plan to end property speculation (which pushes up rents and housing prices) | B |
| Pledge government investment in social housing and co-ops | A |
| Intend to use federal land for affordable housing | A |
| Plan to provide funding to municipalities to encourage building more affordable housing and reduce the need for property tax/user fee increases to pay for the infrastructure needed for new homes | A |
| Party correctly identifies the source of the housing crisis | A |
| Average grade | A- |
The NDP support bringing the rate at which capital gains are taxed closer to the rate at which earned income is taxed. A Community Housing Bank would be created to help build non-profit developers, co-ops, and Indigenous communities.
The NDP support building 100,000 rent-controlled homes on federal land by 2035 and $1 billion would be spent to acquire more land for homes. Approvals for housing built on federal land would be speeded up. Project Labour Agreements, or Community Benefits Agreements would be used to ensure federal housing construction provides things like decent wages and positive impact for communities.
Grade: B+
| Plan to end property speculation (which pushes up rents and housing prices) | A |
| Pledge government investment in social housing and co-ops | B |
| Intend to use federal land for affordable housing | B- |
| Plan to provide funding to municipalities to encourage building more affordable housing and reduce the need for property tax/user fee increases to pay for the infrastructure needed for new homes | B+ |
| Party correctly identifies the source of the housing crisis | A |
| Average grade | B+ |
The Green Party opposed the Liberals decision to abandon the planned increase in the capital gains tax. They would also eliminate other unfair tax advantages for Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) and stop corporations from buying up single family homes.
The Green Party supports federal government involvement in building affordable housing. When public funds are used for housing, the goal would be for rents or mortgages to be equivalent to 30% of people’s regular income.
Ask Your Candidates
- Currently the tax system has encouraged the kind of real estate speculation that has pushed up rents and home prices. What changes will you make to end that?
- Housing built by private developers is beyond the reach of many families and when the costs for developers are lowered, the savings go to higher profits not struggling families. How will you ensure that new housing units are affordable?
Protecting Democracy
The ability to vote in elections may be the most important part of the democratic process, but for democracy to be meaningful it requires more than being able to cast a ballot. People need the freedom to speak out and to feel their voices matter. Rules are needed to protect the integrity of the democratic process and stop the wealthy from using their money to drown out others.
Strong unions and other civil society groups are an important part of the process because they give people a collective voice and, in turn, greater power. There is a clear link between the strength of unions and the strength of democracy.
NUPGE Position
For NUPGE, protecting the democratic process is an integral part of our work on protecting the rights of working people. As unionists in other countries have seen far too often, attacks on democracy are closely tied to attacks on unions and on workers’ wages and working conditions.
NUPGE has worked with other unions to strengthen the legal protections for individual workers and their organizations. NUPGE has also been part of the pushback against attacks on unions and other organizations, such as when the government of Ontario tried to use the notwithstanding clause to override the constitutional rights of workers. NUPGE has also supported rules to strengthen the democratic process. And we believe that all political parties and their leaders need to be prepared to put protecting the democratic process ahead of personal or partisan advantage.
Party track records on protecting democracy
B+
D-
A-
A+
Grade: C
| Will introduce legislation and regulations to strengthen the rights of working people to organize and bargain collectively. | C |
| Will refrain from using back-to-work legislation or Section 107 of the Canada Labour Code to undermine workers’ bargaining rights | F |
| Will oppose American-style “right to work” legislation. | A |
| Will support electoral reform so parties can no longer win a majority of the seats with less than 40% of the vote | F |
| Leader received the security clearance required to view a Canadian intelligence report on foreign interference in Canadian elections | A |
| Average grade | C |
While the Liberal government condemned the attempt by Doug Ford’s government to use the notwithstanding clause to override the rights of striking education workers in Ontario, they were not willing to take action to prevent the notwithstanding clause from being used to break strikes. The Liberals have also imposed back-to-work legislation on striking federal workers and repeatedly misused Section 107 of the Canada Labour Code to undermine workers’ collective bargaining rights. Along with all other parties in Parliament, the Liberals voted to pass federal anti-scab legislation in 2024.
The Liberals had to be pressured to take the issue of foreign interference in elections seriously, but eventually set up an investigation, introduced legislation to restrict further abuses. The Liberals have removed at least one candidate over foreign interference.
Grade: F
| Will introduce legislation and regulations to strengthen the rights of working people to organize and bargain collectively. | F |
| Will refrain from using back-to-work legislation or Section 107 of the Canada Labour Code to undermine workers’ bargaining rights | F |
| Will oppose American-style “right to work” legislation. | C |
| Will support electoral reform so parties can no longer win a majority of the seats with less than 40% of the vote | F |
| Leader received the security clearance required to view a Canadian intelligence report on foreign interference in Canadian elections | F |
| Average grade | F |
The Conservatives have generally supported back-to-work legislation. While the Conservatives eventually supported anti-scab legislation, Pierre Poilievre has opposed it in the past. He has also suppoprted American-style “right to work” legislation that has been used to weaken the voices of working people in the United States, but the Conservatives are now saying they won’t introduce it.
While Pierre Poilievre attacked the Liberals for failing to take action over foreign interference in Canadian elections, he seemed unwilling to deal with the problem when it appeared to involve the Conservatives. He was the only party leader to refuse to get the security clearance needed to view a Canadian intelligence report on foreign interference in Canadian elections. Given recent media reports about Indian government involvement in Pierre Poilievre’s leadership campaign, this is worrying. The Conservatives have also refused to criticize Alberta premier Danielle Smith after she said that she advised U.S. administration officials to pause the tariffs against Canada until after the election to help Pierre Poilievre.
Grade: B+
| Will introduce legislation and regulations to strengthen the rights of working people to organize and bargain collectively. | B |
| Will refrain from using back-to-work legislation or Section 107 of the Canada Labour Code to undermine workers’ bargaining rights | B |
| Will oppose American-style “right to work” legislation. | A |
| Will support electoral reform so parties can no longer win a majority of the seats with less than 40% of the vote | A |
| Leader received the security clearance required to view a Canadian intelligence report on foreign interference in Canadian elections | A |
| Average grade | B+ |
The NDP supports imposing limits to prevent the notwithstanding clause from being used to undermine workers’ rights. It’s unlikely that anti-scab legislation would have been introduced and passed without the NDP making it a condition of their Supply and Confidence Agreement with the Liberals. The NDP has opposed back-to-work legislation and has promised to scrap the provision of the Canada Labour Code that has allowed the government to undermine the right to strike without the approval of Parliament.
New Democrats have supported investigations into foreign interference in Canadian elections.
Grade: B+
| Will introduce legislation and regulations to strengthen the rights of working people to organize and bargain collectively. | B |
| Will refrain from using back-to-work legislation or Section 107 of the Canada Labour Code to undermine workers’ bargaining rights | B |
| Will oppose American-style “right to work” legislation. | A |
| Will support electoral reform so parties can no longer win a majority of the seats with less than 40% of the vote | A |
| Leader received the security clearance required to view a Canadian intelligence report on foreign interference in Canadian elections | A |
| Average grade | B+ |
The Green Party has expressed concern about the federal government interfering with workers’ right to strike. Along with all the other parties in Parliament, the Greens voted for the anti-scab legislation.
The Green Party leader was one of those who got the security clearance needed to view a Canadian intelligence report on foreign interference in Canadian elections.
Ask Your Candidates
Since the 1980s, over 200 laws have been passed attacking workers’ right to collective bargaining. What measures will you propose/support to reverse that trend?
Post-secondary Education
Public colleges and universities are vital to our communities and to our economy overall. They provide education and training, research, and other services we need. Post-secondary education (PSE) is particularly important for helping us respond to challenges like labour shortages, technological change, and climate change.
Yet, our PSE system is struggling. Because of decades of government underfunding, at both federal and provincial levels, the cost of PSE for students has surged and precarious employment for workers in the sector has increased. Both trends disproportionately impact lower-income and marginalized people. Many public colleges and universities became reliant on international students, who can be charged substantially more than students from Canada, as a source of funding.
Now, international students are being blamed for challenges like the lack of access to affordable housing in Canada. Even though international students are not the cause, the federal government restricted study and work permits. As a result, public PSE institutions saw a significant drop in international student enrolments and, in turn, revenues. This has led to cuts to programs, services, and staffing, particularly in colleges.
NUPGE Position
NUPGE has long advocated for a dedicated PSE funding transfer to the provinces and territories, with federal legislation to ensure the funds go towards PSE that is public, high quality, inclusive, and accessible to all. Learn more in our backgrounder, A Pivotal Moment for Post-secondary Education in Canada, and our recent campaign. NUPGE has spoken out against the scapegoating of international students and migrant workers and called on the federal government to instead invest meaningfully in PSE.
Party track records on Post-secondary Education
B+
D-
A-
A+
Grade: D
| Enhanced federal funding for PSE | D |
| Support creating a dedicated federal transfer for PSE | F |
| Legislation that would set conditions on federal funds to PSE related to public administration, academic independence, quality, and accessibility | F |
| Supportive of reducing PSE costs and student debt (reducing or eliminating tuition, grants over loans) | B |
| Average grade | D |
Both Liberal and Conservative governments have contributed to stagnant or declining federal funding for PSE. Notably, in the 1990s, the Liberal government under Jean Chrétien was responsible for cuts and changes to the federal funding transfers to provinces and territories that decreased the amount of funds flowing to PSE.
In 2024, the Trudeau government implemented the cap on international student permits and restrictions to the post-graduation work permit program that have led to serious disruptions in the PSE sector.
The Trudeau government eliminated interest on federal student loans during the pandemic and made this a permanent change in 2023.
Grade: D
| Enhanced federal funding for PSE | D |
| Support creating a dedicated federal transfer for PSE | B |
| Legislation that would set conditions on federal funds to PSE related to public administration, academic independence, quality, and accessibility | F |
| Supportive of reducing PSE costs and student debt (reducing or eliminating tuition, grants over loans) | F |
| Average grade | D |
Both Liberal and Conservative governments have contributed to stagnant or declining federal funding for PSE. In the 1980s, Brian Mulroney’s Progressive Conservative government cut transfer payments to the provinces and territories, which led to declining funds to PSE. Funding levels remained stagnant under the Harper government.
Grade: A-
| Enhanced federal funding for PSE | B |
| Support creating a dedicated federal transfer for PSE | A |
| Legislation that would set conditions on federal funds to PSE related to public administration, academic independence, quality, and accessibility | A |
| Supportive of reducing PSE costs and student debt (reducing or eliminating tuition, grants over loans) | A |
| Average grade | A- |
The NDP has called for investment in public colleges and universities. Since 2007, the NDP has introduced a bill several times that would set conditions to ensure the federal funding transfer to the provinces for PSE is used as intended. These conditions would include that PSE is publicly administered, high quality, and accessible, and that academic independence is protected. But these private member’s bills have never passed into law.
In the past, the NDP has committed to eliminating interest on federal student loans, increasing debt forgiveness and moving from loans to grants, and working towards free tuition for Canadian students.
Grade: C-
| Enhanced federal funding for PSE | B |
| Support creating a dedicated federal transfer for PSE | F |
| Legislation that would set conditions on federal funds to PSE related to public administration, academic independence, quality, and accessibility | F |
| Supportive of reducing PSE costs and student debt (reducing or eliminating tuition, grants over loans) | A |
| Average grade | C- |
In previous election platforms, the Green Party has made platform commitments on abolishing tuition for Canadian students and forgiving student debt.
Ask Your Candidates
- Do you believe that PSE should be accessible to everyone, regardless of income, like other levels of education in Canada? What steps will you take to advance a PSE system that is free and accessible to all?
- The scapegoating of international students is a distraction from the real root cause of challenges in the PSE system: inadequate government funding. What will your party do to address this? Will you commit to increasing federal funds for public PSE?
Healthcare
Protecting and Expanding Public Health Care
Canada’s public health care system has long been a source of national pride. It has delivered quality care to Canadians based on need, not ability to pay, and stood in contrast to the for-profit system in the United States.
But today, chronic underfunding and policy neglect have brought the system to a breaking point. Emergency room closures, EMS wait times, tragic and avoidable deaths, are all reported daily. Unprecedented health care worker shortages, rising wait times, and growing gaps in access have allowed for the expansion of for-profit health care.
Despite the crisis, the introduction of pharmacare and a dental care program, as a result of the 2022 Liberal-NDP Confidence and Supply Agreement (CASA) provide steps forward. For the first time in decades, the federal government made progress toward completing Tommy Douglas’s vision of universal health care. However, both programs are still fragile and need to be improved, while the whole system is struggling.
NUPGE Position
The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) has been a strong voice for protecting and expanding public health care in Canada. We’ve fought to hold governments accountable, defend and expand the Canada Health Act, and ensure health care funding supports public care, not privatized profit.
NUPGE continues to advocate for:
- Full implementation and expansion of universal public pharmacare
- A public, non-profit model for long-term care and home care with national (enforceable) standards for both under the Canada Health Act
- An end to for-profit health care, in all forms
- Emergency funding to address the current health care crisis
- A pan-Canadian health human resources strategy to address staffing shortages and retention challenges, while supporting health care workers.
Party track records on Healthcare
B+
D-
A-
A+
Grade: B-
| Support for Universal Pharmacare | B |
| Advancing National Dental Care | A |
| Reform of Long-Term Care | B – |
| Funding Public Health Care | B |
| Enforcing the Canada Health Act | B- |
| Addressing Health Care Worker Shortages | B- |
| Support for Mental Health Services | B- |
| Commitment to Equitable Access to Health Care | B- |
| Average grade | B- |
The Liberals passed the Canada Pharmacare Act (Bill C-64) with NDP support. Provincial negotiations are ongoing and funding has been inadequate. The national dental care program now covers all uninsured Canadians with household incomes under $90,000.
There was a promise to improve long-term care and health care staffing, but little has been done. The Liberals stood by while private, for-profit health care continued to expand under the guise of “innovation,” taking us closer to American style two-tier health care.
While the Liberal government struck a deal in February of 2023 committing almost $200 billion over ten years to health care, provinces and territories will receive this funding unconditionally. Advocates called for ‘string attached’ as this funding arrangement does not ensure that this federal funding will be spent to improve our public health care system.
Grade: F
| Support for Universal Pharmacare | C- |
| Advancing National Dental Care | C- |
| Reform of Long-Term Care | F |
| Funding Public Health Care | F- |
| Enforcing the Canada Health Act | F- |
| Addressing Health Care Worker Shortages | D- |
| Support for Mental Health Services | F |
| Commitment to Equitable Access to Health Care | F- |
| Average grade | F |
The Conservative Party opposed pharmacare and dental care, voting against both in parliament, but now suggest they will keep current programs without expansion. Because the Conservatives oppose putting new conditions on federal health care funding or enforcing the existing measures in the Canada Health Act, privatization, extra billing and queue-jumping are all likely to become bigger problems.
Grade: A+
| Support for Universal Pharmacare | A+ |
| Advancing National Dental Care | A |
| Reform of Long-Term Care | A+ |
| Funding Public Health Care | A+ |
| Enforcing the Canada Health Act | A |
| Addressing Health Care Worker Shortages | A+ |
| Support for Mental Health Services | A+ |
| Commitment to Equitable Access to Health Care | A |
| Average grade | A+ |
The NDP championed the pharmacare legislation and without the NDP insisting that pharmacare and dental care be part of the CASA neither program would have been approved. They support expanding Medicare to include dental, mental health, and vision care. They are also committed to ending for-profit long-term care, starting with making the Revera LTC homes public.
The NDP supports strong enforcement of the Canada Health Act and tying funding to national public standards. A national health workforce strategy to recruit, retain, and respect frontline workers has been proposed by the NDP.
Grade: A-
| Support for Universal Pharmacare | A |
| Advancing National Dental Care | A |
| Reform of Long-Term Care | A+ |
| Funding Public Health Care | A- |
| Enforcing the Canada Health Act | A- |
| Addressing Health Care Worker Shortages | B+ |
| Support for Mental Health Services | A- |
| Commitment to Equitable Access to Health Care | A |
| Average grade | A- |
The Green Party Supports a comprehensive expansion of Medicare to include pharmacare, dental, and mental health care. They oppose for-profit care and support federal enforcement of the Canada Health Act.
The Green Party have called for national standards and public delivery of long-term care and home care. They support a coordinated workforce strategy to address staffing and improve conditions.
Ask Your Candidates
- Will you defend and expand public health care—or allow more private, for-profit care?
- Will you support emergency funding to stabilize the public health care system?
- What actions will you take to address the staffing crisis in health care?
- Will you commit to expanding pharmacare and dental care?
Wildland Firefighters
Wildland Firefighters and the National Occupation Classification
Wildland firefighters are excluded from the definition of firefighter in the National Occupation Classification (NOC). This exclusion results in lesser protections, benefits, and recognition for these public safety officers compared to other firefighters.
NUPGE Position
Since January 2024 NUPGE has undertaken a comprehensive campaign to raise awareness about the exclusion of forest/wildland firefighters from the NOC with as many people as possible who are responsible for ensuring this mistake is fixed. The fairness for wildland/forest firefighters’ campaign has involved extensive government relations, advocacy, and media outreach.
To promote this campaign, four research documents were published:
- Backgrounder: Equal Treatment for Forest Firefighters (Feb 2024)
- Equal Treatment for Forest Firefighters: There is no justification for excluding forest firefighters from the National Occupational Classification of firefighters (March 2024)
- 2023: Worst Year on Record of Reported and Unreported Occupational Health and Safety Instances for Forest Firefighters: Occupational health and safety reports across all jurisdictions indicate instances of entrapment, several fatalities, and numerous injuries among forest firefighters (March 2024)
- Forest/ Wildland Firefighter Fact Sheet (July 18, 2024)
With this research and information NUPGE contacted specific Members of Parliament (MPs) from areas affected by wildfires. Detailed letters were written, and meetings were organized with dozens of MPs from all political parties, in every province and territory.
The campaign included a media strategy in which members of the press and the broader public were informed about the occupational dangers of firefighters, and the heart-wrenching unjust treatment of these first responders. These stories were featured in national media, including The National (CBC News), CBC’s Your World Tonight, The Toronto Star, CityNews, and Benefits Canada. It has also prompted many Canadians from across the country to write to their MPs asking them to help resolve this issue.
Throughout the campaign NUPGE met numerous representatives, staff members, senior public servants, senior policy advisors, special advisors, and executive directors, responsible for the NOC from: Statistics Canada, Centre for Statistical and Data Standards; Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC); the Office of the Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Official Languages; the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance; and the Office of the Minister of National Revenue. And President Blundon met with The Hon. Randy Boissonnault, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Official Languages. A noteworthy aspect of the campaign was lobbying members of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security (SECU), and their staff.
On December 5, 2024, 14 wildland firefighters from six provinces along with NUPGE staff took part in a workshop with ESDC and other government ministries, to discuss proposed amendments to the NOC. The event drew dozens of high-ranking officials from ESDC, Statistics Canada, and Revenue Canada. During the workshop, wildland firefighters shared powerful testimony and insight about their experiences, skills, risks, and needs. Their accounts resonated strongly with government officials, who praised their contributions. The officials heard compelling information and evidence to urgently amend the NOC to reflect more accurately Canadian wildland firefighters’ role and work.
Party track records on Wildland Firefighters
B+
D-
A-
A+
Grade: C
| Recognize that wildland / forest firefighters are firefighters and thereby accord them equality with other firefighters with respect to pensionable earnings and pension accrual | B+ |
| Confirm that forest / wildland firefighters are not excluded from the definition of public safety occupation (PSO) and therefore deserve the same rights and benefits as other PSOs | B+ |
| Agree to use your governing power to change the National Occupation Classification to explicitly include forest / wildland firefighter under the same category of firefighter | F |
| Average grade | C |
While individual Liberal MPs have supported fairness for wildland firefighters, including in a vote at the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security (SECU) in April 2024, the Liberal government failed to correct the NOC or offer a clear path to fixing it. Instead, they stalled and offered countless meetings and workshops of senior government officials and government staff.
Grade: A
| Recognize that wildland / forest firefighters are firefighters and thereby accord them equality with other firefighters with respect to pensionable earnings and pension accrual | A |
| Confirm that forest / wildland firefighters are not excluded from the definition of public safety occupation (PSO) and therefore deserve the same rights and benefits as other PSOs | A |
| Agree to use your governing power to change the National Occupation Classification to explicitly include forest / wildland firefighter under the same category of firefighter | A |
| Average grade | A |
The Conservative Party has supported the campaign for fair treatment for wildland firefighters and have formally promised to change the NOC if they form the government.
Grade: A
| Recognize that wildland / forest firefighters are firefighters and thereby accord them equality with other firefighters with respect to pensionable earnings and pension accrual | A |
| Confirm that forest / wildland firefighters are not excluded from the definition of public safety occupation (PSO) and therefore deserve the same rights and benefits as other PSOs | A |
| Agree to use your governing power to change the National Occupation Classification to explicitly include forest / wildland firefighter under the same category of firefighter | A |
| Average grade | A |
The New Democratic Party has supported the campaign for fair treatment for wildland firefighters and have formally promised to change the NOC if they form government.
Grade: A
| Recognize that wildland / forest firefighters are firefighters and thereby accord them equality with other firefighters with respect to pensionable earnings and pension accrual | A |
| Confirm that forest / wildland firefighters are not excluded from the definition of public safety occupation (PSO) and therefore deserve the same rights and benefits as other PSOs | A |
| Agree to use your governing power to change the National Occupation Classification to explicitly include forest / wildland firefighter under the same category of firefighter | A |
| Average grade | A |
The Green Party has supported the campaign for fair treatment for wildland firefighters and have formally promised to change the NOC if they form government.
Ask Your Candidates
Do you support including wildland firefighters in the definition of firefighter in the National Occupation Classification (NOC) so that they have the same protections, benefits, and recognition as other firefighters?
Climate change
The impacts of the climate crisis are getting worse. Extreme weather and disasters have forced people to evacuate their homes, disrupted livelihoods, and threatened our health. The impacts of climate change disproportionately affect marginalized communities.
While we have made some progress in transitioning away from a reliance on fossil fuels, much more needs to be done. That includes making sure people in communities where fossil fuel production is a major part of the economy aren’t left behind. It is also important to help communities cope with the climate change that is already here.
NUPGE Position
NUPGE believes that governments have a crucial role to play in addressing this crisis and facilitating the transition to a more equitable and sustainable economy. We have advocated for this to be done through a strong public sector, including investing in public services. Learn more: Tackling the Climate Crisis: Towards a Just, Sustainable, and Public Future. NUPGE has also supported a real Just Transition, which means that the shift to a low-carbon economy is fair and just for workers and communities. We have pressured the federal government for legislation, including advocacy on the Canadian Sustainable Jobs Act.
Party track records on Climate Change
B+
D-
A-
A+
Grade: C
| Supporting the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy | C |
| Holding industry and big polluters accountable | B |
| Supporting a real Just Transition for workers and communities | B |
| Process for assessing the impacts of resource projects on the environment, the public, and Indigenous rights | C |
| Respecting Indigenous rights and sovereignty in relation to resource projects | D |
| Average grade | C |
In the 2000s, the Liberal government’s climate agenda was weak and focused on voluntary actions and subsidies. The current government’s efforts have included emissions reduction targets and accountability, a cap on oil and gas pollution, regulations supporting renewable electricity, and investments in green home retrofits and zero-emission vehicles. However, the Liberal government has continued to support fossil fuel extraction, including with billions in subsidies, which undermines progress on climate action.
The Liberals’ Canadian Sustainable Jobs Act, which sets up the framework for a Just Transition, passed in 2024. While Just Transition legislation was promised during the 2019 election campaign, a bill wasn’t introduced until 2023.
The government recognizes the role of Indigenous knowledge and leadership in climate action but has excluded Indigenous people from decision-making and violated their rights.
Grade: F
| Supporting the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy | F |
| Holding industry and big polluters accountable | F |
| Supporting a real Just Transition for workers and communities | D |
| Process for assessing the impacts of resource projects on the environment, the public, and Indigenous rights | F |
| Respecting Indigenous rights and sovereignty in relation to resource projects | F |
| Average grade | F |
Under Harper, the Conservative government cut climate programs and environmental regulations, promoted fossil fuel extraction and invested in subsidies, and withdrew Canada from the Kyoto Accord. The Harper government failed to consult with Indigenous communities on resource extraction, thus violating their inherent rights. And the Conservative government targeted environmental groups and muzzled climate scientists.
While Pierre Poilievre is famous for his ‘Axe the Tax’ slogan against the consumer carbon price, he has also said he would eliminate regulations that hold industrial polluters accountable, cap pollution from the oil and gas sector, and ensure that resource projects are assessed for their impacts on the public, the environment, and Indigenous rights. In 2023, the Conservatives tried to block the Canadian Sustainable Jobs Act.
Grade: A-
| Supporting the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy | B+ |
| Holding industry and big polluters accountable | A |
| Supporting a real Just Transition for workers and communities | A |
| Process for assessing the impacts of resource projects on the environment, the public, and Indigenous rights | B+ |
| Respecting Indigenous rights and sovereignty in relation to resource projects | A |
| Average grade | A- |
Just Transition legislation to protect workers and communities was one of the priorities in the NDP’s Supply and Confidence Agreement (SACA) with the Liberal government. The SACA also included efforts to support workers’ retention, redeployment and training, and the government announced new funding in 2024 and 2025.
In 2024, the NDP tabled private member’s bills on banning fossil fuel advertising that misleadingly frames the industry as offering solutions to the climate crisis and imposing a windfall profit tax on oil and gas companies that have made excessive profits.
The NDP has supported climate action such as investing in renewable energy, community ownership of energy projects, expanding public transit, ending fossil fuel subsidies, and respect for Indigenous rights and lands.
Grade: B
| Supporting the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy | B+ |
| Holding industry and big polluters accountable | B |
| Supporting a real Just Transition for workers and communities | B |
| Process for assessing the impacts of resource projects on the environment, the public, and Indigenous rights | B |
| Respecting Indigenous rights and sovereignty in relation to resource projects | A |
| Average grade | B |
The Green Party supported Just Transition legislation but criticized the delayed action plan in the Canadian Sustainable Jobs Act. The National Strategy on Environmental Racism and Environmental Justice Act, which became law in 2024, was the result of a Green private member’s bill. The Green Party has supported climate action such as investments in renewable energy, public infrastructure projects, investing in public transit, and ending fossil fuel subsidies.
Ask Your Candidates
- Public services, and the workers who deliver them, play a key role in responding to the impacts of climate change. How will you ensure that we have robust, well-funded public services to respond to the climate crisis?
- How will you ensure workers have a say on the transition to a low-carbon economy?
- Will you commit to respecting Indigenous rights and sovereignty over land and resources?
Tax fairness
To get Canada through Trump’s tariffs, respond to climate change and just provide the services we rely on every day, tax revenue is important. Unfortunately, because large corporations and the wealthy have been allowed to avoid paying their fair share, Canada’s ability to deal with difficult situations has suffered.
With the challenges facing our country today, we can’t afford tax cuts and loopholes for the wealthy and large corporations. And we certainly can’t afford to let them keep getting away with moving their money to tax havens.
NUPGE Position
NUPGE believes that tax fairness is essential if we want a Canada where no one is left behind. In addition to funding the public services we all rely on, tax fairness helps discourage things like the price gouging that contributed to the affordability crisis.
That’s why NUPGE advocates for measures to make the tax system fairer including:
- Raising the federal corporate income tax rate to 20% and introducing a minimum tax of 15% on corporate book profits to deal with the problem of tax avoidance
- A publicly accessibility beneficial ownership registry with strict reporting requirements to make tax dodging and money laundering more difficult
- Taxing capital gains above the lifetime exemption—such as cashing in stock options and profits from real estate speculation—at the same rate as earned income
- A wealth tax on the very wealthy
- Closing tax loopholes that largely benefit the wealthy and large corporations
- Providing the Canada Revenue Agency with the resources needed to deal with tax dodging by the wealthy and large corporations
Party track records on Tax Fairness
B+
D-
A-
A+
Grade: F
| Introduce a wealth tax | F |
| Make corporate taxes more progressive with an excessive profits tax and restore the corporate income tax rate to its pre-Harper level | F |
| Close the capital gains loophole used disproportionately by the wealthy | D- |
| A publicly accessibility beneficial ownership registry with strict reporting requirements | C- |
| Providing the Canada Revenue Agency with the resources needed to deal with tax dodging by the wealthy and large corporations, including their use of tax havens | D- |
| Average grade | F |
The digital services tax the Liberal government introduced will mean the multi-national digital companies will pay a small tax on revenue generated in Canada (previously they paid nothing). The Liberals brought in legislation to create a beneficial ownership registry, but the regulations they put in place are so weak that many companies don’t have to file.
On capital gains the Liberals flip-flopped—bringing the tax rate for capital gains closer to the rate for earned income and then reversing that policy. The Liberals’ promise to cut personal income taxes will benefit the richest 30% of income earners the most.
Some additional resources were provided to the CRA to deal with tax dodging, but cuts to staffing levels announced in the last year will undermine those efforts. There are questions about Mark Carney’s involvement in setting up investment funds in Bermuda, a notorious tax haven, when he was chair of Brookfield Asset Management.
Grade: F
| Introduce a wealth tax | F |
| Make corporate taxes more progressive with an excessive profits tax and restore the corporate income tax rate to its pre-Harper level | F |
| Close the capital gains loophole used disproportionately by the wealthy | F |
| A publicly accessibility beneficial ownership registry with strict reporting requirements | C |
| Providing the Canada Revenue Agency with the resources needed to deal with tax dodging by the wealthy and large corporations, including their use of tax havens | F |
| Average grade | F |
While the Conservatives criticized Mark Carney for his role at Brookfield, their policies will make it easier for large corporations and the wealthy to avoid paying their share. When they were last in government, Conservatives cuts to the CRA undermined its ability to go after wealthy tax cheats and the across the board cuts the Conservatives have announced to the public service are expected to make things even worse.
Conservatives have opposed all measures to make large corporations and the wealthy pay their share, including the digital services tax, a wealth tax and a windfall profits tax. Like the Liberals, the Conservatives have been promising tax cuts which, while allegedly for the middle-class, provide the greatest benefit to the richest 30% of income earners. The Conservatives voted for the legislation to create the beneficial ownership registry.
Grade: A
| Introduce a wealth tax | A |
| Make corporate taxes more progressive with an excessive profits tax and restore the corporate income tax rate to its pre-Harper level | A |
| Close the capital gains loophole used disproportionately by the wealthy | A |
| A publicly accessibility beneficial ownership registry with strict reporting requirements | A |
| Providing the Canada Revenue Agency with the resources needed to deal with tax dodging by the wealthy and large corporations, including their use of tax havens | A |
| Average grade | A |
New Democrats support keeping the increase in the rate at which capital gains are taxed. Last year the NDP called for the corporate income tax rate to be increased and for a wealth tax. The NDP has also called for a windfall profits tax.
The NDP are proposing to increase the basic personal amount tax credit to $19,500. Everyone would see some benefit, but, with the increase in capital gains taxes the NDP are proposing the wealthiest 1% would pay more. The NDP voted for the legislation to create the beneficial ownership registry.
Grade: B+
| Introduce a wealth tax | A |
| Make corporate taxes more progressive with an excessive profits tax and restore the corporate income tax rate to its pre-Harper level | A |
| Close the capital gains loophole used disproportionately by the wealthy | B |
| A publicly accessibility beneficial ownership registry with strict reporting requirements | A |
| Providing the Canada Revenue Agency with the resources needed to deal with tax dodging by the wealthy and large corporations, including their use of tax havens | B |
| Average grade | B+ |
The Green Party support closing loopholes used by large corporations to avoid paying their share and increasing the corporate income tax rate to 22%. They support wealth taxes and keeping the increased rate for capital gains tax. The Green Party is proposing an increase in the basic personal amount tax credit to $40,000 which would provide the greatest benefit to people with incomes between $95,000 and $129,000. The Green Party voted for the legislation to create the beneficial ownership registry.
Ask Your Candidates
- Do you support an excess profits tax on corporations found to be gouging Canadians?
- If you don’t think it’s acceptable for large corporations like Brookfield to use tax havens, what changes would you make to stop them from doing so?
Bodily Autonomy
Reproductive health and gender affirming care are the cornerstones of bodily autonomy. How we present and identify ourselves, who we love, if and when we bring children into this world are fundamental and incredibly personal questions. A strong labour force requires workers to have the freedom and ability to assert their bodily autonomy.
NUPGE Position
NUPGE believes bodily autonomy is a crucial issue for our membership in this election. The pink tax and period poverty threaten the economic wellbeing of workers who menstruate. Pregnancy crisis centres (typically anti-choice organizations) with charity status outnumber clinics providing abortion services in most provinces. Access to pharmacare and comprehensive health care ensures all people have a choice in caring for their bodies. Gender identity and expression, and the access to care that reaffirms gender identity, not threatens it – this is a human right unions must fight for.
Party track records on Bodily Autonomy
B+
D-
A-
A+
Grade: B-
| Recognizing gender identity, gender expression, and sexuality as a human right | A- |
| Reproductive health care access as a right | C |
| Nuanced understanding of how bodily autonomy manifests among different people | B |
| Average grade | B- |
During their tenure, the Liberal Party of Canada, in collaboration with the NDP, passed the Pharmacare Act which included access to contraception, which is part of gender affirming medication. In 2017, the Liberals also introduced Bill C-16 (A bill adding gender identity and expression to the Human Rights Act and the Criminal Code). Announced in the 2021 Budget, the Sexual and Reproductive Health Fund provides funding to increase the accessibility of healthcare services to the most vulnerable people. However, access to this healthcare, especially in rural or remote communities, is hard if not impossible to access, requiring patients to take time off and pay out of pocket to travel to city centres (sometimes out of province) to access services. The Liberal government has also failed to recognize the disproportionate lack of bodily autonomy Indigenous women have in Canadian society, rejecting calls to criminalize forced sterilization.
Prime Minister Mark Carney has not put forward any policy proposals regarding bodily autonomy, but the Minister of Women and Gender Equality, a key figure on advocating for bodily autonomy in the previous cabinet, is noticeably missing from his current Ministers list.
Grade: F
| Recognizing gender identity, gender expression, and sexuality as a human right | F |
| Reproductive health care access as a right | F |
| Nuanced understanding of how bodily autonomy manifests among different people | F |
| Average grade | F |
When it comes to bodily autonomy, the usual conservative calls for “freedom” fall silent and there is even antagonism. When it comes to the charter protected freedom of sexuality, 62 Conservatives voted against Bill C-6 (which would criminalize forced conversion therapy, a pseudo-scientific process that can amount to torture. Considering it is disproportionately perpetrated against children, it is also defined as child abuse) and 40 Conservatives voted against preventing discrimination based on gender identity and expression. In addition to being the strongest voice in the house against gender affirming care, being unable to accurately define gender, the Conservatives and Pierre Poilievre have no specific plan for reproductive healthcare, including services for the 10-15% of cisgender men who struggle with infertility. In fact, the Conservative Party regularly votes to limit access or funding for reproductive health, from contraception to IVF treatments, meaning Canadians will have to spend thousands of dollars for family-planning support.
Grade: A
| Recognizing gender identity, gender expression, and sexuality as a human right | A |
| Reproductive health care access as a right | A |
| Nuanced understanding of how bodily autonomy manifests among different people | A |
| Average grade | A |
Long-time proponents of universal healthcare and pharmacare, the NDP were the reason the Pharmacare Act, which provided access to many medications, including contraceptives, to the population of Canada, was tabled. The NDP are also incredibly vocal on the issues of access to medical treatments and support, especially for sexual and reproductive health. They are the only party that recognizes reproductive healthcare as gender-affirming and are the only party that has explicitly mentioned in previous platforms how a lack of access disproportionately affects gender-diverse folks, rural, Black, and Indigenous women. They are also the most vocal for justice for Indigenous women who survived forced sterilization, requesting the RCMP carry out a full investigation into forced sterilization in 2019.
Grade: A-
| Recognizing gender identity, gender expression, and sexuality as a human right | A |
| Reproductive health care access as a right | A |
| Nuanced understanding of how bodily autonomy manifests among different people | B |
| Average grade | A- |
The Green Party’s record on bodily autonomy includes support for motions recognizing a person’s right to choose and their website specifies access to reproductive healthcare for all as a tenet of their overall healthcare plan. It also pledges to protect rights and access to gender-affirming care. Co-leader of the Green Party, Elizabeth May has been outspoken on the need for a single-payer healthcare system that recognizes and supports services specifically for LGBTQ2+ individuals.
Ask Your Candidates
- How will you change the existing healthcare and pharmacare systems to better meet the needs of equity-seeking groups?
- Does your party have any plans to enshrine the right to choose, and the right to access reproductive healthcare in law?
- How will you combat the misinformation and the growing threats against the 2SLGBTQIA+ communities?
Truth and Reconciliation and Justice for Indigenous Peoples
In what is now Canada, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s (TRC) Calls to Action, and the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG2) Calls to Justice remain largely unanswered and unactioned.
NUPGE Position
NUPGE is committed to doing our part in ensuring we defend and advance the rights of Indigenous workers. Through our work with the NUPGE Indigenous Issues Committee, and the Anti-Racism Committee, we will continue work in solidarity with and to support our Indigenous members, to build platforms for and relationships with Indigenous peoples, and to create resources such as the Justice for Indigenous Peoples Policy Paper.
Our members must listen to Indigenous voices, both those from among our membership and those external to our union, to ensure Truth and Reconciliation is at the forefront of this election. NUPGE is a non-Indigenous organization, and as such we will be elevating the opinions and analyses of Indigenous news publications, thinktanks, journalists, and organizations, to illuminate some of the party records on truth and reconciliation.
Party track records on Truth and Reconciliation and Justice for Indigenous Peoples
B+
D-
A-
A+
Grade: D
| Recognition of colonial history, systemic anti-Indigenous racism and genocide of Indigenous peoples of Canada | C- |
| Adoption of Indigenous frameworks (such as Calls to Action, Calls to Justice, UNDRIP) | D |
| Prioritizes Indigenous consent over consultation | D |
| Average grade | D |
The Liberal Party has been in power since the publication of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action, meaning they would have the most feasible opportunity to address the Calls to Action, as promised in June of 2015 by then-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. However, as of 2023, 81 Calls remain unfulfilled. From the purchase of the Transmountain Pipeline to the millions of dollars spent fighting against First Nations in court to the militarized response to the Wet’suwet’en land defenders to the now infamous departure of Jody Wilson-Raybould from the Liberal Party, the Liberal legacy on Indigenous Peoples and Truth and Reconciliation is marked by a list of broken promises.
Prime Minister Mark Carney has not explicitly stated how he intends to move forward the Liberal’s decade-long promise, but he claimed to focus on economic reconciliation and projects consistent with UNDRIP. According to the Yellowhead Institute, economic reconciliation is an “…exploitative or predatory behaviour… performative measures and actions serve as window dressing to manage Canada’s reputation.”
Grade: F
| Recognition of colonial history, systemic anti-Indigenous racism and genocide of Indigenous peoples of Canada | F |
| Adoption of Indigenous frameworks (such as Calls to Action, Calls to Justice, UNDRIP) | F |
| Prioritizes Indigenous consent over consultation | F |
| Average grade | F |
The Conservative legacy on truth and reconciliation is marked by apology statements, denialism, and a refusal to vote in support of Indigenous legal frameworks.
It appears Pierre Poilievre has recently recognized Indigenous Peoples as worthy of attention; between 2004-2018 he mentioned First Nations or Indigenous Peoples 4 times. Since 2019, the number of mentions has risen to 29, “… mostly about economics and resource revenue-sharing agreements”. The intentions of the Conservative’s Indigenous policy proposals remain paternalistic and ignorant of the constitutional requirement of consultation. Some Indigenous scholars believe a conservative government would offload government obligations to Indigenous Peoples to private industry. Poilievre has also aimed at abolishing the Indian Act, with Indigenous experts worried that a replacement would be worse by limiting or all together stopping Indigenous title and self-determination.
Grade: B+
| Recognition of colonial history, systemic anti-Indigenous racism and genocide of Indigenous peoples of Canada | B+ |
| Adoption of Indigenous frameworks (such as Calls to Action, Calls to Justice, UNDRIP) | B+ |
| Prioritizes Indigenous consent over consultation | A |
| Average grade | B+ |
In 2019, the New Democrats put forward a platform that included more funding for Indigenous Communities than all other parties combined. Self-determination and consent (not just consultation) are key features of previous policy platforms, though it’s unclear how they would make this a reality without legislation, something the NDP have not touched on. The NDP has a record of building relationships with communities and recruiting Indigenous candidates within their own party, and have historically outlined a significant plan that addresses issues like cellular and internet access in the north, implementing the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal’s decision on Indigenous child welfare, and developing an Indigenous national housing strategy.
Grade: B+
| Recognition of colonial history, systemic anti-Indigenous racism and genocide of Indigenous peoples of Canada | B |
| Adoption of Indigenous frameworks (such as Calls to Action, Calls to Justice, UNDRIP) | B+ |
| Prioritizes Indigenous consent over consultation | A |
| Average grade | B+ |
Like the New Democrats, the Greens have historically shared a proposal that calls to adapt Indigenous frameworks or court rulings, to increase funding for issues like mental health, and Indigenous arts and languages.
Ask Your Candidates
- Which Calls to Action and Calls to Justice will your government prioritize?
- How will you incorporate Indigenous voices into your decision making?
- In what ways will your party approach Métis, Inuit, and First Nations communities differently?
- How will you address racial disparities in the child welfare system?