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.
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’s 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+
Liberal Party
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.
Conservative Party
The Conservatives have generally supported back-to-work legislation. While the Conservatives eventually supported anti-scab legislation, in the past Pierre Poilievre has opposed it, as well as supporting American-style “right to work” legislation that has been used to weaken the voices of working people in the United States.
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.
New Democratic Party (NDP)
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.
Green Party of Canada
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?