Establish Citizen’s Income (“Mincome”)

In Dauphin, Manitoba in the 1970’s, Canada tried an experimental minimum income (“mincome”) program.  The results were encouraging, but it was shut down by an incoming federal government and its results were locked away without study. We want to revive the mincome program, first on an experimental level to prove feasibility, and then on a national level. A Citizen’s Income is an unconditional, non-withdrawable income payable to each individual as a right of citizenship. Consumer spending drives the economy, and we acknowledge that without a basic amount of spending money you do not have much freedom to speak of.

Efficiently Process Asylum Seekers and Treat Them Properly

Quite rightly, Canada is a party to international agreements pertaining to asylum. We have an obligation to provide sanctuary to those individuals who have been forced to flee their homes. We should ensure that those people who come to Canada seeking asylum are treated fairly and are given decisions quickly about their status. Once asylum seekers have been granted asylum they should be given assistance to ensure that their time here is productive and beneficial to them and to Canada, including access to employment and education.

Digital Accessibility

We will promote the inclusion of accessibility features, such as subtitles and audio descriptions for the disabled. Our aim is to make content accessible for disabled people.

We will introduce an obligation for publishers to provide a DRM-free copy of their product where necessary to allow the use of accessibility programs (for example, voice synthesiser software to “read out” an e-book to a visually impaired person).

A Fairer Deal for Interns

We will ensure that the minimum wage applies to interns gaining experience within for-profit companies to limit the impact of abuses of the intern system.

A Rational Points Based Immigration System

Canada is an immigrant nation. It is built on collaborations between citizens from diverse backgrounds. Canada, at its best, serves as a  microcosm for the international community. Collaboration and kinship between all cultures and nationalities

From an economic perspective, the demand for certain skills that are in short supply in Canada has made immigration vitally important for both the public and the private sector. Well- managed and well-controlled immigration is important to ensure that Canada remains competitive and innovative. We will therefore ensure that immigration is well managed by ensuring that record keeping related to entry into and departure from Canada is suitable. Without detailed information about the flow of people into and out of the country it will become difficult to ensure that the areas where immigrants are settling are able to cope with both changes in the level of demand and changes in demographics.

Immigration applications should be considered not only on the basis of what skills an immigrant brings to his sponsor and whether an applicant is able to support themselves without any recourse to public funds, but also where the applicant is intending to live and work.