https://www.thestar.com/politics/federal/2021/09/01/national-child-care-and-climate-action-justin-trudeaus-liberal-party-releases-full-election-platform.html
Justin Trudeau unveils Liberal election platform that proposes $78B in new spending over five years
In an attempt to paint themselves in stark contrast with Erin O’Toole’s Conservatives, the Liberals laid out a $78-billion election platform on Wednesday that stresses access to abortion, tougher gun control and government programs for increased climate action and national child care.
In Toronto, Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau also spoke ardently about the need for mandatory vaccinations against COVID-19 — an issue his party has emphasized in the face of regular protests on the campaign trail. He portrayed O’Toole and Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-Francois Blanchet as unwilling to take the same stand as the Liberals, who are promising to make vaccinations mandatory for federal civil servants, as well as for passengers on airplanes and trains.
It was part of an overall broadside against the Conservatives, as Trudeau accused O’Toole of poor leadership on a range of issues he claimed the Liberals would better champion if they are returned to power in the Sept. 20 federal election.
“What Erin O’Toole is doing is not leadership — courting special interests from anti-vaxxers to climate deniers, from the gun lobby to anti-choice organizations, failing to mention racism even once in his platform and ripping up $10-a-day child care agreements across the country,” Trudeau said.
Responding to the Liberal platform, O’Toole said the policy document amounted to “recycled promises and some tweaks to a two-year budget” that offered an incomplete plan for economic recovery.
“I think Canadians deserve better than that. Mr. Trudeau called the election, and just recycled some promises he’s already failed to deliver on from the previous election,” the Conservative leader told reporters in Ottawa.
The NDP, meanwhile, questioned whether the Liberals would follow through with the pledges in their election platform. Leader Jagmeet Singh said in a statement that the Liberals have voted down NDP efforts to increase taxes on the rich, end for-profit long-term care and start implementing a national pharmacare program.
The Liberal platform refers to a commitment to pharmacare, but provides no timeline on how to get there.