The Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) released a provincial election platform today; a document with taxpayer friendly initiatives for political parties to consider as they work on their election platforms.
The taxpayer-friendly platform includes policy ideas on tax relief, spending, justice matters, environmental policy, accountability measures, health care, and the debt.
“We wanted to provide political parties with some constructive policy ideas that are taxpayer friendly,” said CTF Prairie Director Colin Craig. “From giving taxpayers the power to boot unaccountable politicians from office to an environmental initiative that doesn’t require government funding, there are plenty of ideas in the document to consider.”
Some of the highlights include:
Cooperative Curriculum - Partner with other provinces to share curriculum documents instead of having people working on similar material in each province.
Liberate Cabinet Documents – Current information laws require cabinet documents to be kept confidential for 25 years before the public has the right to see them. Reduce the period down to one year or less.
Phase-out School Property Taxes – Join Atlantic Provinces by working to eliminate school taxes all together.
Recall Legislation – Just like you can take back a new TV that doesn’t work, why not be able to return a politician that isn’t accountable? Join B.C. by passing “recall legislation” – a law that allows citizens to remove a politician from office if enough citizens in the politicians’ riding sign a petition.
Province-wide “Giveaway Weekends” – Designate weekends for citizens to put out unwanted goods - that still have life in them - on the curb with a “free” sign on the pile. Others are free to come by and poach the articles. It keeps useful materials out of landfills without requiring a bureaucracy or spending tax dollars. Ottawa has held Giveaway Weekends for years and the CTF helped bring it to Winnipeg in 2009.
To view the entire platform – click here.
Is Canada Off Track?
Canada has problems. You see them at gas station. You see them at the grocery store. You see them on your taxes.
Is anyone listening to you to find out where you think Canada’s off track and what you think we could do to make things better?
You can tell us what you think by filling out the survey