Where Do The Parties Stand?

For years, Project Confederation has been at the forefront of the fight for provincial autonomy, equalization reform, and fair treatment for provinces.

Now, as Canadians head to the polls, many of the issues we’ve been talking about for years have taken center stage in the campaign.

Obviously, the parties all have many policies on many different issues, but we want to highlight their stances on the issues that Project Confederation is focused on.

So, let’s take a look at where they stand:

Consumer and Industrial Carbon Taxes

Canada introduced both industrial and consumer carbon taxes in 2019, and they’ve been driving up prices ever since. Oil and gas is the industry that powers every other industry, and when costs go up for energy, they go up for everything else that relies on it! How each party has responded to these taxes speaks volumes about their approach to affordability and energy policy.

• The Liberal Party have paused the consumer carbon tax, and say they plan to eliminate it should they win the next election. Liberal Leader Mark Carney, however, says that his party is still committed to strong action on climate change and he plans to significantly hike the industrial carbon tax to make up for the elimination of the consumer tax.
  
  
• The Conservative Party plans to scrap both the consumer and industrial carbon taxes. "Axe The Tax" has been Leader Pierre Poilievre's rallying cry since well before the campaign began, and after the Liberal government paused the consumer carbon tax, Poilievre clarified that he plans to "Axe" both the consumer and industrial carbon taxes.
  
  
• The New Democratic Party wants to scrap the consumer tax, or at least has accepted that this is inevitable since the Liberals announced they would be doing so. NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says he will keep the industrial carbon tax though, and also wants to introduce a "Border Carbon Adjustment" (in other words, another tax) on goods coming into Canada.
  
  
• The Green Party doesn’t actually mention either carbon tax in their current platform, but they do talk about making polluters pay, so we assume they support keeping the taxes in place. They also say that they will "switch to 100% clean energy", so perhaps they just don’t think there will be any emissions left to tax?
  
  
• The People's Party also says that they will cut both the consumer and industrial carbon taxes. Their platform also says they will abolish all climate change programs and withdraw from the Paris Accord.

Oil and Gas Emissions / Production Cap

The federal emissions cap is set to be phased in starting in 2026, and requires oil and gas industry emissions to be at least 27% lower by 2030-32 compared to 2026. In reality, the emissions cap is actually a production cap on oil and gas, because carbon capture technology will not be widely available in time to meet these targets without cutting production. The distinction is important because the federal government has the constitutional authority to regulate environmental issues, but not to limit production of a particularly industry in a province. The cap, therefore, is simply a legal loophole designed to allow the federal government to do something it has no jurisdiction to do, just under a different name.

• The Liberal Party says that they continue to support the cap they introduced as the government, and will keep it in place. As with Justin Trudeau, Mark Carney asserts that the emissions cap does not cap production. They are also proposing a cap-and-trade system where companies that emit less than their allowance can sell credits to companies that emit more than their allowance.
  
  
• The Conservative Party plans to repeal the oil and gas emissions cap. Pierre Poilievre says that the “job-killing energy cap” is holding back Canadian growth.
  
  
• The New Democratic Party has a platform point that specifically says they will keep the emissions cap in place. They do say that workers will be protected while the economy transitions, but don’t specify how.
  
  
• The Green Party do not specifically mention the emissions cap in their platform, but have previously criticized the proposal for being too soft. They say it is "abstract and minimalist, and in no way responds to the urgency of the current situation".
  
  
• The People's Party wants to abandon all "unrealistic emissions targets", stop providing subsidies to the renewable energy industry, and stop spending money helping other nations reduce their emissions.

Bill C-69 - The Impact Assessment Act

Bill C-69, The Impact Assessment Act, is also often known as the "No More Pipelines Bill." However, this title only scratches the surface of the Act’s broad and far-reaching implications. The Act does not merely impact pipeline projects - it extends the federal government's control over a range of large-scale infrastructure and development projects, both interprovincial and within provinces themselves. This represents a significant shift in federal power, as it allows the federal government to regulate projects that are traditionally within provincial jurisdiction.

• The Liberal Party says they will not repeal Bill C-69. Instead, Mark Carney has promised a “one project, one approval” process to streamline assessments. And, while the process may be simplified, the fundamental structure of Bill C-69 remains in place, continuing to impose significant restrictions on development and limiting economic growth. Carney has also recently defended the policy by saying that all major energy projects, even those fully within a province, would need the approval of all provinces - which is not the case constitutionally.
  
  
• The Conservative Party has pledged to repeal Bill C-69. In addition, they are proposing a “One-and-Done” approval system that would create a single application and environmental review process. Though this may sound like a copy of the Liberal “one project, one approval” plan, the Liberal plan was announced two days after the Conservative plan. The Conservative plan also sets a target of six months - and a maximum of one year - for project approvals to cut red tape and accelerate development. 
  
  
• The New Democratic Party supports keeping Bill C-69 in place. They have said that pipelines are not a priority, and instead favour an east-west clean electricity network. Leader Jagmeet Singh has criticized the Liberals for being “hypocritical” on their environmental stance by buying a pipeline while imposing Bill C-69.
  
  
• The Green Party makes it pretty clear in their platform: “We will stop all new fossil fuel projects.” I guess you don’t need an approval process if you don’t plan to approve anything!
  
  
• The People's Party would repeal Bill C-69. Their platform says that the party will reassert federal jurisdiction over pipeline construction by invoking section 92(10) of the Constitution. Maxime Bernier says that by doing so, Parliament can declare any project to be for the general advantage of Canada.
  

Equalization and Transfer Payments

One of the most persistent controversies in Confederation is the federal system of equalization and transfer payments. Equalization is fundamentally flawed, unfair, and politically biased - particularly for western provinces, but also for Newfoundland and Labrador. Other transfer programs are often controversial right across the country, as the federal government dangles funding in front of provincial governments, but will only provide the funding if conditions are met, as a way to impose federal policy on provinces in areas of provincial jurisdiction.

• The Liberal Party has released a policy document that indicates major changes to government operating and capital budgets, however it explicitly notes that transfer programs like equalization, the Canada Health Transfer, the Canada Social Transfer, etc, will not be changed.
  
  
• The Conservative Party has not yet made any official announcements on their plans for transfer programs, but Pierre Poilievre has told Radio-Canada that he doesn’t anticipate making any “big changes” to Canada’s equalization program if the Conservatives form government after the next election.
  
  
• The New Democratic Party has made no statements or platform promises related to equalization. However, they did support maintaining the current equalization formula when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau quietly renewed it in 2023.
  
  
• The Green Party has made no statements or platform promises related to equalization.
  
  
• The People's Party wants to substantially reduce equalization payments, end automatic increases, and redesign the formula to promote self-sufficiency and economic growth in all provinces.
  

Domestic and International Free Trade

President Trump's policies and proposals on tariffs have brought international free trade to the forefront. In particular, he has called out Canada’s system of supply management, which limits the availability of products on shelves and artificially inflates grocery prices above international levels. Trump’s trade policies have also highlighted the importance of interprovincial free trade, a core focus of Project Confederation. Ensuring that individuals and businesses can sell products across Canada and compete on a level playing field with other provinces is just as crucial as fostering international trade.

• The Liberal Party is promising to match US tariffs while expanding free trade with other global partners. The Liberals also say that any changes to the supply management system are “off the table”. Leader Mark Carney also wants to have interprovincial free trade by Canada Day.
  
  
• The Conservative Party supports retaliatory tariffs on US goods that Canada can source elsewhere. They have also said they would protect farmers under supply management - it’s a “red line” in any trade talks. The Conservatives want to massively increase internal trade in Canada and offer provinces a Free Trade Bonus to get a deal done.
  
  
• The New Democratic Party have called for dollar-for-dollar retaliatory tariffs, including a 100% tariff on Tesla vehicles, and advocated for changes to procurement policies to ensure Canada purchases Canadian-made steel and aluminium. They also say they will not allow supply management to be part of any trade negotiations with the US and want to work with provinces to eliminate interprovincial trade barriers.
  
  
• The Green Party believes that counter-tariffs and retaliation are not enough in a trade war with the United States. Leader Elizabeth May has suggested the need to create strategic reserves of raw materials like forest products, aluminium, potash, bitumen, and uranium, along with a Canadian Crown corporation to manage these reserves. While they have taken no position on supply management in this election, May has defended the system in the past. The Green Party do also want to remove trade barriers between provinces.
  
  
• The People’s Party has long advocated for ending supply management altogether. Leader Maxime Bernier says that Canada cannot win a trade war with the United States and has criticized the Canadian Government's counter-tariffs. He said there should be no tariffs on either side. The People's Party also wants to tear down interprovincial trade barriers.

This election could shape the future of Confederation.

The old system is broken - and the next Parliament could either double down on it, or finally give provinces the freedom they deserve.

Project Confederation is cutting through the noise to make sure Canadians know where the parties really stand.

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Thank you for your continued support!

- The Project Confederation Team