The election campaign is in full swing, and parties are making a flurry of announcements and pledges.
Here’s a few items from recent announcements to put on your radar.
As we know from our latest research (more details on that will be revealed next week), engaged women in Canada care about policies that impact economic prosperity and social well-being.
Recent developments in energy infrastructure, housing, and tax policies are pivotal topics, so we’re sharing a few party announcements based on what our research shows engaged women care about.
On energy corridors —
We wrote about the importance of energy corridors last week, and the good news is that it’s on the radar of some parties.
The Conservative Party unveiled a plan to establish a pre-approved national energy corridor aimed at expediting the development of key energy infrastructure projects across Canada. This initiative seeks to streamline approvals and reduce delays for projects such as pipelines and transmission lines. Read more via the Financial Post.
The Liberal Party shared plans and met with premiers just over a week ago to discuss removing trade barriers and moving energy and critical minerals across the country more efficiently with an energy corridor. While it is not clear if the Liberal Party supports a pipeline as part of this corridor, Carney said using federal tax dollars to build a pipeline was not “black and white” but said it wouldn’t be ruled out. Read more via CTV News.
On housing —
Yesterday the Liberals detailed their plans to double the pace of homebuilding to nearly 500,000 homes per year. The strategy includes unlocking public land for development, creating a national public builder called Build Canada Homes, and reducing development fees. It also proposes a Canadian Renters’ Bill of Rights, limits on rent increases, and new supports for first-time buyers. Read more via CBC News.
The Conservatives last week again pledged to eliminate the GST on new homes up to $1.3 million, aiming to cut costs for buyers, increase housing supply by 36,000 homes annually, and address affordability concerns in high-cost cities like Vancouver and Toronto. The party first announced a GST cut in October 2024 for homes under $1 million, and upped the ante in March. The Liberals followed suit and pledged a similar GST tax cut on first-time home buyers this March. More via the National Post.
The NDP also pledged to use all available federal Crown land suitable for housing to build more than 100,000 rent-controlled homes by 2035. The plan includes $1 billion for a Public Land Acquisition Fund, streamlined approvals for projects on federal land, and targeted support for non-profits, co-ops, and Indigenous communities through a proposed Community Housing Bank. Read more via the Globe and Mail.
On tax policy —
Both the Conservatives and the Liberals are promising support to encourage investment and support economic growth driven by entrepreneurs.
Prime Minister Mark Carney recently cancelled a proposed increase to the capital gains tax, a move that would have raised taxes on profits made from selling investments like stocks, real estate, and businesses. The plan would have increased the taxable portion of those profits from 50% to 66%, but Carney said now is not the right time to make that change.
The Conservatives indicated they would scrap the capital gains tax altogether on the sale of homes, businesses, and other investments if the money is reinvested within six months in Canada. The policy would apply to both individuals and businesses, aiming to boost housing, business development, and job creation. More via BetaKit.
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Canada Powered by Women bulletins are short, fact-based updates on key policy announcements are related to issues that matter important to engaged women.