Greens first to release party platform with cost estimates

The Green Party released its partially costed election platform Thursday morning — the first federal party to do so — and wasted no time before panning its opponents. 

“I think it's unfortunate and irresponsible of them to show up at a debate and not have neither a platform released nor the costing,” Green Party Co-Leader Jonathan Pedneault said at a press conference Thursday morning in Montreal. 

The release was originally scheduled for Wednesday morning before the French language debate in Montreal. However, at the last minute, the debate commission rescinded the Green Party’s invitation to participate and co-leaders Jonathan Pedneault and Elizabeth May spent the day fielding questions about the commission’s decision.

Not all the measures outlined in the Green Party party platform are costed, meaning the Parliamentary Budget Officer (PBO) has estimated the financial cost of a given campaign proposal.

“We're the only party so far that's engaged with the Parliamentary Budget Officer of all the five parties — parties with many more resources than we have,” Pedneault said. The party will get the platform fully-costed in due course, Pedneault said, adding that the process takes time.

The Bloc Québécois released its 34-page platform on March 29 but it has not been costed.

The NDP will release its costed election commitments “in the coming days,” a party spokesperson said in an emailed statement to Canada’s National Observer. Some NDP policy proposals have been submitted to the PBO, the spokesperson said.

“Given the economic uncertainty caused by Trump’s escalating tariff threats, it’s important to recognize that projections come with added complexity this election. Any responsible approach has to reflect that,” reads the NDP’s statement.

The Conservative Party and Liberal Party did not respond to Canada’s National Observer’s request for comment before deadline. However, Liberal Leader Mark Carney told reporters earlier this week that his party would produce a costed platform before the advance polls close on April 21.

The Green Party’s 124-page platform includes measures like a 0.2 per cent tax on financial transactions (equity trades, bond trading and foreign exchange) to generate revenue for social, economic and environmental policies. This tax would raise $32 billion in its first year and $237 billion over a five year period, according to the PBO’s estimates.

Other costed tax policies include increasing the corporate tax rate, instituting a one per cent tax on personal wealth over $10 million (and progressive one per cent increases for wealth over $50 million and $100 million). Those two measures combined would raise an estimated $163.5 billion over five years.

The party’s commitment to increase the federal minimum wage to $21 per hour, indexed to inflation, would cost an estimated $56 million over five years.

As expected, the Green platform reiterates the long-held commitment to eliminate all fossil fuel subsidies, including tax write-offs for LNG, oil, gas and coal projects and aims for “a full phaseout of fossil fuel production and exports by 2045.” 

Massive investments in wind, solar, and hydro power and the creation of a national 100 per cent renewable power grid are also included. To defend Canada from US economic policy, one of the measures the Green Party suggests is banning exports of raw resources to create more processing and refining jobs in Canada and add as much value as possible before export.

Natasha Bulowski / Local Journalism Initiative / Canada’s National Observer