Canadian Federal Elections

Heading into Election 2011, nobody could have predicted the vastly different political landscape that Canadians would wake to on Tuesday morning. Some were jubilant and others deflated. There was the historic rise of the NDP and the election of the first ever Green MP, the demise of the Liberal Party, and of course, Stephen Harper’s previously elusive majority government.

While it will be some time before we know for certain how this new government will play out, it is clear that things have changed and we are now working within a new context. However, one important factor has not changed: CPJ’s commitment to offer our faithful response to God’s call for love, justice and stewardship. Read more »

All the political parties like to claim that they are family-friendly and offer policies that support families. One of the most crucial issues confronting Canadian families is early childhood education and care. Currently, only a small percentage of children have access to a regulated childcare space. Costs are prohibitive for many families, who rely on two incomes just to pay all the bills. Meanwhile, the benefits of access to high quality childcare and early learning programs are well-known: children learn better when they learn earlier, and affordable childcare can help to lift families out of poverty and strengthen the economic security of families, especially women. So what do the party platforms offer on childcare? Read more »

It’s easy to feel cynical about democracy when there’s a possibility that party standings won’t change. But cynicism can become a self-fulfilling prophecy. If you don’t vote your values in this election, you will not see them represented by our next government. There are significant public justice values at stake in this campaign. We have an important responsibility as citizens to weigh the values of our political parties and their policies and cast our votes in support of the values we believe in. Read more »

Over the years, Canadian churches, Christian organizations, and other social justice advocates have provided valuable analysis on a range of issues of concern to Canadians. Throughout this election campaign, CPJ has shared our perspectives on a number of key issues. Now, recognizing that there are issues of interest beyond the scope of our work, we’ve compiled a survey of some of the major themes worthy of consideration that are being highlighted by our colleague organizations. Read more »

Canadians regularly rate health care among the most important issues for their consideration. Yet, aside from a mention in the leaders’ debate, and until this week, debate on health care has been noticeably absent in the current election campaign. By not debating these deeper issues, the politicians are denying Canadians a golden opportunity to consider, compare and contrast their best prescriptions for Medicare’s ills. Read more »

Considering the important place all First Nations, Inuit and Métis people have in Canada’s past, present and future the amount of coverage Aboriginal issues are getting during this election is truly shameful. So, what are the Aboriginal issues that we should be talking about? Who better to answer this question than the national organizations representing Canadian Aboriginals? Read more »

For the last several years, changes to a refugee system described as ‘broken’ have been an important priority. With the current election and the potential changes it could bring, what better time to consider what all these ‘reforms’ have meant for refugee policy – and refugees – in Canada? Read more »