Anna Katycheva

The Liberals and Conservatives have both fired attack ads at each other, rhetoric on all sides is almost a flashpoint, and just about every major news outlet in Canada has been running pieces on the imminent outcome: a federal election is around the corner.

Harper’s budget, expected to be released in March, is being touted as a pivotal moment for the current government. If badly received by the opposition, it could be the spark that gets Canada to the polls. Tensions between the Conservatives and Liberals have grown over the government’s economic, military, and environmental policies.

Annie Donolo, VP Operations for Liberal McGill, said the Liberals’ support of the budget will hinge on what priority it gives to corporate tax cuts and how it proposes to cut unnecessary spending.

“It’s just not the right time to offer tax cuts,” she said. “There’s a good climate for business and a tax cut are only going to hurt taxpayers.”

From across the floor, Conservatives have said that tax cuts are necessary to stimulate the economy and encourage Canadian business. In an email to the Tribune, Conservative McGill’s Director of Events, Spencer Burger, agreed that the proposed cuts are necessary for economic development.

“The Conservative government has made [it] clear that these tax cuts are proven job creators,” he said. “We live in a highly competitive age and a more competitive tax rate will bring more investment and jobs to Canadians.”

Another major Liberal criticism of the current government is aimed at its untendered F-35 fighter jet contract. Donolo said that the Liberals appreciate the need for the best technology to keep Canadians safe, but wanted a competitive bid process on the contract.

However, Burger pointed out that the contract went through an “exhaustive evaluation process at the Department of Defence,” and was supported by the previous Liberal government.

As the election nears, the Liberals seem to be positioning themselves for a platform anchored by social issues. For example, Donolo said the party will seek to help “sandwich parents”—families who have to support not only their children but their own parents as well.

“There’s not enough in the social safety net to help them,” she said. She added that a Liberal government would focus on pension reform for Canada’s aging population, and would even increase aid for post-secondary education.

Conservatives, meanwhile, will likely trumpet their economic policy’s success during the recession.

Interestingly, it seems that the NDP might support the new budget, but only if it contains meaningful action for helping households with energy costs or if it strengthens the Canada Pension Plan (CPP).

“Our point of view has always been that if we can get something out of [the budget], then we’re doing our job,” said Matthew Dubé, co-president of NDP McGill. “You have loyalty to your party, but you also represent constituents.”

Specifically, the NDP would like to get rid of the federal tax on heating bills and strengthen the CPP by increasing the Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS), which they claim would bring many Canadian seniors back above the poverty line.

The parties have also done plenty of finger-pointing over environmental policy and the use of the Athabasca oil sands. The Conservatives have based their policy on that of the United States.

“Canada is also restricted by its deep connections with the U.S. economy, and the Conservatives have rightly demonstrated that Canada should follow U.S. moves on this issue,” Burger said. Conservatives have Canada slated for a 17 per cent reduction in carbon emissions from 2005 through 2020.

Opposition parties claim this amount isn’t enough. Donolo argues that Harper “embarrassed us at Copenhagen and Cancun [and] especially at Kyoto.”

Donolo also noted that the recently appointed Minister of the Environment Peter Kent’s main responsibility has been to “improve the reputation of the oil sands” through a PR campaign. “How does that contribute to a better environment?” she asked.

According to Dubé, the NDP also calls for “more federal regulation of the tar sands to keep up with our environmental and health standards.”

Though the disputes between the parties are heating up, polls show few changes in the Canadian voting public, with the Liberals still trailing by about nine per cent.  The majority of Canadians, however, appear to be to be unconcerned with federal politics altogether. According to the Globe and Mail, Liberal pollster Michael Marzolini found that only 15 per cent of the Canadian electorate is presently following federal politics.