For those of you who may have left this election thing to the last minute, and are cramming for the election day "exam", we're here to help. We're providing a cheat sheet for you on what the parties have said are their main priorities:
Bloc Québécois
The party slogan this election has been "Hereusement, ici c'est le Bloc" or in English: "Thankfully, here it's the Bloc."
Only Quebec voters have the option of choosing the Bloc. The main goal of the Bloc is obviously separation from Quebec, but they have other planks in the platform as well. For the most part, their policies encourage the transferring of control and money to the provinces.
The Bloc platform and campaign frequently mention government corruption, with special emphasis on the sponsorship scandal.
The Bloc leans left in many of its proposals, including implementing the Kyoto Protocol on greenhouse gas emissions, increasing foreign aid spending, asking for a consultation on the "purpose" of the army before any more major spending decisions are made. The party supports same-sex marriage.
The party would like to see more measures to counter what it describes as the "ill effects" of globalization.
They also call for protection of a supply management system in agriculture, and support for fishing and forestry.
During the campaign, the Bloc has kept announcements to a minimum, and the platform doesn't contain any surprises for voters. Leader Gilles Duceppe did mention that Quebec should field its own teams at international sporting events.
Our Reality Check Team has costed out the Bloc promises during the campaign. They estimate the total at about $55 billion.
The party slogan for this campaign has been "Stand up for Canada". The party is considered a "right of centre" party, meaning its policies tend toward less government interference in personal lives and the economy, and more conservative social policy.
Leader Stephen Harper has listed his five main priorities for a Conservative government as:
political accountability
tax reduction (starting with the GST)
crime crackdown
wait-time guarantees
directing child-care money to parents.
Harper has made many, many announcements during this campaign. In the early days, he was making one per morning. His main theme has been urging Canadians to choose change.
The Conservative leader has promised that the first thing his government will do is introduce a federal accountability act to "clean up government." The act beefs up the powers of the auditor general, and eliminates corporate and union donations to federal political parties. It also would ban ministers and their aides from becoming lobbyists for at least five years after leaving government.
The party has used the slogan "We can" during this campaign.
Although well known for its environmental side, the Green party has many other planks in its platform, and is not as left leaning as many people assume. In fact, some of their fiscal policy borrows more from conservative economics than socialism.
Leader Jim Harris is a businessman and former member of the Progressive Conservative Party. In an interview with Peter Mansbridge, Harris said one of the party's priorities is health, but rather than talk about fixing the system, the Greens would focus on disease prevention.
He also stressed that the party would aggressively pursue polluters with federal legislation, and meet Canada's
Kyoto targets.
The party has also stressed the need for electoral reform. They have suggested looking at some form of proportional representation, which would mean the popular vote would be reflected in the makeup of the House.
The party has used the slogan "Choose your Canada" during campaigning.
The Liberals are the most centrist of the parties. In some ways, this has hurt them, as critics suggest they don't have a strong vision for the country. The campaign has been a combination of "running on the record" and new policy announcements.
At the beginning of the campaign, Liberal Leader (and former finance minister) Paul Martin emphasized the party's record on the economy. Since the Liberals took power about 13 years ago, the economy has strengthened, unemployment and lending rates are down, and the national debt has been paid down somewhat.
After Christmas, the campaign shifted more toward criticizing Conservative plans, and stressing a difference in "values" between Martin and Conservative Leader Stephen Harper.
During the English debate in January, Martin said the "first act" of a new Liberal government would be to remove the notwithstanding clause from the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
At other times, Martin has listed the party's main priorities as:
staying out of deficit
cutting taxes
investing in health care
investing in education
But the party has come under fire during this campaign for naming many issues as "priorities" for a new government.
The NDP is commonly known as a left-of-centre party. The party tends to favour greater government involvement in social and economic policy.
In the last government, the party used its influence as the holder of the balance of power to add spending on affordable housing, tuitions, foreign aid, and environmental issues to the budget.
During the English debate in January, party leader Jack Layton said "We think that the priorities now are investments in seniors' care, in young people and education, in training, in the environment, and that's where we'll go."
Later, when the Conservative poll numbers started to climb, Layton laid out four policies that he called the "bottom line" for his party:
Opposing U.S. influence on Canadian military decision making, particularly in relation to Iraq and missile defence
Opposing any move to dismantle the public health-care system
Opposing efforts to "gut" Canada's environmental responsibilities
Defending civil and equality rights
While the party is unlikely to form government, given support below 20 per cent, the breakdown of seats in the House of Commons could see them again holding the balance of power.
