If re-elected, the Liberals would try to negotiate a global deal that would ban weapons in space, according to a leaked copy of the party's platform.

"Liberals are firmly opposed to the weaponization of space and recognize that the best time to prevent an arms race in space is before one begins," says the 85-page document, which has been posted on the website of conservative magazine the Western Standard.

The idea is not likely to please the White House. Last year, Prime Minister Paul Martin drew U.S. criticism when he refused to sign on to the American missile defence program.

The refusal was well received by a majority of Canadians, polls have suggested.

An international agreement that bans weapons of mass destruction already exists. The Liberal space initiative would propose banning smaller-scale weapons.

Martin is expected to introduce the party's platform this week, possibly as early as Wednesday.

The rest of the platform consists of previously announced promises, such as $30 billion in personal income tax cuts and the elimination of a $975 landing fee for immigrants.

The Grits also would continue to reduce Canada's debt-to-GDP ratio to 20 per cent by 2020, a level that hearkens back to the early 1970s.

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