Liberal leader candidate Chrystia Freeland released her campaign platform on Tuesday, based on saving money for Canadians.
She said that she would cut taxes on income and new housing, cap credit card interest rates, tackle rising grocery costs and build more child care spaces.
Freeland said she would cut taxes for middle-class Canadians and in her first year as prime minister she would cut the second income tax bracket rate from 20.5 per cent to 19 per cent, saving Canadians $550 per year, or $1,100 for a couple.
She plans to eliminate the GST on new homes for first-time buyers and remove the federal tax on new homes worth up to $1.5 million for first-time buyers.
Freeland said she will cap credit card interest rates at 15 per cent and work towards a 10 per cent cap.
When it comes to lowering grocery prices, Freeland said her government will cap profit margins on “essential” groceries, including eggs, milk, fruits and vegetables, canned goods, and baby formula.
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She would bring competition to the grocery market by banning grocers from owning the entire supply chain and offer low-cost financing to attract new and independent grocers and will consider opening the market to foreign grocers, excluding American chains.
Freeland said she will also build 100,000 more $10-a-day child care spaces by “requiring new or renovated federal office buildings to build child care spaces; and, Offering new or renovated space in federal buildings to non-profit providers free of charge, and lowering existing rents for non-profit providers to zero dollars within sixty days,” according to her campaign press release.
Candidate Mark Carney stopped in Saskatchewan Tuesday hoping to steer the party in a new direction out west.
“The Liberal Party exists across Canada and it has a long heritage here in Saskatchewan,” Carney said in Regina while touring the Pro Metal Industries in Regina steel plant.
“When you’re prime minister… how do you serve all Canadians at all times? In order to do that, it is critical you are here on the ground understanding the issues in Saskatchewan.”
Freeland said her affordability plan she released on Tuesday would help young families across Canada buy homes and build families.
When asked why she didn’t implement these measures when she was finance minister, Freeland said she wasn’t prime minister then.
“And that’s the job I’m running for,” she added.
–with files from Andrew Benson
