2022 Open Policy Process — Top 3 Resolutions

These are the top 3 policy resolutions voted on by Liberals in Alberta

TRUTH IN POLITICS

WHEREAS Canadians are facing an onslaught of political disinformation and deliberate misrepresentation;

WHEREAS political deception erodes public trust, decreases voter turnout, increases polarization, and leads to a rise in uninformed and extreme views and movements;

WHEREAS Canada has no federal laws to prevent politicians from deliberately misleading the public;

WHEREAS political advertising is currently exempt from false advertising restrictions(1)1; Canadians are entitled to fair, accurate and truthful political expression, especially during elections, so they can make informed decisions when exercising their Charter right to vote;

WHEREAS misleading and deceptive conduct is regulated in many other contexts, to protect the interests of consumers, shareholders and others who rely on honest information;

WHEREAS other jurisdictions with Westminster-based parliamentary systems have enacted, with wide public support, laws relating to inaccurate or misleading political statements made during elections(2)2;

WHEREAS solving the political disinformation problem requires a multi-faceted approach;

WHEREAS Canada’s Chief Electoral Officer published a report regarding the use of a code of conduct for political parties as a tool to strengthen democracy(3)3;

WHEREAS Manitoba has had a code of conduct since 1999; it provides that candidates, elected officials and others should strive at all times to make accurate public statements(4)4;

BE IT RESOLVED that the Liberal Party of Canada (LPC) urge the Government of Canada to develop truth in political advertising legislation, to be administered by an independent body (including consideration of scope, duration, and sanctions for breach).

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Liberal Party of Canada urge the Government of Canada to direct the Chief Electoral Officer to develop a model code of conduct for federal political parties, candidates and third parties.

Sponsors: Edmonton Strathcona Federal Liberal Association, Calgary Signal Hill Federal Liberal Association, Calgary Rocky Ridge Federal Liberal Association, Edmonton Centre Federal Liberal Association, and St. Albert Federal Liberal Association

Liberal Party of Canada (Alberta)

Endorsers: Seniors Liberal Commission (Alberta), Griesbach Federal Liberal Association, and Sherwood Park Federal Liberal Association

References:

1 The Canadian Code of Advertising Standards: https://adstandards.ca/code/

2 We can handle the truth — Opportunities for truth in political advertising; Bill Brown, August 2019 https://australiainstitute.org.au/report/we-can-handle-the-truth-opportunities-for-truth-in-politicaladvertising

J Evans, ACT passes new political advertising laws to ensure voters are not ‘deceived on the way to the ballot box, ABC News, Aug 2020 https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-08-28/act-bans-false-political-advertising-new-laws/12604096?nw=0

3 A Code of Ethics or Code of Conduct for Political Parties as a Potential Tool to Strengthen Electoral Democracy in Canada, Elections Canada; https://www.elections.ca/content.aspx?section=res&dir=rec/tech/cod&document=table&lang=e

4 Code of Ethical Conduct, Elections Manitoba; https://www.electionsmanitoba.ca/en/political_participation/ethical_conduct

TRANSITIONAL PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT (TPD) PROGRAM

WHEREAS Canada’s commitment to net zero emission by 2050 (1) would incur job insecurity for the workforce trained in traditional energy technologies (oil and gas) as a result of regulations designed to accelerate the transition to green energy (2);

WHEREAS energy sector companies would be more inclined to hire a new workforce specifically qualified in renewable technologies such as fuel cells, fusion and solar energy instead of retraining its existing employees, resulting in layoffs, rationalized as a necessity for the transition;

WHEREAS existing retraining programs such as EDGE UP do not serve to promote retention of employment for existing oil and gas workers, instead they focus on retraining post-layoff oil and gas workers for jobs in other fields (3);

BE IT RESOLVED that the Liberal Party of Canada (LPC) urge the Government of Canada to introduce transitional professional development (TPD) programs for oil and gas sector employees to provision their retraining through this transitional period and resulting in job security leading to a successful transition.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Liberal Party of Canada urge the Government of Canada to mandate that TPD programs are offered by the employer via a third party.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Liberal Party of Canada urge the Government of Canada to incentivize or subsidise TPD programs through the net-zero accelerator fund.

Sponsor: Calgary Skyview Electoral District Association

Liberal Party of Canada (Alberta)

References:

1. Government of Canada. Net-Zero Emissions by 2050. Retrieved from https://www.canada.ca/en/services/environment/weather/climatechange/climate-plan/net-zeroemissions-2050.html.
2. 2. Weimin Wang. 2021. The oil and gas sector in Canada: A year after the start of the pandemic. Retrieved from https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/36-28-0001/2021007/article/00003- eng.htm.
3. 3. EDGE UP. EDGE UP 2.0: a Scaling Opportunity. Retrieved from https://edgeupyyc.com/#about

LOWER THE FEDERAL VOTING AGE TO 17 YEARS OLD

WHEREAS youth in Canada vote at lower rates than any other age group;

WHEREAS polling stations are often located at high schools, a feature that could combat some of the traditional challenges, such as accessibility, faced by potential voters;

WHEREAS in 1970, the federal voting age was lowered from 21 to 18, in a bid to increase the voter turnout rates;

WHEREAS past LPC policy proposals lowering the federal voting age to 16 haven’t been successful and have proven unpalatable to the general public;

WHEREAS providing greater opportunities to participate in the political process strengthens democracy;

WHEREAS voting is habit-forming and by expanding access to the ballot box, we can ensure strong civic turnouts for generations to come.

BE IT RESOLVED that the Liberal Party of Canada (LPC) urge the Government of Canada to amend section 3 of the Canada Elections Act to state that “Every person who is a Canadian citizen and who on polling day is 17 years of age or older is qualified as an elector.”

Sponsor: Calgary Centre Electoral District Association

Liberal Party of Canada (Alberta)