CALGARY: Conservative convention proposals promise tax reform, spending crackdown and a 'nation-building' corridor
A series of policy proposals heading for vote at the Conservative Party of Canada convention would, if adopted as a future governing platform, enact the most significant overhaul of federal spending rules and economic development strategy in decades.
The Provincial Times has reviewed dozens of resolutions set for debate. They reveal a clear and detailed economic agenda built on three pillars: enforcing strict new fiscal discipline in Ottawa, implementing broad-based tax reform to spur growth, and launching a massive, pre-approved national infrastructure corridor to accelerate resource and energy exports.
Taken together, the proposals sketch a vision of a more fiscally restrained, provincially empowered, and resource-driven Canadian economy. They also signal a clear departure from the current government's approach to spending, regulation, and climate policy.
The “Dollar-for-Dollar” Law and the War on Waste
The most direct assault on federal spending is a proposal to legislate a “Dollar-for-Dollar” law. The policy, detailed in the convention booklet, would require that “new spending be matched by efficiencies elsewhere.”
With Canada's national debt noted as surpassing $1.2 trillion, the rationale states the law would “new spending be matched by efficiencies elsewhere.” The party argues it's “responsible governance that lives within its means—just like Canadian families and businesses must every day.”
This push for fiscal transparency is bolstered by companion proposals. One would prohibit any organization receiving federal grants from using that taxpayer money to cover legal expenses arising from misconduct or negligence.
Another would require the government to publicly announce in the Canada Gazette any time it forgives or writes off a corporate or non-personal debt, a practice currently often revealed only through Access to Information requests.
“Federal funds must serve Canadians directly and not shield organizations engaged in questionable conduct,” states the resolution on grant money.
A “Tax System for the 21st Century”
On taxation, the Conservatives are proposing a wholesale review and simplification of the system. A key resolution declares that “Canada's tax rates are uncompetitive compared to other industrialized economies” and that “broad-based reform of the personal and corporate tax system is needed.”
The party pledges support for “a comprehensive reform of the Income Tax Act” to create a system that “reduces compliance costs and increases transparency while promoting growth, investment, entrepreneurship and job creation.”
While short on specific rate changes, the rationale hints at the direction: “Reducing taxes will motivate individuals and businesses to invest leading to economic growth.” It mentions concepts like exempting reinvested Canadian corporate profits from taxation and applying a flat corporate tax rate on distributed profits.
One of the more novel personal finance proposals would allow parents to transfer money from their RRSP or RRIF to their child's RRSP at any time, without tax penalty. The rationale frames it as a direct response to the affordability crisis, arguing younger generations are crippled by high costs and “let alone saving for retirement.”
A Nation-Building Corridor for the 21st Century
The most ambitious—and likely most expensive—proposal is the creation of a Trans-Canadian Transportation, Telecommunication and Energy Corridor (TTEC).
Envisioned as a multi-modal, pre-approved right-of-way stretching from the ports of Vancouver and Prince Rupert to St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, the TTEC is pitched as a tool to “unlock Canada's economic potential by ending regulatory paralysis.”
The logic is that by pre-approving a single, integrated path for pipelines, railways, fibre-optic cables, and electrical transmission lines, project approval times and costs would plummet. The resolution argues it would “de-risk investment,” get Canadian resources to global markets via Canadian ports instead of through the U.S., and “guarantee coast-to-coast access to high-speed internet and affordable energy.”
It is explicitly framed as a “21st century nation-building project” designed to cement "Canada's economic sovereignty and domestic connectivity for a full century."
A Shift in Philosophy
The suite of economic policies underscores a fundamental philosophical shift from the Liberal government's approach.
The “Dollar-for-Dollar” law rejects deficit-financed social and economic programs in favour of a hard budget constraint. The tax reform push prioritizes competitiveness and growth over redistribution. The TTEC corridor is a bet on Canada's traditional resource and infrastructure sectors, coupled with a deep frustration with the current environmental assessment process.
Another resolution reinforces this by advocating for provincial control over areas like health and housing, suggesting provinces should be allowed to “retain a portion of federal tax revenue” to address their own priorities, reducing “bureaucracy" and “duplication.”
The Road Ahead
These proposals are not yet party policy, let than government law. They must first pass a vote of Conservative members at the convention. Even if passed, they would form the party's platform, to be enacted only if the Conservatives form government after the next election.
However, their detail and coherence suggest they are more than mere wish-list items from the grassroots. They represent a fully formed alternative economic vision, ready to be presented to Canadians as a central plank of the next Conservative campaign.
The debate at the convention will reveal how fiercely this vision is embraced by the party faithfuls, and how quickly it would redefine Canada's economic landscape if given the chance.
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