Students — We Read the Federal Party Platforms So You Don’t Have To

In just a few days - on Monday, April 28 - Canadians will head to the polls for the next federal election. In the last election (2021), less than half of eligible voters aged 18–24 cast their ballot, compared to 75% of voters aged 65–74. Yet, it's younger generations who will shape Canada's future - in housing, health care, education, transportation, and more. It's essential that young people have a voice in deciding how the country addresses these key challenges, especially during uncertain times.

That’s where CSA comes in. We're here to help students stay informed on the critical issues that affect their studies, housing, health, affordability, visas, and job prospects. We’ve reviewed the major party platforms and summarized where each party stands on issues that matter to college students.

Read the platforms here:

Bloc Québécois

Liberal Party of Canada

Green Party of Canada

Conservative Party of Canada

New Democratic Party

CSA encourages all students to read through this information and head to the polls on Monday, April 28 to make an informed vote for your future!

NOTE: Party commitments are presented in alphabetical order by the party leader's last name to uphold CSA’s non-partisan commitment - our goal is to provide clear, accessible information so students can decide what’s best for them.

	POST-SECONDARY EDUCATION (PSE)
Liberal Party of Canada Leader: Carney, Mark If elected, the Liberals will…	• Uphold removal of interest on Canada Student Loans and Canada Apprentice Loans • New apprenticeship grant • $20M for college training spaces • New Indigenous Pathways to Prosperity Skills and Training Fund & invest in Indigenous-led institutions • Funding & expand the mandates for student placement and work programs
Green Party Leader: Pedneault, Jonathan If elected the Greens will…	• Commit to tuition-free public PSE • Eliminate all federal student loan debt • Cover tuition and living expenses for all Indigenous students • Stable, long-term federal funding for PSE institutions • Cap international tuition fees at fair and reasonable rates & establish a national regulatory framework for ethical recruitment • Expand re-skilling and apprenticeship programs • Direct research & development funding to universities • Allocate at least 10% STEM research funding to underrepresented groups
Conservative Party of Canada Leader: Poilievre, Pierre If elected the Conservatives will…	• Reinstate apprenticeship grants up to $4,000 • Support college and union pre-registration for rapid EI access • Help colleges train 350K workers over 5 years through expanded programs
New Democratic Party Leader: Singh, Jagmeet	No commitments included in the 2025 platform.

	HOUSING
Liberal Party of Canada Leader: Carney, Mark If elected, the Liberals will…	• Remove GST for first-time buyers on homes under $1M • Create a public developer (Build Canada Homes) for affordable housing • Make mortgage payments more affordable • Invest in Northern infrastructure • $6B in affordable housing, supportive housing, and shelters • Generational housing investments • Fund home retrofits and lower utility bills
Green Party Leader: Pedneault, Jonathan If elected the Greens will…	• Dedicated infrastructure funding under the National Housing Strategy to student housing development  • Declare housing affordability and homelessness a national emergency & legislate as a fundamental human right • Ensure permanently affordable publicly funded housing (no more than 30% of household income) • Triple amount of social housing in Canada • Strengthen housing market regulations • Help nonprofits acquire existing rental buildings • Develop and implement a For Indigenous, By Indigenous Housing Strategy
Conservative Party of Canada Leader: Poilievre, Pierre If elected the Conservatives will…	• Remove GST on new home purchases • Build 2.3M homes over the next five years • Incentivize municipalities to speed up permits, free up land, and cut housing taxes • Open federal land for housing development • Defer capital gains tax for reinvestment in Canadian homebuilding
New Democratic Party Leader: Singh, Jagmeet If elected the NDP will…	• Build 3M homes by 2030 • Replace Housing Accelerator Fund with $16B permanent strategy • Implement national rent control and low-interest loans for first-time buyers • Use Crown land to build 100K+ rent-controlled homes • Ban corporate and foreign buyers from affordable housing • $2B to support non-profit affordable rentals • Housing Insecurity Prevention Benefit to help 50K people in critical need find homes

HOUSING

HOUSI

	COST OF LIVING
Liberal Party of Canada Leader: Carney, Mark If elected Liberals will…	• Investments to food security, supply chains & reform regulations to lower food costs • Strengthen $10-a-day Early Learning and Child Care (ELCC) system - 100K new spaces by 2031 • Protect the Canada Child Benefit • Cut income taxes for the middle class
Green Party Leader: Pedneault, Jonathan If elected the Greens will…	• Eliminate federal income taxes for low income Canadians • Decrease tax burden on Canadians earning < $100K • Raise the Federal Minimum Wage to $21/hr & establish a National Livable Wage Index • Universal early learning and childcare • Lower EI threshold, extend maximum benefit period, & raising replacement rate • Fully fund the Canada Disability Benefit (CDB) & introduce End Poverty Supplement • Invest in local farming infrastructure & redirect government subsidies to small- and mid-sized organic farms
Conservative Party of Canada Leader: Poilievre, Pierre If elected the Conservatives will…	• Reduce the lowest income tax bracket from 15% to 12.75% • Remove the carbon tax law • Travelling Fairness for Trades Workers Act to allow full write-offs for food, transport, and lodging • Extra $5,000 / year to TFSA for investments in Canadian companies
New Democratic Party Leader: Singh, Jagmeet If elected the NDP will…	• Emergency price caps on basic food items • Introduce mandatory Grocery Code of Conduct • Fix Nutrition North subsidy  • Permanently remove GST from the essentials • Energy-saving upgrades to 2.3M low-income households & grants and low-interest loans to 1M more • Raise basic personal amount to $19,500 • Double the Canada Disability Benefit • Reduce EI the threshold, extend duration of benefits and increase the benefit level and insurable earnings cap

	HEALTHCARE
Liberal Party of Canada Leader: Carney, Mark If elected the Liberals will…	• Expand dental coverage to Canadians aged 18–64  • Expand medical schools and residency spaces & streamline credentials for internationally trained health professionals • Support new clinics with a start-up fund for doctors • $4B to build and upgrade healthcare infrastructure • $1,100/year to PSWs through a Health Care Workers Hero Tax Credit • Permanently fund Sexual and Reproductive Health Fund  • Provide 100K young people a year with mental health care • $500M to confront overdose crisis
Green Party Leader: Pedneault, Jonathan If elected the Greens will…	• Protect against privatization • Ensure fair rural and remote healthcare funding  • Guarantee access to primary care for all Canadians • Hire 7,500 new family doctors, nurses, and nurse practitioners over 5 years • Train and certify 50,000 PSWs and set a $25/hour minimum wage for care workers • Universal pharmacare & expanded dental coverage • Universal national access to reproductive care • Ensuring all Indigenous Peoples have equitable access to culturally safe health care • Make mental health services fully insured under the Canada Health Act
Conservative Party of Canada Leader: Poilievre, Pierre If elected the Conservatives will…	• Keep existing dental, pharmacare, and child-care plans • 15,000 doctors by 2030 • Expand residency spots for Canadians studying medicine abroad & recognize U.S.-board certified physicians • Fund addiction treatment for 50,000 people • Commitment to not restricting abortions
New Democratic Party Leader: Singh, Jagmeet If elected the NDP will…	• Guarantee every Canadian a family doctor by 2030 • Strengthen the Canada Health Act to block privatization • Add residency spots, support internationally trained health care workers, & implement pan-Canadian licensure • Invest in rural/Northern medical training and schools • Implement full public pharmacare in 4 years • Mental health coverage for all Canadians & expand funding for crisis and addictions care

	IMMIGRATION
Liberal Party of Canada Leader: Carney, Mark If elected the Liberals will…	• Cap temporary workers and international students to under 5% of the population by 2027 • Limit permanent resident admissions to under 1% of population annually post-2027 • Speed up recognition of foreign credentials & reduce processing times and backlogs • Provide legal aid for asylum seekers and refugees
Green Party Leader: Pedneault, Jonathan If elected the Greens will…	• Double proof-of-funds for study permits & update cost-of-living estimates every 3 years •  Reinstate the 20-hour/week cap on off-campus work to prioritize academic focus • Provide international students with info on legal rights, housing, cost of living, employment standards, and reporting resources • Invest in training for sectors with labour shortages • Fund faster PR processing & create employer-driven PR pathways
Conservative Party of Canada Leader: Poilievre, Pierre If elected the Conservatives will…	• Keep rate of population growth below the rate of housing growth, job growth, and healthcare accessibility • Reject the Century Initiative • Allow temporary foreign workers only in rare cases (e.g., farming)
New Democratic Party Leader: Singh, Jagmeet If elected the NDP will…	• No immigration target • Launch a panel to review immigration levels • End closed work permits & provide temporary workers with open work permits