As Canadians, even if we do not belong to a political

party or a union we are all still affected by the

decisions they make.

Big government and big unions have lost touch with

Canadians, and they are failing to improve our cities
and country. In fact, the uncontrolled growth of
government spending and the tactics of large unions
are damaging the Canadian economy, as well as the
fundamental principles of our democracy.

Instead of reinforcing the traditions of entrepreneurship

and innovation, big government and large unions are
establishing a welfare state. If our government is
meant to represent us, then it certainly needs to be
doing a better job.

Government should restrict its size, its influence, and

its operating costs. We need to strike a better balance
between what government does for the people, and
what the people do for themselves.

We must join together and present our federal leaders

with a new plan for Canada – one that focuses on
financial accountability, representative accountability,
and individual rights and freedoms.

We need a plan to create less, not more, government.

In this document we present such a plan - a plan we
call the Agenda for Canada.

Review this pamphlet. If you agree with this framework,

pass it along to your friends and colleagues.

Send it to your MP - let politicians from all parties know

you support these goals.

Help us make the Agenda for Canada part of the

national debate. Politicians and union bosses can
ignore us individually, but cannot ignore our collective
voice. That is why we need you to make our voice
stronger.
INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS
1. Abolish the Canadian Human Rights
Commission The CHRC has gotten outrageously out
of hand. Human rights are being abused, not
protected. As they currently stand, these quasi-legal
Commissions are adjudicated by people with little or no
legal background or experience. Huge sums of money
are awarded for petty grievances, while some more
serious offenses should be heard in a court of law. This
is damaging to the legal process. Human rights need
to be protected thorough legal, legitimate channels.
With an annual cost of $68 million, the CHRC‟s absurd
theatre productions need to be shut down.
2. Right to Work Canada‟s unions need a dose of
democracy. Employers should never have to fear
aggressive union tactics, and it‟s wrong for union
bosses to use workers‟ forced union dues to pay for
political causes. Employees should never be forced to
join a union against their will just for the right to work,
nor should their union dues ever be used to support
political causes. There is no excuse for this
exploitation. We need to step up, and protect the rights
of all workers in Canada.
3. End CRT C censorship The CRTC‟s mandate is
to ensure that broadcasting standards serve the public,
but denying freedom of speech is not in the public
interest. Why should a group of bureaucrats have the
power to determine what Canadians can or cannot
watch on TV or listen to on the radio? The CRTC has
expanded too far, and should not have the power to
censor Canadian airwaves.
4. Stop trampling English language rights As
Canadians, we have gone to great lengths to protect
language rights. But, what about the rights of English-
speaking Canadians living in Quebec? Drastic, heavy-
handed language laws deny these Canadians the
right to free speech. Parents are denied the option to
educate their children in English language schools,
and citizens are denied the right to post signs in either
official language. We must restore the language rights
of English-speaking Canadians who are living in
Quebec.
FINANCIAL ACCOUNTABILITY
1. Cut unnecessary government programs
Government spending has soared out of control.
Federal program spending for 2009 reached
$207-billion, and that doesn‟t include payments on
the debt. Why not eliminate the enormously costly
subsidies to special interest groups as well as the
bailouts to failing corporations. We need to commit
to finding and reducing government waste, which is
the only way to ensure that funding can go to those
who need it. Employing „zero-based budgeting‟ would
facilitate this – all departmental budgets would be
build from zero up, thus preventing unnecessary
programs from rolling over into future budgets.
Program spending growth must be limited to 1% per
year if we hope to counteract the deficit and improve
our economy. Along with an immediate 5% pay cut for
politicians, this is our „5-0-1‟ financial plan to restore
economic balance in Canada.
2. Reform healthcare system Canada‟s combined
healthcare spending topped $183-billion in 2009.
That is an increase of more than 5%, or $9.5-billion,
over 2008 totals. Yet, we still lack adequate numbers
of MRI machines and specialized facilities, and we
continue to face long wait times for surgery and other
procedures. We do not have enough doctors and
nurses despite our bloated spending. Our healthcare
system just isn‟t working. We need to address the root
of the problem – the government‟s monopoly on
healthcare. Canada must get a better return on its
investment in healthcare by encouraging innovation,
and allowing Canadians with a choice in their
healthcare.
3. Cut taxes Taxes in this country are simply too high.
A recent report indicated that take home pay for the
average Canadian has stagnated for almost 20 years.
The reason? High taxes. High taxes hinder
productivity, undermine our competitiveness around
the world, and seriously lower our standard of living.
Furthermore, when governments run surpluses,
taxpayers should see their tax rate decline. Canadians
should be allowed to keep more of their hard-earned
money.
REPRESENTATIVE ACCOUNTABILITY
1. It’s time for accountable government
Canadians are fed up with politicians and bureaucrats
using the public treasury as a slush fund. The Auditor
General should never be prevented from auditing
public accounts or Crown Corporations. Canadians
should not have to endure another scandal that sees
our hard-earned dollars end up in the coffers of our
federal parties or the pockets of their allies.
Government must be made more accountable, and
violations of spending rules ought to be strictly
punished.
2. Elect the Senate In other countries with federal
systems, such as the United States and Australia,
members of the upper legislative branch are elected.
In Canada they are appointed. Is this the way it should
work in a democracy? Canada should reform the
Senate so that it is an elected body with fixed terms.
3. MP salaries and ‘Gold-plated Pensions’
Politicians work for us, so we should have some say
in MP compensation. That means putting a stop to the
practice of MPs voting themselves fat pay increases.
It also means ending the “gold-plated” pension scheme
that MPs jealously guard for themselves alone. Let‟s
make MPs lead by example on this front – an
immediate 5% pay cut would be a good place to start.
taxpayer-funded allowance. A party must sustain itself
on the voluntary contributions of supporters, not on
hand-outs from over-burdened taxpayers.
6. Recall Legislation Direct democracy is essential
– referendums, recalls, and citizens‟ initiatives all
empower voters and help to make government more
accountable. Canadians should be consulted BEFORE
controversial legislation is enacted, and there should
also be a way for citizens to hold their politicians
accountable. Direct democracy works in other
countries, and it will work here as well. Politicians need
more oversight, and voters are the best people to
provide it.
7. Privatize the CBC The CBC costs taxpayers
about $1.1-billion every year, yet its audience share
continues to dwindle. It has a budget shortfall of
$171-million, and taxpayers are clearly not getting
their money‟s worth. In this age of Internet and cable
TV, we do not need a government run network. The
government should withdraw from the broadcast
business – the CBC has consistently failed to deliver
a product that Canadians want. The CBC should be
privatized, and its assets sold off immediately.

4.Support our troops For thirty years our

governments have ignored our once highly regarded
military. Defense spending deteriorated to 153rd out
of 192 countries based on GDP, and this has made
it difficult to fulfill our international responsibilities.
Canada‟s international influence is growing, due
largely to the outstanding efforts of our military. If we
are going to protect our sovereignty and be a reliable
ally moving forwards, we must rebuild our military.
The Canadian Government should provide the best,
most up to date equipment to support our troops and
ensure that they can do their job properly.

5. End welfare for political parties Political

parties should have to raise funds for themselves.
Taxpayers should never have to subsidize a political
party. But, that is exactly what is happening – each
federal party receives a $1.95 hand-out for each vote
received. In 2009, Canadian taxpayers paid about
$27 million under this arrangement. Regional and
fringe parties, like the Bloc Quebecois who received
approx. $3-million last year, no longer have to support
themselves. Instead, they operate entirely on their