About Tom

67 years old

Hometown: Ottawa, Ontario

Tom Mulcair was born in Ottawa, Ontario and is the second oldest in a family of ten children. He worked as a civil servant and began a private law practice before entering the Quebec National Assembly in the 1994 election as a member of the Quebec Liberal Party. In 2006, he was demoted and later resigned from cabinet over his opposition to a development project in a national park. He did not run in the 2007 Quebec provincial election, choosing instead to run as a candidate for the federal NDP in a by-election and becoming the first elected NDP Member of Parliament in Quebec . He was elected leader of the party after the death of Jack Layton in 2011. Mulcair is a citizen of both France and Canada.

Economy

If elected, an NDP government would raise the federal minimum wage, create an innovation tax credit worth $40 million, and work on a plan to create more than 40,000 youth jobs, paid internships, and co-op placements.^[1]

If elected, an NDP government would apply an additional 1¢ of the existing gas tax to create a $1.5 billion dollar annual infrastructure fund. They would also invest an additional $1.3 billion annually over the next twenty years on transit ‎nationwide.^[2]

If elected, an NDP government would invest in retrofitting homes to make them more energy efficient, and eliminate subsidies to the fossil fuel industry. The NDP also plans to strengthen laws to protect Canada's lakes and rivers.^[10]

The NDP would cancel $1 billion worth of subsidies to fossil fuel industries, particularly oil sands. They would re-invest the savings in renewable and clean energy technologies to reduce Canada's carbon footprint.^[11]

If elected, an NDP government would call a national inquiry into murdered and missing Aboriginal women within 100 days of taking office. They would also consider implmenting other recommendations from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.^[16]

An NDP government would make it a priority to resolve land claims and treaty disputes "once and for all".^[17]

If elected, an NDP government would continue to oppose the Northern Gateway project and oppose the Keystone XL project. Their stance on the Energy East project is unclear, but they have said that it can't be approved without a more stringent environmental review process.^[18][19]

Justice

An NDP government would decriminalize marijuana immediately and study the resulting health and societal effects. An NDP government is open to considering legalization, but is calling for a commission to consult Canadians and instruct Parliament on how to carefully regulate non-medical use.^[20]

If elected, an NDP government would restore funding for the Joint Emergency Preparedness Program and for training programs previously provided by the Emergency Preparedness College.^[21]

If elected, an NDP government would establish a national Alzheimer's disease and dementia strategy, build and expand 200 healthcare clinics across Canada, and invest in mental health innovation for children and youth.^[23]

If elected, an NDP government would commit $500 million to build and expand clinics and hire thousands of new healthcare providers. Over four years, $300 million would be used to construct or expand 200 healthcare clinics across Canada. The remaining $200 million would go to recruitment grants ranging from $15,000 to $50,000 each.^[24]

If elected, an NDP government would end the current bombing campaign and pull out all military personnel from Iraq and Syria while boosting humanitarian aid to help refugees affected by ISIS.^[30]

An NDP government would commit $500 million in new funding for Canada's Official Development Assistance (ODA) over the next four years.^[31]

If elected, an NDP government plans to make family reunification central to immigration policy and would immediately bring 10,000 Syrian refugees to Canada, and a total of 46,000 over the next 4 years.^[33]

If elected, an NDP Government would accelerate immigration process times so that families can be reunited faster.^[33]

An NDP government would begin phasing out interest on federal student loans.

If elected, an NDP government would begin phasing out interest on federal student loans immediately. The NDP would also provide $250 million, over four years, to create roughly 74,000 new grants for students.^[43]

If elected, an NDP government would provide incentives for the construction of 10,000 affordable and market rental housing units.^[1]

If elected, an NDP government would repeal Bill C-51 and provide more reviews of Canada's national security agencies.^[34]

Government & Transparency

The NDP would replace the current election system with a mixed-member proportional system. If elected, an NDP government would work towards abolishing the Senate.^[35]

If elected, an NDP government would make the parliamentary budget officer an independent officer of Parliament.^[36]

An NDP government would cancel Canada Post's plans to end door-to-door mail delivery, create additional childcare spaces across the country, and invest in supporting sporting programs to disadvantaged youth. They would also restore Statistic Canada's mandatory long-form census.^[38]

An NDP government would cancel the $115 million cut to CBC/Radio-Canada.^[39]