Your Vote, Your Power: What’s at Stake?
Canada’s next Federal Election is now in full swing, and the stakes couldn’t be higher considering the vast range of challenges people in Canada face. Voters will be headed to the polls to choose a new government to shape policies that impact their daily lives. This Federal Election 2025 is our chance to demand a Canada that prioritizes economic security and affordability, and bold actions to fight inequality, price-gouging and climate change.
READ MORE: OXFAM CANADA'S ELECTION GUIDE 2025
Ending the Affordability Crisis and Ensuring Public Services for All
People across Canada are feeling the pinch as food prices, housing costs and inflation are at an all-time high. The situation is worse for those living in poverty and lone-parent households, the majority of which are women-led. Moreover, the newly imposed U.S. tariffs will make everything from groceries to manufactured goods to housing even more expensive.
Meanwhile, billionaire’s wealth increased by $309 million a day, leaving millions of Canadians to struggle with food insecurity, rising housing costs, and affordable child care. This affordability crisis hits women and gender diverse people the hardest. Systemic racism also locks racialized, immigrant and Indigenous households into much higher poverty rates. It’s time for real action to ease the affordability and inequality crisis.
We want the next federal government to:
Support those who need it the most
Increase government transfers to low-income individual and families hit hardest by inflation. The new Canada Disability Benefit should be significantly scaled up to meet basic needs.
Lower food prices and stop corporate greed.
The government must crack down on price gouging, shrinkflation and the excessive profits of grocery chains that control the market. Increase transparency as Canadians deserve to know why their grocery bills keep rising.
Tax the super-rich and make the extreme wealthy pay their fair share
Introduce a permanent wealth tax targeting the richest 1% to help bridge the inequality gap and fund public services. Introduce super-profits tax on corporations, especially when sectors like oil, gas and grocery chains exploit tariffs, global crises, or market dominance to cash-in.
Ensure affordable and accessible childcare for all
Commit to protecting and strengthening the $10 a Day Child Care Plan to ensure it becomes a permanent part of Canada as it is critical to ensure economic security and stability of communities. Expand not-for-profit and publicly owned child care in every community to meet the high demand, while ensuring fair wages, better benefits and dignified working conditions for child care workers.
Take Real Action on Climate Change
Climate change is making life more expensive and unsafe. Extreme weather is driving up costs and damaging communities, while the super-rich continue to contribute to the highest emissions with their extravagant lifestyles, environmentally harmful investments and powerful influence in politics. Time is running out, but too many politicians are backing away from real climate action. Climate change is relentless, and will only slow down if we change our ways. Canada must take bold action towards climate justice.
With ongoing debates about Canada’s energy production and climate commitments, this issue remains contentious. The super-rich and the fossil fuel industry are wrecking our climate, and the next Federal government will have to lead the fight to take action towards climate justice in bold and unapologetic ways. Capping emissions from the oil and gas industry, Canada’s biggest polluter, is a critical step. So is investing in climate adaptation, both at home and abroad, to protect those hit hardest by climate change.
What the next federal government should do:
Accelerate a just energy transition
Continue to support and incentivize Canada’s clean energy transition, making energy costs more affordable for people across Canada through green home incentives, zero emission vehicle rebates and energy efficiency programs.
Make the richest polluters pay their fair share
Impose a cap on carbon emissions from the oil and gas industry to incentivize the industry in finding the most cost-efficient means of reducing industrial emissions and contribute its fair share to Canada’s climate action.
Increase international climate financing
Triple Canada’s international climate finance over the next five years (2026-2031) to scale up our global response to climate change and supports those countries least responsible for climate change but hardest hit.
Take Principled Leadership Globally and Humanitarian Action
As geopolitical tensions rise, Canada faces growing pressure to increase defense spending to safeguard national security and sovereignty. While military investments are important, they must be balanced with commitments to poverty alleviation and humanitarian action by taking principled leadership in tackling global crises and conflicts. In a volatile and unstable world, Canada should maintain its commitment to global cooperation on peace, justice and human rights and strengthen its international partnerships and alliances with like-minded countries to reach multilateral solutions.
Canada must take a principled and pragmatic stance in defending its interests, with respect for human rights and international humanitarian law remaining a cornerstones of our foreign policy. Women’s rights and gender equality are under attack in many countries. Defending rights and equality against rollbacks by regressive regimes is the only pathway to a more stabe and prosperous world. Rich donor countries like Canada should respond to more humanitarian emergencies, global hunger and protection of human rights.
What the next Federal government should do:
Promote Global Solutions for Poverty
Strengthen multilateral processes and institutions that create real solutions for people living in poverty. Canada must not fall into an isolationist mentality of “fortress North America”, but rather foster a multipolar world where low- and middle-income countries are treated as equal partners.
Increase Foreign Aid to respond to Global Crisis
Canada must significantly scale up its foreign aid to address the urgent needs caused by climate disasters, forced migration and conflict. Canada’s official development assistance should be channeled to women’s rights organizations ensuring that help reaches those who need it the most.
Ensure Canada’s foreign policy aligns with human rights
Immediately stop arms transfers to countries known to violate international humanitarian law and ensure Canada’s foreign policy aligns with human rights and international law. Canada should stand up for women’s rights and gender equality in our development programming, international trade and diplomatic relations, particularly in the face of rollbacks at the UN instigated by other states like Russia, Saudi Arabia, Vatican and the USA.
Looking Ahead and Making Informed Choices
This Federal Election 2025 will be a critical moment for Canada. It’s a pivotal time to shape the future of our country and build a just and equal world for all. The outcome of this election will not only determine domestic policies but also Canada’s role on the world stage. Now is the moment for us to make informed choices, ensure our voices are heard and collectively build an equitable Canada. Read our Federal Election 2025 guide covering key issues Canadians care about. The guide focuses on critical themes such as the affordability crisis, ending poverty, real climate action, taxing the super-rich, Indigenous women’s rights and safety, accessible reproductive health services and other issues that Canadians care about the most. This guide will help voters make informed choices, speak directly to the issues that matter most to them and have meaningful conversations with candidates.
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