Issue - Defence

  • Boost the Canadian Forces by 5,000 members, creating a new brigade that will focus on peacekeeping
  • Increase the size of the army reserves to 18,500 from 15,500, to participate in peace and nation-building initiatives, as well as natural disasters
  • Establish the Canada Corps that will provide an opportunity for Canadian experts, volunteers and young professionals to work abroad
  • Reduce or forgive debts owed by poor and deserving countries
  • The Liberal government has already committed to the purchase of new equipment, including rescue aircraft and helicopters, as well as state-of-the-art armoured vehicles
  • Increased the budget for National Defence to $13.7 billion in 2004 from $10.2 billion in 1999
  • The federal budget called for a tax exemption on income earned by Canadian Forces personnel and police while serving on high-risk international missions
  • It contributed an additional $250 million for Afghanistan and the war on terror, and $50 million for Canada's participation in Haiti
  • An additional $650 million over five years to address security priorities
  • Develop Canada's first-ever national security policy, with guidelines that will shape the government's actions
  • Strengthen North American security by improving relations with the United States, using the Smart Borders Action Plan as a guideline
  • An immediate infusion of $1.2 billion per year over four years, to bring Canada's military spending in line with NATO's European average
  • An increase in troop levels from 52,400 to 80,000
  • Review a plan to replace Canada's tanks with lighter vehicles
  • New powers for Canada's Coast Guard
  • More Parliamentary control over troop deployment and military equipment
  • Support safe helicopters for the Canadian Armed Forces
  • Make peacekeeping a priority, under the auspices of the UN
  • Establish a Royal Commission to conduct a review of Canada's role in the post-Cold War world
  • Increase salaries and improved housing for members of the Armed Forces
  • Separate the Coast Guard from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans
  • Work with other countries to develop replacements for NORAD and NATO
  • Against the introduction of a national identity card
  • Scrap the Anti-Terrorism Act
  • The NDP is opposed to joining the U.S. missile defence plan
  • Work with the United States to beef up border security
  • Increase security provisions at remote airports
  • Launch a full review of Canadian national defence
  • Ensure Parliament votes before committing troops overseas
  • If a decision is made not to enter war, members of the Canadian Armed Forces should not serve in or command other people's militaries
  • Continue to work within mulinational arms reduction treaties to eventually eliminate chemical, biological and nuclear weapons
  • Introduce legislation to ban racial profiling from federal departments and jurisdictions
  • Parliament should vote on whether to send troops to zones of conflicts, war and others
  • The primary role of the Canadian Army should be peacekeeping missions
  • Maintain a Rapid Response and Deployment Force capable of supporting humanitarian, environmental and peace-keeping missions
  • Merge the National Reserve Force and Canadian Coast Guard to assume domestic responsibilities currently carried out by DND
  • Combine the Department of National Defence, Foreign Affairs and the Canadian International Development Agency into one department -- Department of International Affairs and Global Security
  • Only engage in military operations sanctioned by Parliament and the United Nations