August 9, 2022
With the salary increase adopted in 2013 Canadian MPs now make $160,200 yearly. This figure is higher than that of politicians in Great Britain, Australia and several other industrial nations. This is unacceptable when Canadians are being asked to make due with less. To help our federal politicians lead by example the salary of all MPs and Senators will be reduced to $100,000 yearly.
August 9, 2022
Canadians' trust in government remains at an all-time low. Part of the problem is a sense that MPs are unable to represent their constituents well due to over-bearing party discipline. Canadians want MPs who are able to represent them fully.
The Pirate Party recognizes that party candidates and MPs may not agree on every issue and that parties are at their heart a collection of like-minded equals. As such the party will avoid the use of whipped votes in Parliament. Instead opting to seek caucus...
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August 9, 2022
Our political system makes it difficult for independent candidates to run for public office successfully. Donations raised by an independent candidate are forfeited to Elections Canada after the election is over. They are then forced to start over in the following election, a problem not shared by political parties who can create large stores of funds at the riding association and party level.
The following policies have been approved by the Political Council and will be sent to the membership ...
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April 22, 2022
Reform of the Senate is necessary to ensure the Senate remains relevant and effective as an expert body, and acts as a proper check on the activities of the Commons. However the scope, scale and specifics of any reform are something that needs to be discussed at length and in public. We all have a stake in the future shape of of our democracy.
We intend to start a national discussion about the shape of the Senate and how it can be improved without damaging the work that the Senate does.
Too ma...
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April 22, 2022
The delivery of services to government is littered with stories of companies exceeding budgets and delivering late. We will implement penalties for significant performance failures for government suppliers. If a company fails to deliver a government within 25% of budget or 25% of the deadline then that company (its parent organisations and subsidiaries) would be banned from providing services or products to the government for at least 2 years.
April 22, 2022
An independent audit of public sector spending and processes should be carried out annually, including a review of spending to identify where spending reductions or greater returns are possible without reducing the overall effectiveness of the public sector.
April 22, 2022
To improve the quality of legislation we wish to see a much higher level of prelegislative scrutiny for every bill before parliament.
We would investigate measures intended to reduce the power of party leaders and front-benchers in parliament.
We would investigate the possibility of permanent elected legislative committees for each government department in the Commons rather than ad hoc public bill committees. There are a number of approaches that could work in this area and we would aim to tr...
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April 22, 2022
The detail of the government's deals and agreements with suppliers and other businesses should be disclosed. It is not acceptable that the government should be allowed to protect information regarding its commercial activities on the basis of confidentiality.
April 22, 2022
Whilst not achievable in the very short term, we support the fact that Canada needs a balanced budget rather than continuous deficit spending.
April 22, 2022
We see proportional representation as vital part of election reform, ensuring that government properly represents everyone, and that everyone's voice matters in elections. We intend to restart the national debate and push for a system of proportional representation to be implemented for all elections in Canada. The new system will ensure that elected government have a real majority of support and strategic voting becomes obsolete and unnecessary.
