A proposal to the Conservative party of Canada

In the event that a long-awaited election should result in the hoped for Conservative majority, I propose the following:

THE – ISSUES

Conservatives will have to address the empty bank account that is always a remnant of Liberal governments

The Trump Factor – Tariffs or not, Canada must address an adversarial or at least unreliable United States.  This will require, as described by Pierre Poilievre, reduction in interprovincial trade barriers and development of infrastructure aimed at exporting Canadian products to other international markets

Conservatives will have to rebuild Canada’s decimated military

A Housing initiative– Canada needs millions of homes within a short time frame.

Jobs for Canadians – Canada needs high paying sustainable jobs for a growing population and a strong economy.  Jobs are required for our next generations and for immigrants

Immigration – Canada needs immigrants to sustain our social services into the future, but homes, jobs and social services must keep pace with immigration levels.

Climate Change – A conservative government must have a cornerstone Climate action initiative that will be seen by Canadians as valuable as well as having a measurable and visible effect on Carbon reduction both for Canada and for the world.

Northern Canada needs a policy and plan to address the decades long ignored needs of Canada’s northern indigenous peoples – (meaningful jobs, affordable food, housing, medical care and clean drinkable water)

SUGGESTIONS

Lack of Revenue 

The free spending habits of the Trudeau years will have, as liberal governments are prone to do, left the cupboards nearly empty.

A conservative government must find a source of revenue other than taxes that can be used to finance other initiatives.  Reopening Canada’s oil and gas revenue streams will help address this situation of course.  Another immediate opportunity for savings would be the cancellation and restructuring of the high cost Liberal National Shipbuilding Strategy, and the wasteful and unnecessary F35 purchase The expected 80 to 100 billion dollar cost, of the NSS offers huge opportunities to affect three of the issues listed above.  While making a different decision on new fighter jets will create jobs.

• Cancelling the Frigate program (15, 140 metre (20 Billion Dollar) Frigates) and replacing it with the purchase of (18 to 24 , 110 metre $400 Million dollar Corvette sized ships).  Fully capable, blue water fighting ships, equipped with anti-submarine, anti-air and anti-ship weaponry.  Ships currently in service in various navies of the world. Ships with smaller crews, which would help address the enlistment shortfall that the military currently has in two significant ways. Smaller crews mean less manpower required to operate each ship.  Smaller crews would mean more opportunities for advancement in the ranks and more opportunities for more technically interesting jobs. Examples of Corvettes in operation with world Navies.
  • The Type K130 Braunschweig class Corvette of the German Navy – Cost $400 M USD per ship. The Malaysian Gowind 3100 cost 1.5 billion Malaysian Ringgit ($429 million CAN).  The Visby Class Corvettes cost $184 million.  As compared to the NSS where each CSC Frigate is budgeted at 2 Billion minimum. For the $77 to $100 Billion (cost of Canada’s Frigates,) Canada could buy approximately 192 Braunschweig class Corvettes, 139 French Gowind 2500s, 179 Gowind 3100s, or 418 Visby class corvettes.  Even with modifications to add hanger space, lengthen hulls or add anti-submarine or anti-air weapons, any of these ships could be built at a huge savings to Canada. Because the corvettes are smaller, they are cheaper, have smaller crews (meaning a positive effect on manpower shortages as well as increased opportunity for sailors to progress in rank),and more Canadian shipbuilders could participate in building the fleet providing more, good paying jobs, in more parts of the country.  This would not necessarily negatively affect the original National Shipbuilding Strategy, since the infrastructure for long term shipbuilding has already been established.  Canada still needs icebreakers, submarines, and offshore patrol ships,
  • Cancel the F35 contract and the Boeing Poseidon ASW aircraft, the Boeing Wedgetail surveillance aircraft and the General Atomics Drone aircraft and buy the SAAB “Gripen”, SAAB/ Bombardier “Swordfish”, and SAAB /Bombardier Global Eye as alternatives.   Even if the cost is the same as the American products, the Swedish aircraft would be built in Canada creating more jobs and expanding Canada’s rather than the American economy. A Bombardier partnership with SAAB could develop and build follow-on and improved, fighter jets, maritime surveillance aircraft for Canada, as well as create a strong defence partnership between Sweden, Europe and Canada.  Neither the Canadian jobs creation or the Defence partnership were considered beneficial in the Liberal plan or in the Liberal mindset.  Considering the current U.S. administration’s threats to Canada’s sovereignty, we, for security reasons, should not be purchasing American military equipment. 
  • Climate Action Initiative – Electrify CN Rail coast to coast.  Besides the huge reduction in Carbon emissions, electric railway engines can pull more weight than diesel engines. More weight per train means more products being moved per train, which equals better economy, thus benefiting Canada.  Again, a national program to electrify CN would create a huge number of good paying jobs.  The project could be a Federal Provincial partnership program leading to a fully electrified rail system.  As the system matures new passenger rail networks could further reduce carbon emissions by encouraging rail travel between communities, thus reducing car travel.
  • Homes – The government allocated Billions of dollars to partner with rich corporations to create a national ship building strategy. I propose a similar yet smaller national home building strategy, with the government partnering with a dozen Factory Modular Home building companies, and or 3D printed home builders.  Through the Creation of factories spread across the country, building standardized home designs with mass production strategies, thousands of homes can be built across the country.

A PLAN for HOMES

1. Create a Federal / Provincial partnership program
2. Contract with home building companies in each province
3. Provide low-cost loans for new, large, modern factories capable of producing new homes in weeks, not months.
4. Leverage 3D printing technologies where applicable.
5. Modify building codes, and encourage bylaw modifications as necessary for efficient home building
6. Build, high-quality, low-cost homes in large numbers, on subsidized government owned land, located in non-urban locations where new development is desired. (Note: every province has small to medium sized towns ready for development.  Many of these towns are already offering land at very low cost in order to attract new residents.

The plan would further require the government to encourage immigrants to locate in areas other than their traditional urban diaspora communities.  Subsidized land, and welcoming communities can be a huge motivator to that end.

FAR NORTH

1. Homes – Expand the home building initiative above to include the three territories and far northern communities.  3D Printed homes, could be utilized to provide modern climate specific homes.
2. Food – Create a program to provide every Northern Community with warehouse sized operations to grow fruits and vegetables hydroponically in climate-controlled conditions.  The technology and experience are already available to grow large amounts of produce, year-round in -50^o C. temperatures. Hydroponic crops are grown in a nutrient based water environment.  Once established, hydroponic agriculture will make northern communities much more self-sufficient for food.

THE MILITARY

The Military – Three initiatives for the military

• A military equipment alliance with the Scandinavian countries.  A commitment to preferential purchase of systems and equipment from Sweden, and Norway provided equipment is built in Canada.
• A serious reduction in Senior Officer ratios,
• Development of a true Canadian ‘NDS’ (northern defence strategy): including development of Churchill, Whitehorse, and Yellowknife, as key military Naval/Coast Guard/ RCAF and Army establishments.

Develop Churchill (or Fort Nelson) as a major shipping hub for freight, and Liquified Natural Gas to Europe.

FOREIGN AFFAIRS

Foreign Affairs.  To bring Canada back into the world community, Canada needs to develop Alliances focused on Canadian values.  Two come to mind: A northern focus a European focus and a Pacific focus. The northern focus would be an alliance with countries with similar issues and concerns in the north.  This suggests alliance with the Scandinavian countries.  A second European focus suggests closer alliances with Germany, and France and CANZUK (Canada, Australia,New Zealand, UK) addresses Europe and the Pacific.

I am a proud Canadian and I care about my country.  I have a conservative outlook, a bias for letting engineers and scientists solve the complex problems and relying on actual facts in decision making.  I can say that I never bought the Trudeau show, being as I experienced the first iteration.

Canada needs a Conservative Poilievre government. I just hope they don’t screw it up.

Patrick W Ambrose