The Conservative Party of Canada recently held its first ever policy convention in Montreal. At that convention, delegates adopted a series of resolutions on a raft of topics. These are the the resolutions adopted under the broad headings of Agriculture; Fisheries and International Trade Policy. (The headings were chosen by the party and the resolutions were placed in various groups by the party.) Reproduced below is each resolution in the broad grouping as it was voted on by delegates. All of the following were adopted or carried by at the convention. The acronym EDA in the following stands for Electoral District Association. The resolutions here are presented in the order in which they were voted on by delegates. When the following documents talk about inserting new clauses or replacing new clauses, they are referring to modifying what's known as the “Base Document” — starting point for policy discussions put together by senior party officials in September, 2004.
Celebrating Canada's Diversity, Aboriginal Affairs and Heritage
P-17: Bilingualism | P-60: Multiculturalism | P-57: Aboriginal Affairs Principles | P-61: Amateur Sport
P-17: Bilingualism
Bilingualism
The Conservative Party of Canada believes that Canada's official languages constitute a unique and significant social and economic advantage that benefit all Canadians.
i) A Conservative government will support the Official Languages Act ensuring that English and French have equality of status and equal rights and privileges as to their use in all institutions of the Parliament and Government of Canada.
ii) The Conservative Party of Canada will work with the provinces to enhance opportunities for Canadians to learn both official languages.”
Moved by National Caucus.
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P-60: Multiculturalism
It is moved that a new clause be added in Section L) as follows:
Multiculturalism
The Conservative Party recognizes the rich, diverse make-up of the Canadian population and the contribution of these communities to our history and the Canadian way of life. The government must ensure that each community is able to enhance and contribute to Canada without discrimination and barriers.”
Moved by National Caucus.
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P-57: Aboriginal Affairs Principles
It is moved that the current clause 57 and 58 be replaced with the following:
“Improving the Lives of Aboriginal Canadians
The fundamental obligation of the federal government is to improve the living conditions of aboriginal Canadians in terms of economic opportunity, health, education, and community safety.
The Conservative Party believes that the following principles should govern the administration of existing federal aboriginal programs. These principles should also govern future legislative reform to the Indian Act and related legislation. They should also inform government decision making in the resolution of rights disputes – whether based upon existing treaties, court decisions or Section 35 of the Constitution Act:i) The Need for a Legislated Framework for Federal Aboriginal Expenditures: The Parliament of Canada must develop legislation which governs the delivery of federal governmental programs to aboriginal Canadians. Both aboriginal and non-aboriginal Canadians deserve to know the legislative basis upon which the Government of Canada is expending funds on aboriginal health, education, social welfare and infrastructure. Legislation should be developed which governs such programs and which prescribes the standards of service which the federal government has undertaken to provide to aboriginal Canadians.
ii) Self Government – Legal and Democratic Authority: The Indian Act (and related legislation) should be replaced by a modern legislative framework which provides for the devolution of full legal and democratic responsibility to First Nations for their own affairs within the overall constitutional framework of our federal state.
Such legislative reform should be pursued following full consultation with First Nations, with the objective of achieving a full and complete devolution of democratic authority that is consistent with the devolution of other decision making responsibility within our federal system. First Nations like other Canadians, are entitled to enjoy democratic control over their own affairs within a legislative context that ensures certainty, stability, respect for the rule of law and which balances collective and individual responsibility.
First Nation communities must have the flexibility to determine for themselves, whether and how free market principles, such as individual property ownership should apply to reserve lands. Self government should be accomplished in a manner which takes into account the cultural and linguistic diversity of Canada's First Nations. Within the context of the Canadian Constitution, we should be prepared to make flexible accommodations for the protection of language and culture within self-government agreements.iii) Transparency: Both aboriginal and non-aboriginal Canadians are entitled to complete transparency and accountability in the expenditure of all public funds on aboriginal programs, services and inter-governmental transfers. Aboriginals, like other Canadians, must have ready access to police and judicial intervention to constrain and check any exercise of governmental authority (whether aboriginal or non-aboriginal) which is illegal, corrupt or an abuse of power.
iv) Respecting the Canadian Constitutional Framework: We are a nation governed by the Constitution Act, under which the rights of all citizens are protected and advanced by the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Our future together as a country must be built upon the universal application of that framework.
All Aboriginal rights recognized under Section 35 of the Constitution must be conferred within the four square corners of the Constitution Act and the Charter, with full protection for equality rights, such as women's rights, for both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Canadians. Future aboriginal legislation, policies and programs must balance the collective rights of Aboriginal Canadians under Section 35 of the Constitution with the individual equality rights enshrined in the Charter – which protect all Canadians – whether Aboriginal or non-Aboriginal. Aboriginal Canadians are entitled to the full benefits of Canadian citizenship and the full protection of the Charter – in areas such as economic opportunity, the delivery of health services, community safety, women's rights, respect for the rule of law, and the education and protection of children. Canada must develop in a manner that ensures constitutional equality and workability.v) A Framework for the Settlement of Comprehensive Claims and Self Government Agreements: Settlement of all outstanding “comprehensive claims” must be pursued on the basis of a clear framework which balances the rights of aboriginal claimants with those of Canada – in particular, negotiated settlements must balance the economic and social needs of aboriginal Canadians with Canada's need for certainty and finality of terms. Self government agreements must reflect Canada's need for both efficacy and practicality in institutional structure, and “constitutional harmony” so as not to impede th
e overall governance of Canada.vi) The Resolution of Existing Specific Claims and Lawsuits against the Federal Crown: The federal government should, as a priority, adopt measures to resolve the existing backlog of “specific” claims so as to provide justice for aboriginal claimants, together with certainty for Government, industry and non-aboriginal Canadians. Institutional reform in the specific claim area should be pursued in a manner which resolves claims in a timely manner. The jurisdiction of the Federal Court should be expanded and the arbitrary ambit of the Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC) Minister and the Specific Claims Policy contracted to eliminate the inherent conflict of interest of the Federal Crown in the resolution of 'specific claims'.”
Moved by Alberta RJPM and National Caucus.
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P-61: Amateur Sport
It is moved that a new clause be added in Section M) as follows:
Amateur Sport
The Conservative Party recognizes the value of promoting amateur sport as a means of building legacy and heritage in local communities, and as a means of serving future generations of athletes. We will develop tax incentives to support and increase participation in local and top-tier international sporting events. An investment in amateur sport is an investment in future Canadian leaders and builds Canadian representatives around the world.
Moved by Richmond EDAs