The policies that ultimately get adopted can be a blueprint for the Conservatives' next election platform — but the leadership doesn't have to follow them to the letter

OTTAWA — This week, the federal Conservatives are adding to their policy book for the first time under leader Andrew Scheer, and for the last time before the next election.

On the table for the rank-and-file to discuss at the party’s convention in Halifax are changes to positions on everything from immigration to abortion to freedom of speech to defence spending.

Distroscale

The policies that ultimately get adopted can be a blueprint for the Conservatives’ next election platform — but the leadership doesn’t have to follow them to the letter, so Scheer and his people can still think up other ideas to prioritize in next year’s campaign.

Here’s the drill on how it works: On Friday, party members will split up to debate 76 resolutions, divided between three lists that were prioritized based on voting at regional meetings and by federal riding associations online. It’s unlikely that delegates will get all the way down each list. Out of those they debate, a maximum of 10 can be brought to a wider plenary on Saturday. To get to the plenary, they need 80 per cent support in the smaller groups. If more than 10 policies get such support, then those with the highest percentages go ahead. Finally, at the plenary, policies are formally adopted by the party if they get a simple majority plus a majority of support from six out of 11 regional groups (10 provinces plus another for the territories).

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Here’s a bunch of what’s on the agenda,

Abortion and embryos

One high-priority resolution states, “The Conservative Party recognizes that it is a perfectly valid legislative objective to protect the life of the unborn child.” Another would amend the policy book to delete a line saying that a Conservative government wouldn’t support legislation to regulate abortion. Two other ideas recommend pursuing adult stem cell research rather than using human embryos, and recognizing it as “unethical and discriminatory” to pick and choose which embryos to implant during in vitro fertilization.

Supply management?

Don’t hold your breath, but last up at one of the breakout sessions is a resolution that suggests the party should, as Maxime Bernier advocated during his leadership bid last year, “phase-out supply management while smoothing the market adjustment for Canadian farmers.”

Freedom of speech

Five different resolutions deal in freedom of speech, two of them specifically condemning the idea that a government should impose a “values attestation” on federal granting — a clear allusion to the Canada Summer Jobs fiasco. Another high-priority resolution adds Scheer’s policy to withhold grant money from universities that don’t defend speech, and on top of that advocates repealing legislation that “compels Canadians to utter made-up pronouns like ‘ze’ and ‘zir.’ ” There’s no such legislation — unless you ask professor Jordan Peterson, who extrapolated such an outcome from his questionable reading of a Liberal bill that added “gender identity” to discrimination and hate crime law.

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Omar Khadr

More than one resolution states that convicted terrorists shouldn’t receive any remuneration or settlement from Canada, a clear reference to the money paid out to Omar Khadr to end his legal battle with the government of Canada.

The flow of liquids between provinces

High on the list is an assertion that Conservatives support the development of the Energy East pipeline “as a means of creating Canadian jobs and reducing our dependence on foreign oil.” Other ideas include promoting the harnessing of tidal energy and adding energy to a list of products for which interprovincial trade barriers should be reduced — although a higher-priority resolution focuses specifically on cross-border alcohol sales.

The flow of people across the border

Several resolutions call for the Conservative Party to put an “end” to the flow of people coming into Canada from the United States outside of regular points of entry. One of them urges a renegotiation of the Safe Third Country Agreement between Canada and the U.S. to close loopholes.

Thinking about maybe having a climate policy

First on one priority list is a resolution that says the party recognizes the importance of climate change, and that it “will strive to be a World Class Leader in climate change adaptation and green house gas reduction.” It doesn’t suggest a specific way to do that. Another lower-down resolution asserts there should be no federal carbon tax or cap-and-trade system.

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Cheaper ferries and a gift for Couillard

To please Quebec, a middle-priority idea advocates a single tax return for the province, something Scheer already supports, and that the NDP adopted at their most recent policy convention. Citizens there currently have to fill out two tax forms, one for the feds and one for the provincial government, unlike elsewhere in Canada. A top idea holds that territories should get 100 per cent of resource royalties; middle-of-the-list ones propose creating regional development ministries and reducing the cost of the ferry service between Nova Scotia and Newfoundland.

Some gifts for Trump?

A couple of policies would put Canada more into line with Donald Trump’s America. Two high-priority ideas would: commit the party to “work towards spending” the NATO-recommended two-per-cent GDP on national defence, which Trump wants; and advocate locating Canada’s Israeli embassy in Jerusalem. In a nod to foreign interference woes, several resolutions propose strengthening election laws. And one, in theory to mitigate worries about the Canada-U.S. relationship, would prioritize creating a “CANZUK” trade, labour and security agreement between Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.

The public health risks of … pornography

It might not get debated, because it is the 21st item on one of the lists, but there is a resolution that “acknowledges research” (without citing it) that recognizes “pornography is a public health risk affecting individual and public health.” Without offering any detail, the resolution supports the development of laws, policies and programs “to prevent pornography exposure and addiction, to develop recovery programs, and to educate society on the harms of pornography.”

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No more boutique tax credits, or, well, maybe one or two

Surprising no one, the Tories have a few ideas about taxes. Higher-priority ideas include supporting broad-based tax reductions instead of tax credits; launching an independent review of the Income Tax Act; exempting pensions and Old Age Security from taxation; and giving tax credits to families that adopt children “so as to address Canada’s declining birth rate.”

Palliative care

Three resolutions support widening access to palliative care. One calls for a national strategy that would specifically divorce the idea of palliative care from the idea of medically-assisted death.