Welcome to the Policy Manual of the New Democratic Party of Prince Edward Island!

The New Democratic Party of Prince Edward Island believes that a more equitable and environmentally sustainable province is possible. But to achieve that we need broad social policies that share our wealth more fairly, bring better wages to our workers, better support those living on low incomes, bring more economic control to communities and protect the ecosystems which support us.

Over the past several decades as the power and influence of our corporate elites has grown and policies have been shaped to meet their needs we have seen increasing inequality on Prince Edward Island.

Workers are often forced to take precarious, poorly paid and unsafe jobs with unpredictable hours and schedules. Women are kept out of the workforce by an acute shortage of affordable and flexible childcare. Farmers find it hard to make a living using sustainable practices. A quarter of our children experience food insecurity and one half of single person households cannot afford average market rents.

At the same time lax regulation is taking its toll on our environment – the air we breathe, our rivers, our forests, our soil and our fragile coastal waters.

As you read through this manual you will see many policies addressing these issues.

The New Democratic Party of Prince Edward Island believes that we can build on PEI’s shared sense of community by investing together in economic projects and services which will support our neighbours and family members. We support greater public investment in public or community-based non-profit services such as childcare, renewable energy, pharmacare, dental and vision care, housing, transportation and internet services. Such innovative projects will strengthen our communities by providing good jobs with greater pay equity for women.

We support innovation in renewable energy technology and businesses, both small and large, which are good for our communities, our workers and the environment and help us move towards a carbon-free economy.

We believe that the success of an economy must be measured not by how much it exports, not by its Gross Domestic Product and not by the wealth accumulated by a few, but by how well we are sharing our commonly created wealth and lifting people out of poverty, how well the rights of the Indigenous people of Epekwitk are being respected, how well we are including Newcomers, how well we are including those with disabilities and other differences and how well we are taking care of the land and ecosystems for future generations.

Many are troubled by our present government’s high-handed lack of respect for democracy including the processes through which the people of Prince Edward Island have expressed their views. The New Democratic Party of Prince Edward Island believes in governing by listening to all citizens and learning from their perspectives. Our constitution firmly states our belief that “the people have a right to a voice in public policy through meaningful consultation and participation in all levels of public decision-making”.

You may wonder how all of these policy positions have arisen. They are based on resolutions which have been brought forward by members and approved at annual conventions since the Party’s foundation in 1961. There is often lively and rich debate around resolutions when they are being proposed for approval. Any member of the Party can bring a resolution forward and every member present gets to vote on its approval.

We hope you enjoy reading through the policy manual and find that it embodies some exciting visions for a just future!

It is the role of government to create policies and programs to ensure that every person living in Prince Edward Island has a livable income without having to rely on charity to meet their basic needs. The NDP-PEI believes that it is possible to eliminate poverty by redistributing wealth on the basis of a fair tax system, and by investing in public services.

PEI New Democrats believe in:

  • Implementing, in cooperation with the federal government, a Basic Income Guarantee pilot project
  • Making minimum wage a livable wage, to be evaluated on an annual basis
  • Investment in public services such as childcare, public transit, internet, pharmacare, vision care and dental care
  • Investing in a school nutrition program, based on locally produced food, available to all students in the public school system
  • Constant monitoring and assessment of the Employment Standards Act and its implementation, to ensure that PEI workers, especially those who are not unionized, are treated fairly

PEI New Democrats believe in:

  • A minimum wage which reflects a livable income
  • Making changes to the Employment Standards Act which bring dignity and fairness to the workplace and include new protections for workers including, but not limited to:
    • Fairer overtime rules
    • Equal pay for equal work for casual, part-time, temporary and contract workers
    • Paid sick days
    • Fair scheduling that workers can depend on and organize their lives around
    • Accommodation of disabilities
    • Special protection for migrant workers to prohibit reprisals from employers
    • Parental benefits available to all employees, with no qualifying period
  • First contract legislation to help unions get a first contract with an employer
  • Working towards greater power for workers in the workplace
  • Providing migrant workers with full access to health services immediately on arrival
  • Requiring employers of migrant workers to be registered and recruiters to be licensed
  • Implementing protective measures for migrant workers such as workplace inspections
  • Demanding that the federal government
    • end the practice of tying migrant workers to specific employers
    • transition migrant workers towards permanent immigration status upon arrival with rights to family reunification and full social entitlement