The NDP's election platform is no latter-day Communist Manifesto. It actually (gasp!) makes sense.

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Alec Bruce

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The great thing about being Jack Layton is that everyone knows where you stand, which is, among other things, nowhere close to forming a government. So what? It was never in the cards anyway. And there's a wonderful liberation in that.

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Whatever you think about the Big Dipper "" and opinions are diverse "" you can't accuse him of prevarication or subterfuge. No Green Shift mumbo-jumbo (first we tax you till you squeal; then we give it back) for him. No majority-minority bafflegab (we don't want to control Parliament until. . .well, we do) issues from his mustachioed mug. No sir! The leader of Canada's "third" party wears his principles on his sleeve. And they never, ever change, because nothing so crass as a Prime Ministership is riding on them.

So it was, last Sunday in Toronto, when the NDP unveiled its 50-page platform. Here's what it said, in part:

"During elections, Liberals and Conservatives don't talk much about corporate tax cuts. But come budget time, the biggest priority for Liberals and Conservatives is another round of tax giveaways to Canada's wealthiest corporations. We will change that and bring a more balanced approach to Ottawa. The New Democrats will not implement Mr. Harper's profligate, wasteful and unproductive corporate tax breaks. We'll restore a uniform 22.12 per cent tax rate "" what it was before the Martin and Harper governments began these giveaways.

"We will end the special tax breaks for the tar sand projects, and the big oil and gas industry. We will eliminate the loopholes that enable Canadian corporations to avoid paying the taxes they owe by running their finances through international tax havens, as spelled-out in the Auditor General's report. We will recover unpaid loans and outstanding taxes from corporations that are doing business with the federal government by deducting such debts from the contract payments."

As for Afghanistan, the NDP would:

"Withdraw all Canadian forces from the combat mission, with reasonable advance notice and in consultation with our allies; ensure that Canada delivers on the aid and development assistance commitment made through the Afghanistan Compact; ensure that women and human rights groups in Afghanistan can access Canadian development dollars, and that corruption at all levels of government is addressed effectively; ensure that the United Nations, not NATO or the U.S., becomes the lead organization in the provision of security and development assistance in Afghanistan; and promote opportunities for negotiating peace at the national, regional and international levels, in line with proposals made by the president of Afghanistan and leading security experts."

And, for average folks, the NDP would:

"Phase in a new Child Benefit. This benefit, modeled on the existing Canada Child Tax Benefit, will expand in phases to $5,000 a year per child, and consolidate the current piecemeal system of benefits and tax credits for children into a single, better, non-taxable monthly cheque to parents. We will work with provinces to eliminate the provincial claw-back of much needed Child Supplement Benefits for families receiving social assistance. We will make substantial investments in affordable, accessible, child care for all Canadians. We will provide aggressive incentives to help ordinary families and those with low or fixed incomes become more energy-efficient, helping to both reduce rising energy costs and contribute to the fight against climate change. We will establish a fair minimum wage of $10 and index it to inflation, and immediately reform the Employment Insurance system to ensure fairness and support for unemployed Canadians."

The odd thing about Layton's platform is not that it reads like a latter day Communist Manifesto, but that, on the surface, it seems eminently reasonable and, more to the point, typically Canadian. End corporate welfare, and make the fat cats pay their fair share. Apply the new revenues to social programs for average people, and to measures designed to alleviate the suffering of the poorest among us. Make peace, not war. What's not to like?

Plenty, say Conservative and Liberal attack dogs who insist that the NDP agenda presages an economic catastrophe of biblical proportions. Low corporate taxes, they argue, guarantee the nation's long-term competitiveness. They invite foreign direct investment and free much-needed funds for private sector productivity enhancements. All of which is certainly true, in theory. But in the real world, Tory and Grit approaches to laissez-faire economics haven't entirely lived up to their billing. The nation continues to lag other developed jurisdictions in key productivity measures.

Indeed, the devil is in the details, and where the major parties have failed is not so much in their policies, but in their follow-through. This, of course, is why Layton enjoys an enormous philosophical advantage. He's as free as a bird to sound as reasonable and accountable as he likes. He knows he'll never be fully roasted in the crucible of real politick. Still, there's no statute of limitations on good ideas, and it remains to be seen whether the winner of this month's election will do what winners of every Canadian election have always done: Take the free lunch, the intellectual buffet afforded to them by the NDP, and promptly screw it up.

Alec Bruce is a Moncton-based writer. He may be reached via www.thebrucereport.com.