Imagine a society in which the success at school of not a single child is linked to the income level of his/her parents. A society in which every young person and adult has the same opportunities to get along financially and succeed in studies, working life or as an entrepreneur. Imagine a society in which absolutely all elderly people can have confidence in the fact that, at their most frail time, they have access to adequate care and protection, and not a single one needs to worry about whether their pension is sufficient for food or important medicines. Imagine a society in which climate change is prevented by energy- smart and climate-friendly solutions.
Finland is dividing: For some people things are going well, but others are being left behind. I want to reverse this trend with policies, which aim to increase equality, fairness and compassion. The weeding out of inequality stemming from financial uncertainty, and the single-minded prevention of climate change are at the core of these goals. It is not yet too late, and now is the time to turn this trend around!
A fair and just Finland for all, not just for the few.
Livelihood
Sufficient livelihood must be ensured for all: for families with children, the elderly, employees, entrepreneurs, the unemployed and students.
- We will raise the level of basic security and take steps towards a basic income
- We will guarantee the minimum wage, wage equality and a moderate workload
- We will experiment with a six-hour working day
- We will expand employment services and streamline the income subsidy system
- We will establish an active model
- We will improve the position of the self-employed and small businesses by increasing and guaranteeing the limit for VAT liability
- We will guarantee a pension of at least €1,000
- We will improve the position of the self-employed and small businesses
- We will remove income limits for student benefit
Families with children
Children are the future. The well-being of children and families must be invested in. The coordination of work and family life must be easy. Early childhood education and education in general must be high-quality and equally available to all. Help and support must be available for those with learning difficulties, problems with coping in families, problems with substance abuse and mental health, and other problematic situations. Support must be weighted towards being preventive, and better resources than at present must be available for early intervention.
- We will help companies to prepare equality plans in order to facilitate the coordination of work and family life
- We will implement the 6+6+6 model in the reform of parental leave
- We will invest in high-quality early childhood education and in helping staff to cope
- We will reinstate the subjective daycare right for all children
- We will reduce group sizes in basic education and early childhood education
- We will improve the availability of support for both children and families through schools and early childhood education
- We will ban profit-seeking in early childhood education and increase free-of-charge services
- We will ensure childcare arrangements tailored to daycare- and primary school children during afternoons, weekends and evenings
- We will put child welfare resources in order and stipulate a reasonable number of customers per employee
- We will strengthen home help services
- We will enable children to have the right to two official addresses in divorced families
Climate change
Sustainable transition to a low-carbon society is a task comparable to building a welfare state. We will prevent climate change and react to the threats it causes. We will build an ecologically sustainable Finland.
The progress of climate change – and its prevention – is linked to the everyday life and habits of people but, above all, it must be addressed on a structural level and by large companies. Living, food production and consumption and transport together form a significant part of the carbon footprint of human beings. Climate change and the deterioration of biodiversity are also strongly intertwined with social inequality.
- We will prepare an ambitious plan to mitigate climate change
- We will carry out a climate impact assessment in all decision-making
- We will literally put Finland back on the rails
- We will make farmers and forest owners climate heroes.
- We will accelerate ecological structural change by increasing funding for research and development
- We will promote circular economy
- We will rapidly eliminate subsidies that harm the environment
- We will make Finland carbon-negative by the beginning of the 2030s.
- We will make traffic emission-free by 2045
- We will reform Finnish mining legislation
- We will put forest and marshland conservation programmes in order
- We will promote vegetarianism and strengthen animal rights
Education
Education and training are the pillars of our society. Recently, however, learning differences have increased through inequality, and children have become more restless. Cuts in secondary education are evident in the level of skills. Cuts targeted at higher education have consumed our skills and knowledge capital. This policy must be reversed, and our pillars – education and training – must be single-mindedly strengthened. Competence is the guarantee of a successful society.
- We will safeguard the opportunity to attend higher education in all regions
- We will guarantee the right of everyone to study and to receive study guidance
- We will extend the period of compulsory education up to the age of 18
- We will raise funding for research, development and innovation to a world-leading level
- We will ensure sufficient, open and stable public funding for higher education
- We will provide studying with support and flexibility
- We will increase funding for secondary education and increase cooperation
- We will make secondary education genuinely free of charge
- We will support study and facilitate access to further education
- We will safeguard for everyone the conditions for embarking on vocational adult education.