Environment and Climate Change

Accomplished

Environment Minister Catherine McKenna helped bring about the national agreement on climate change with emissions reduction targets and has created a low carbon infrastructure fund. Admission to national parks was free for the Canada 150 year, Rouge National Urban Park was created in Toronto, and Canada hit its goal of protecting five per cent of marine and coastal areas by the end of 2017. There have been investments put on the table for green infrastructure including transit, water and waste water systems and climate change mandates in municipalities. There have been some investments made to Parks Canada programs.

Working on it

A rejigging of the federal environmental assessment processes is underway and an announcement is expected soon. Eleven new species were added to the species-at-risk list in 2017, with a commitment to completing protection plans in a timely way, but the protection plans are still ongoing. An announcement to make admission to national parks free for children and new Canadians is coming soon. Canada signed a North American clean energy agreement in 2016, but its outcome is less certain with the change in U.S. presidents.

Not at all, or at least not yet

At the G20 in 2009, Canada committed to phase out fossil fuel subsidies. It was the second item in McKenna’s mandate letter, but Auditor General Michael Ferguson says Canada has no plan to do it. Ferguson and the government are locked in a battle over whether he can see finance documents that detail what the existing subsidies actually are. McKenna was also told to set stronger air quality standards with the provinces and while she has committed to “strengthening” the Canada Environmental Protection Act, she hasn’t committed specifically to national, enforceable air quality standards.

Read more: Mandate letters: As Liberals mark two years in power, optimism turns to realism

Will it matter?

Protecting the environment better than their predecessors was one of the big pillars of the Liberal election campaign, one that helped swing the left-wing vote their way in 2015. If environmentalists believe the Liberals are not doing enough on that front, those votes could be on the move come 2019.

Indigenous Affairs

Accomplished

The 2016 budget committed $8.4 billion over five years aimed at education, housing and other commitments in the mandate letter given to Carolyn Bennett, originally named minister of Indigenous affairs. The Liberal government did lift the two-per-cent cap on annual funding increases for First Nations on-reserve programming, but it did not happen immediately as Trudeau had promised. Bennett also worked to set up the national inquiry into missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls.

Working on it

Since that time, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has acknowledged how far his government has to go to fulfil his promise of implementing all 94 recommendations from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. This summer, Trudeau split the portfolio in two, naming Bennett the minister of Crown-Indigenous relations and Jane Philpott the minister for Indigenous services. Both ministers are responsible for dissolving the current Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada and creating two departments, which will involve consultations and legislation next spring. The monumental task of improving how the federal government handles child welfare and health services will fall to Philpott, including the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal finding that the federal government discriminates against Indigenous children.

Not at all, or at least not yet

One of Philpott’s key commitments is making sure First Nations have access to clean drinking water by eliminating all long-term boil-water advisories by 2021. As of Nov. 1, there were still more than 150 advisories in place, including some telling people not to consume the water at all.

Will it matter?

Trudeau viewed the relationship with First Nations, Métis and Inuit to be so important that he mentioned it as a top priority in the preamble to all his mandate letters. The water protectors who erected a teepee on Parliament Hill during the Canada 150 celebrations this summer — as well as the anger expressed by families of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls at the way the national inquiry has been handled so far — exposed deep disappointment with the pace of progress.

Defence

Accomplished

Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan has knocked a number of items off his to-do list, most notably the release of a new defence policy that promises billions in new funds for the military and more benefits and support for military personnel. He has also rolled out a new suicide prevention strategy for military personnel and veterans, and withdrew Canadian fighter jets from the fight against Daesh, also known as ISIS or ISIL, while tripling the number of special forces helping to train local forces. Sajjan has also overseen plans to have the military and ultra-secret Communications Security Establishment develop stronger defensive as well as offensive cyber-capabilities.

Working on it

The biggest “incomplete” is peacekeeping. Trudeau tasked the minister with making everything from mobile medical teams to engineering support and transport aircraft available to UN peace operations. Instead, the number of Canadian peacekeepers in the field has fallen to its lowest point in recent memory. After raising expectations among the UN and other countries, including some of Canada’s closest allies, Sajjan still hasn’t delivered.

Not at all, or at least not yet

While Sajjan was told to launch a competition to replace Canada’s aging CF-18s, the Liberals have instead spent the past two years talking about the need for “interim” fighter jets. The original plan was to buy Super Hornets from Boeing. Now it appears the government is looking at used aircraft from Australia. Meanwhile, there has been little about when the competition will be held. Many retired military officers and defence experts say a competition can and should already be underway, but it’s believed the Liberals are worried the F-35 — which they promised not to buy — would win.

Will it matter?

Only time will tell if the promised money and equipment arrive, but the new defence policy has been relatively well received. A decision on Canada’s new peacekeeping contributions is also expected in the coming weeks. But the Harper Conservatives learned first-hand how fighter jets can bomb a party’s chances at re-election, and the question will be how the Liberals escape what many say is a mess of their own making.

Families, Children and Social Development

Accomplished

Along with Finance Minister Bill Morneau, Families Minister Jean-Yves Duclos helped develop the Canada Child Benefit and return the age of eligibility for old age security payments to 65. Duclos also successfully negotiated a child care deal with the provinces and territories.

Working on it

The 2017 budget committed $11.2 billion towards affordable housing, but the majority of the money is not slated to appear until after 2022. Many of the details will be in the national housing strategy, which is coming sometime this fall. Duclos is also still consulting on the promised national poverty reduction strategy. The Liberals also committed to allowing people to begin maternity leave earlier or extend parental leave to 18 months — at a lower benefit rate — but have not yet introduced legislation to make the change. In 2016, Trudeau shifted responsibility for reforming the employment insurance regime to Duclos. That work continues.

Not at all, or at least not yet

The mandate letter says the Infrastructure Bank would support the construction of new, affordable rental housing. The Infrastructure Bank is not yet up and running, but its mandate to attract private investment for projects that would create a profit suggests social housing would not be in the mix. Duclos was also asked to work with Morneau on modernizing the RRSP Home Buyers’ Plan so that Canadians affected by “sudden and significant” changes in their lives could buy a house without paying a tax penalty, but nothing has come of it yet.

Will it matter?

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The Liberals ran on the promise to help out the middle class and many of the accompanying pledges fall within the mandate given to Duclos. The minister has achieved progress on some key areas, but some of the major programs promised to those who are “working hard to join” the middle class, as the Liberals say, are still on the horizon. It remains to be seen whether those voters will feel as if they’ve been given what they need.

Finance

Accomplished

Morneau cut federal income taxes on the middle bracket and raised the rate on income higher than $200,000 per year, cancelled an income-splitting measure for families with kids introduced by the Harper government and enhanced child-benefit payments. He expanded the Canada Pension Plan and created the Canada Infrastructure Bank. He announced a new rate-setting mechanism to ensure employment insurance premiums are no higher than needed to pay for the program over time, introduced a new tax benefit to help offset cost of school supplies for educators and repealed the Conservatives’ Federal Balanced Budget Act.

Working on it

Morneau is still working to eliminate what he believes are unfair advantages for wealthy business owners. He unveiled a controversial tax reform plan this summer, causing an uproar that forced him to tweak and even back away from elements of the proposals. When it comes to his so-called fiscal anchors, Morneau appears on pace to continue reducing the federal debt-to-GDP ratio — a measure of the public debt burden — throughout the Liberal mandate.

Not at all, or at least not yet

Morneau has yet to introduce a 12-month holiday on employment insurance premiums for companies that hired new, younger workers into permanent jobs in 2016, 2017 and 2018. He has also yet to remove the GST on new capital investments in rental housing. Perhaps the most prominent vow the Liberals are unlikely to fulfil is their pledge to balance the budget by 2019-20. Last month, Morneau released his fall fiscal statement, which projected a $14.3-billion deficit for 2019-20, even though Canada’s economic outlook has significantly improved.

Will it matter?

Morneau appears to have made considerable progress in meeting the goals outlined in his mandate letter. However, the Liberal government’s fiscal path, which apparently won’t include a return to balance by the end of its mandate, frequently comes under attack from the Conservatives. The lack of a timetable to eliminate the deficit has also been criticized by some economists, although other experts say the annual shortfalls are small enough that there’s no rush to balance.

Foreign Affairs

Accomplished

Trudeau’s original foreign affairs minister was Stéphane Dion, whose first task was to improve relations with the United States, including by reducing impediments to trade. Much of this went out the window when U.S. President Donald Trump got to the White House, and Trudeau shuffled Dion off to Europe and put Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland in charge of the file. Still, Dion did work with the immigration minister to lift the Mexican visa requirement and host the Three Amigos summit in Ottawa last year, which led to a North American clean energy and environment agreement. The 2016 budget also made good on a promise to restore funding intended to promote Canadian culture overseas, devoting $35 million over two years to a new version of the program.

Working on it

Minister Freeland’s top task is to make sure Canada gets a good deal out of the renegotiations of the North American Free Trade Agreement, which remains a work in progress with no obvious end in sight. In a major speech this spring, Freeland outlined the Liberal government’s foreign policy priorities, which include Canada taking on a bigger leadership role backed up with military power. The legislation that would have Canada accede to the arms trade treaty was introduced in April, but has only reached the committee stage.

Not at all, or at least not yet

Global Affairs Canada runs the Peace and Stabilization Operations Program that was given $450 million over three years in part to co-ordinate missions and develop the policy behind the promised UN peacekeeping mission. The Liberal government has yet to reveal where it plans to send up to 600 troops for UN peacekeeping operations.

Will it matter?

The Liberals did not put a major emphasis on foreign affairs during the 2015 election, but with the renegotiation of NAFTA and an unpredictable president in the White House, it has become a top priority for both the government and the economy. The ultimate success or failure of the NAFTA talks is largely out of Freeland’s hands, but if Canada emerges in a worse position, then voters will be looking for someone to blame.

Justice

Accomplished

Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould helped introduce legislation on doctor-assisted dying and develop the mandate for the national inquiry into missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls. She also restored the Court Challenges program, brought in legislation to legalize marijuana for recreational use, introduced new national security legislation, brought in an independent process for recommending nominees to the Supreme Court, including a way to ensure they are functionally bilingual, and added gender identity as a prohibited grounds for discrimination under the Canadian Human Rights Act.

Working on it

Trudeau tasked her with reviewing the sentencing reforms the Conservatives brought in as part of their tough-on-crime agenda, a mandate that Wilson-Raybould seized upon as an opportunity to reform the criminal justice system writ large. After raising expectations among advocates, she has yet to introduce legislation on mandatory minimums or other major reforms.

Not at all, or at least not yet

The Liberals promised during the election campaign to toughen criminal laws and bail conditions in domestic assault cases, a commitment that was repeated in the mandate letter, but no laws have been brought in. The same goes for a promise to repeal key elements of Bill C-42, which the Conservatives brought in to relax some requirements around transporting firearms, and bring in laws to reduce the number of handguns and assault weapons on the streets.

Will it matter?

The justice minister was given an ambitious mandate and last year’s Supreme Court decision on unreasonable delays, known as R. v. Jordan, has both complicated the file and increased its urgency. Some of those advocating for justice reform have been willing to give her some time to make sure she gets things right. Still, advocates said earlier this year they were running out of patience. As the 2019 election draws nearer, it could become difficult to bring in changes that political opponents could spin as being soft on crime.

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