Highlights from the 2021 Ministerial Mandate Letters

December 16, 2021

Today, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau released new mandate letters for members of his Cabinet.

The mandate letters from the Prime Minister outline the commitments that each minister will work to accomplish, as well as the pressing challenges they will address in their role. Mandate letters are not an exhaustive list of all files a minister will work on.

A number of letters include priorities of interest to the Canadian library and information management community:

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance (Chrystia Freeland)

• Top up the Safe Return to Class Fund for ventilation improvement projects across Canada, provide funding for First Nations to improve indoor air quality in on-reserve schools, and introduce a tax credit for small businesses to make it easier for them to invest in better ventilation.
• Increase the Eligible Educator School Supply Tax Credit to 25 per cent, expand eligibility to include tech devices, and ensure that teaching supplies purchased for employment duties are eligible no matter where those duties are performed.
• Continue to support business recovery and workers, including by securing the passage of and implementing legislation that extends the Canada Recovery Hiring Program, introduces temporary rent and wage supports for the hard-hit tourism and hospitality sectors and arts and culture industries, and provides emergency support to businesses and workers in the event of future public health lockdowns.

Leader of the Government in the House of Commons (Mark Holland)

• Lead the important work with the House of Commons to introduce new technology and other institutional changes to better connect Members of Parliament with their constituents.

Minister of Canadian Heritage (Pablo Rodriguez)

• Support artists and the cultural sector to recover from the impacts of the pandemic by:
  • Holding a national summit on plans to restart and position the arts, culture and heritage sectors for the future;
  • Ensuring sufficient compensation is available for media production stoppages related to COVID-19;
  • Launching an Arts and Culture Recovery Program to mitigate the impacts of reduced capacity in cultural venues; and
  • Implementing a COVID-19 transitional support program to provide emergency relief to artists and cultural workers.
• To honour residential school Survivors and all the children who were taken from their families and communities, work with Indigenous leadership, Survivors, families, communities and experts on the planning, design and construction of a national monument in Ottawa.
• Work with First Nations, Inuit and the Métis Nation to ensure that the Indigenous Languages Act continues to be fully implemented and is supported by long-term, predictable and sustainable funding in order to preserve, promote and revitalize Indigenous languages in Canada.
• Work with the Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry to amend the Copyright Act to further protect artists, creators and copyright holders, including to allow resale rights for artists.
• Reintroduce legislation to reform the Broadcasting Act to ensure foreign web giants contribute to the creation and promotion of Canadian stories and music.
• Swiftly introduce legislation to require digital platforms that generate revenues from the publication of news content to share a portion of their revenues with Canadian news outlets to level the playing field between global platforms and Canadian outlets. This legislation should be modelled on the Australian approach and introduced in early 2022.
• Continue efforts with the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada to develop and introduce legislation as soon as possible to combat serious forms of harmful online content to protect Canadians and hold social media platforms and other online services accountable for the content they host. This legislation should be reflective of the feedback received during the recent consultations.
• Support Canadian music, film and television by:
  • Increasing funding to Telefilm Canada and the Canada Media Fund to support Canadian feature films and television productions;
  • Increasing the proportion of funding for French audiovisual content at Telefilm Canada and the Canada Media Fund from 33 per cent to 40 per cent to increase the presence of French-language productions;
  • Providing the Indigenous Screen Office with additional ongoing funding so more Indigenous stories can be told and seen; and
  • Increasing annual contributions to the Canada Music Fund to ensure better and more stable funding for the music sector.
• Work with the Minister of Foreign Affairs to launch a new cultural diplomacy strategy and ensure Canadian artists realize benefits from this initiative.
• Support the Minister of International Trade, Export Promotion, Small Business and Economic Development to help Canadian cultural industries succeed at home and abroad by issuing a mandate to the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) and Export Development Canada (EDC) to support the growth of creative industries in existing and new markets.
• Support Canadian authors and book publishers by increasing funding for the Canada Book Fund, the Canada Council for the Arts and the Public Lending Right Program.
• Empower racialized artists and journalists by:
  • Supporting productions led by people from equity-deserving groups in the Canadian audiovisual industry;
  • Investing in the Local Journalism Initiative to support the production of news in underserved communities; and
  • Developing a new Changing Narratives Fund to provide diverse communities with the tools to tell their own stories and to promote diverse voices in arts, culture and media.
• You will be supported in this work by the Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion.
• Modernize CBC/Radio-Canada, proceeding in a manner that respects the public broadcaster’s independence, by:
  • Updating CBC/Radio-Canada’s mandate to ensure that it meets the needs and expectations of Canadian audiences, with unique programming that distinguishes it from private broadcasters;
  • Reaffirming its role as public broadcaster in protecting and promoting the French language and francophone cultures in Quebec and across the country;
  • Increasing the production of national, regional and local news;
  • Strengthening Radio Canada International, so that it can continue to advocate for peace, democracy and universal values on the world stage;
  • Ensuring that Indigenous voices and cultures are present on our screens and radios;
  • Bringing Canada’s television and film productions to the world stage; and
  • Providing additional funding to make it less reliant on private advertising, with a goal of eliminating advertising during news and other public affairs shows.
• Modernize the institutions and funding tools that support Canada’s audiovisual sector, including video games, to make funding platform-agnostic and open to more traditionally under-represented storytellers, while promoting Canadian productions and ensuring that Canadians are better equipped to own, and benefit from, the content that they produce.
• Increase the funding for the Court Challenges Program, which supports Canadians in legal cases of national significance that clarify official language rights and human rights.
• Working with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, take steps to build an international coalition to develop a new UNESCO convention on the diversity of content online.

Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations (Marc Miller)

• Work with the Minister of Indigenous Services to address the history and legacy of residential schools, including by continuing to provide the necessary supports to communities who wish to continue to undertake the work of burial searches at the sites of former residential schools and other federally-run institutions, such as day schools and Indian hospitals.
• Provide funding towards the construction of a permanent home for the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation and ensure it has sustained financial resources to successfully fulfil its mandate, with dedicated ongoing support for the work on missing children and unmarked graves.
• Continue to lead and coordinate the work required of all ministers to accelerate the implementation of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action. You will be supported by the Minister of Indigenous Services.
• With the support of all relevant ministers, including the Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth and the Minister of Indigenous Services, work with First Nations, Inuit and Métis leadership, Survivors, families and communities to address violence against Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people by accelerating the implementation of the Federal Pathway to Address Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ People. In addition, work with Indigenous partners, provinces and territories to support the implementation of the 2021 MMIWG and 2SLGBTQQIA+ National Action Plan.
• With the Minister of Indigenous Services, continue to work with First Nations partners to ensure fair and equitable compensation for those harmed by the First Nations Child and Family Services program and to ensure the long-term reform of child and family services in First Nations communities, including to help children and families stay together and provide First Nations youth who reach the age of majority the supports they need for up to two additional years.
• Support the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada in fully implementing the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act across government.
• Work with Indigenous partners and relevant Ministers to accelerate the Recognition of Indigenous Rights and Self-determination processes, with particular focus on reforming federal government structures, notably to support self-determination consistent with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
• Work with existing and traditional Indigenous governments and leaders, whose nations and forms of governance were suppressed and ignored historically by the federal government, to restore respectful nation-to-nation relations, in the spirit of self-determination, by renewing and updating treaty relationships where they exist, including pre-confederation treaties, and by seeking viable, trusting and respectful relationships where no treaty exists.

Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion (Carla Qualtrough)

• Finalize and release Canada’s Disability Inclusion Action Plan, in consultation with the disability community, with early actions in key areas of financial security and employment, creating disability-inclusive spaces and adopting a modern approach to and common definition of disability across the Government of Canada. In addition to measures to be implemented by other ministers, actions will include:
  • Launching an employment strategy for Canadians with disabilities;
  • Advancing our commitment to permanently fund support services that ensure equitable access to reading and other published works for Canadians with print disabilities; and
  • Proceeding with the implementation of the Accessible Canada Act and the harmonization of accessibility standards across Canada.
• Permanently eliminate federal interest on Canada Student Loans and Canada Apprentice Loans, increase the repayment assistance threshold to $50,000 for Canada Student Loan borrowers who are single and make appropriate adjustments to the thresholds for other family sizes, and allow new parents to pause repayment of their federal student loans until their youngest child reaches the age of five.

Minister of Environment and Climate Change (Steven Guilbeault)

• To achieve Zero Plastic Waste by 2030:
  • Continue to implement the national ban on harmful single-use plastics;
  • Require that all plastic packaging in Canada contain at least 50 per cent recycled content by 2030;
  • Accelerate the implementation of the zero plastic waste action plan, in partnership with provinces and territories;
  • Continue to work with provinces and territories to ensure that producers, not taxpayers, are responsible for the cost of managing their plastic waste;
  • Work with provinces and territories to implement and enforce an ambitious recycling target of 90 per cent – aligned with Quebec and the European Union – for plastic beverage containers;
  • Introduce labelling rules that prohibit the use of the chasing-arrows symbol unless 80 per cent of Canada’s recycling facilities accept, and have reliable end markets for, these products; and
  • Support provincial and territorial producer responsibility efforts by establishing a federal public registry and requiring producers to report annually on plastics in the Canadian economy.
• Work with the Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry on the creation of a new infrastructure and innovation fund that will scale-up and commercialize made-in-Canada technologies and solutions for the reuse and recycling of plastics.
• Identify, and prioritize the clean-up of, contaminated sites in areas where Indigenous Peoples, racialized and low- income Canadians live.
• Recognize the “right to a healthy environment” in federal law and introduce legislation to require the development of an environmental justice strategy and the examination of the link between race, socio-economic status and exposure to environmental risk.
• Work with the Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry to implement a “right to repair” to extend the life of home appliances, particularly electronics, and require businesses to inform Canadians of the environmental impacts of consumer products.
• Invest in the Meteorological Service of Canada to upgrade infrastructure, including information technology, to ensure it continues to effectively perform its vital functions of monitoring changes in the weather, climate, water, ice and air quality, and predicting weather and environmental conditions.
• Introduce comprehensive legislation to protect federally-owned historic places.

Minister of Families, Children and Social Development (Karina Gould)

• Supported by the Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth, continue advancing the creation and sustainability of a Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care system, including:
  • Concluding negotiations with remaining provinces and territories and implementing agreements:
    • Reducing fees for regulated child care by 50 per cent on average by the end of 2022 everywhere outside of Quebec,
    • Reducing regulated child care fees to $10 a day on average by the end of fiscal year 2025-2026 everywhere outside of Quebec, and
    • Building 250,000 new high-quality child care spaces and hiring 40,000 more early childhood educators by the end of fiscal year 2025-2026;
  • Introducing federal child care legislation to strengthen and protect a high-quality Canada-wide child care system;
  • Establishing a National Advisory Council on Early Learning and Child Care;
  • Continuing to advance work with provinces and territories to reduce fees for families for before and after school care; and
  • Ensuring the Federal Secretariat on Early Learning and Child Care is fully resourced and operational by early 2023.
• Work with Indigenous partners to ensure that Indigenous children have access to a culturally appropriate Indigenous Early Learning and Child Care system that meets the needs of Indigenous families wherever they live, including ensuring more Indigenous families have access to high-quality programming, creating 3,300 new child care spaces, and continuing to support before and after school care for First Nations children on reserve.
• Advance the implementation of the Community Services Recovery Fund to help charities and non-profits adapt and modernize as they recover from the pandemic.
• Continue advancing the Social Innovation and Social Finance strategy, including fully implementing the Social Finance Fund and launching the Social Innovation Advisory Council.
• Through the delivery of Canada’s Poverty Reduction Strategy and other measures, continue leading implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development adopted by the United Nations.
• Work with the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food and with provinces, territories, municipalities, Indigenous partners and stakeholders to develop a National School Food Policy and to work toward a national school nutritious meal program.
• Work with the Minister of Seniors to provide seniors with a single point of access to a wide range of government services and benefits.
• As the Minister responsible for Service Canada, lead the development and implementation of modern, resilient, secure and reliable services and benefit delivery systems for Canadians and ensure those services and benefits reach all Canadians regardless of where they live.
• Enhance the capacity and effectiveness of Black-led and Black-serving organizations through the continued implementation of the Supporting Black Canadian Communities Initiative. You will be supported in this work by the Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion.
• Work with the Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth to ensure the voices and needs of children are represented in our Government’s agenda, as we work to make Canada the best place to grow up.
• Work with the Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth and the Minister of Mental Health and Addictions to ensure mental health supports are accessible to children and youth as they recover from the impact of the pandemic.

Minister of Foreign Affairs (Mélanie Joly)

• Advance support for democracy and human rights as a core priority in Canada’s international engagement, including by:
  • Working with the Minister of International Development, establish a Canadian centre to expand the availability of Canadian expertise and assistance to those seeking to build peace, advance justice, promote human rights, inclusion and democracy, and deliver good governance;
  • Expanding fast and flexible support for fragile and emerging democracies, increasing Canada’s diplomatic presence in regions of strategic importance, and working closely with democratic partners to promote open, transparent and inclusive governance around the world;
  • Defending the right to freedom of expression and opposing the mistreatment or arbitrary detention of journalists, including by building on the work of the Media Freedom Coalition;
• Work with cabinet colleagues and with the support of the digital policy task force to position Canada as a global leader in the digital domain.
• Work with the Minister of Public Safety, the Minister of National Defence and the Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, and in collaboration with implicated ministers, to develop and implement a renewed National Cyber Security Strategy, which will articulate Canada’s long-term strategy to protect our national security and economy, deter cyber threat actors, and promote norms-based international behavior in cyberspace.
• Support the Minister of Public Safety, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, Minister of National Defence and Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry in their work to continue to advance the National Cyber Security Action Plan, ensuring Canada is well positioned to adapt to and combat cyber risks, and ensure the security and integrity of Canada’s critical systems.
• Work with the Minister of Canadian Heritage to launch a new cultural diplomacy strategy to leverage the work of Canadian artists and cultural industries to support Canada’s diplomatic goals.
• Working with the Minister of Canadian Heritage, take steps to build an international coalition to develop a new UNESCO convention on the diversity of content online.

Minister of Health (Jean-Yves Duclos)

• With the support of the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, lead our renewed commitment to work in partnership with and increase funding to provinces and territories to strengthen our universal public health system, ensure health care workers are supported and recruited across the country and advance an integrated, comprehensive and patient-centric strategy, harnessing the full potential of data and digital systems, including by:
  • Expanding virtual care, helping to cover digital infrastructure and other system improvements so that Canadians can access virtual medical consultations or remote monitoring;
  • Expanding the number of family doctors and primary health teams in rural communities and working to give rural communities greater access to a full suite of health and social services professionals;
  • In consultation with provinces and territories and a broad range of partners, expediting work to create a world-class health data system that is timely, usable, open-by-default, connected and comprehensive.

• Work with the Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Associate Minister of Health and with the support of the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance to establish a permanent, ongoing Canada Mental Health Transfer, to help expand the delivery of high-quality, accessible and free mental health services, including for prevention and treatment.
• With the support of the Chief Science Advisor, continue to ensure science and evidence are integrated into our pandemic response.
• Work with the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons in their work to develop a plan to both make Parliament a more inclusive place for families and to respond with greater agility in the event of a future national health crisis.
• In support of the Indigenous Early Learning and Child Care system, continue to invest in Aboriginal Head Start in Urban and Northern Communities Program.
• In collaboration with provinces, territories, families and stakeholders, accelerate the development of the National Autism Strategy.

Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion (Ahmed Hussen)

• As part of a renewed Anti-Racism Strategy, lead work across government to develop a National Action Plan on Combatting Hate, including actions on combatting hate crimes in Canada, training and tools for public safety agencies, and investments to support digital literacy, to prevent radicalization to violence and to protect vulnerable communities. You will be supported in this work by the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada and the Minister of Public Safety, among additional implicated ministers.
• Continue to strengthen and support the important work of the Federal Anti-Racism Secretariat to ensure a whole-of-government approach in addressing systemic racism, including through increased resources.
• Swiftly move forward to implement the Black-led Philanthropic Endowment Fund to support Black-led and Black-serving community organizations.
• Support the Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth in the evaluation process of GBA Plus with the goal of enhancing the framing and parameters of this analytical tool and with particular attention to the intersectional analysis of race, indigeneity, rurality, disability and sexual identity, among other characteristics.
• Support the Minister of Labour in their work to accelerate the review of the Employment Equity Act and ensure timely implementation of improvements.
• Increase funding to multicultural community programs, recognizing their important role in supporting community organizations across the country as they fight racism.
• Support the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada in their work to develop, in consultation and cooperation with provinces, territories and Black Canadians, a Black Canadians Justice Strategy.
• Work with colleagues across government to continue building on the spirit of the United Nations International Decade for People of African Descent, by developing policies and projects that tackle discrimination and unconscious bias in public and private institutions, including anti-Black racism.
• Support the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development to enhance the capacity and effectiveness of Black-led and Black-serving organizations through the continued implementation of the Supporting Black Canadian Communities Initiative.
• Support the Minister of Canadian Heritage in efforts to break down systemic barriers in our media and cultural sectors and ensure that Canadians from all backgrounds have their experiences and perspectives represented.
• Support the President of the Treasury Board in their work to create a diverse, equitable and inclusive workforce by ensuring the hiring, retention and promotion of diverse talents throughout the Public Service.

Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship (Sean Fraser)

• Continue to bring newcomers to Canada to drive economic growth and recovery, as set out in the 2021-2023 Immigration Levels Plan.
• Expand the new immigration stream for human rights defenders and work with civil society groups to provide resettlement opportunities for people under threat.
• With the support of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, continue to facilitate the safe passage and resettlement of vulnerable people from Afghanistan, with an emphasis on individuals who supported Canada and our allies over the past two decades, women, LGBTQ2 people, human rights defenders, journalists and members of religious and ethnic minorities and increase the number of eligible refugees from 20,000 to at least 40,000.
• Reduce application processing times, including to address delays that have been impacted by COVID-19.
• Work to strengthen family reunification by introducing electronic applications for family reunification and implementing a program to issue temporary resident status to spouses and children abroad while they wait for the processing of their permanent residency application.
• Make the citizenship application process free for permanent residents who have fulfilled the requirements needed to obtain it.
• Expand pathways to Permanent Residence for international students and temporary foreign workers through the Express Entry system. With respect to pathways for agricultural temporary foreign workers, you will be supported in this work by the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food.
• Ensure that immigration better supports small- and medium-size communities that require additional immigrants to enhance their economic growth and social vibrancy. This will include expanding the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot, moving forward on the Municipal Nominee Program and making the successful Atlantic Immigration Pilot a permanent program.

Minister of Indigenous Services and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario (Patty Hajdu)

• Work with the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations to address the history and legacy of residential schools, including by continuing to provide the necessary supports to communities who wish to continue to undertake the work of burial searches at the sites of former residential schools and other federally-run institutions, such as day schools and Indian hospitals.
• Work with First Nations, Inuit and the Métis Nation and provincial and territorial governments to continue to fully implement An Act respecting First Nations, Inuit, and Métis children, youth and families, providing long-term, predictable and sustainable funding to support communities looking to implement their jurisdiction for child and family services.
• With the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations, continue to work with First Nations partners to ensure fair and equitable compensation for those harmed by the First Nations Child and Family Services program and to ensure the long-term reform of child and family services in First Nations communities, including to help children and families stay together and providing First Nations youth who reach the age of majority the supports they need for up to two additional years.
• Continue to make sure that Indigenous children get the care they need:
  • Continue to fully fund Jordan’s Principle;
  • Continue to fully fund the Inuit Child First Initiative; and
  • Continue to work with the Métis Nation to fund the unique needs of Métis children.
• Support the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations to continue to accelerate the implementation of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action.
• Support the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations to address violence against Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people by accelerating the implementation of the Federal Pathway to Address Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ People, and to support the implementation of the 2021 MMIWG and 2SLGBTQQIA+ National Action Plan.
• Continue to support First Nation-led processes to transition away from the Indian Act. Work with communities and institutions to invest in capacity building initiatives that support and advance self-determination like the 10-year Grant. Advance the priorities of Indigenous communities to reclaim full jurisdiction in the areas that matter to them, such as child and family services, education, health care, policing, tax and the administration of justice.
• Support the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada in fully implementing the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act across government.

Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry (François-Philippe Champagne)

• Establish a digital policy task force to integrate efforts across government and position Canada as a leader in the digital economy and in shaping global governance of emerging technologies.
• Introduce legislation to advance the Digital Charter, strengthen privacy protections for consumers and provide a clear set of rules that ensure fair competition in the online marketplace.
• Accelerate broadband delivery by implementing a “use it or lose it” approach to require those that have purchased rights to build broadband to meet broadband access milestones or risk losing their spectrum rights.
• Support the Minister of Environment and Climate Change and the President of the Queen’s Privy Council for Canada and Minister of Emergency Preparedness to develop a climate data strategy to ensure that the private sector and communities have access to data to inform planning and infrastructure investments.
• Working with the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, Minister of National Defence and Minister of Public Safety, and with the support of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, continue to advance the National Cyber Security Action Plan, ensuring Canada is well positioned to adapt to and combat cyber risks, and ensure the security and integrity of Canada’s critical systems.
• Work with the Minister of Public Safety, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, and the Minister of National Defence, and in collaboration with implicated ministers, to develop and implement a renewed National Cyber Security Strategy, which will articulate Canada’s long-term strategy to protect our national security and economy, deter cyber threat actors, and promote norms-based international behavior in cyberspace.
• Advance the Pan-Canadian Artificial Intelligence Strategy and additional measures, such as advancing standards and continuing to lead international efforts around coordination, to support artificial intelligence innovations and research in Canada.
• Launch a National Quantum Strategy to amplify Canada’s strength in quantum research and grow our quantum-ready technologies, companies and talent.
• Develop a new approach to support high-risk/high-reward transformative research and development to unleash bold new research ideas, drive technological breakthroughs, protect Canada’s competitive advantage and help Canadian companies grow and create highly skilled jobs. In moving forward with a uniquely Canadian approach modeled on the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), work with the Minister of Health to develop a plan to modernize the federal research funding ecosystem to maximize the impact of investments in both research excellence and downstream innovation, with a particular focus on the relationships among the federal research granting agencies and the Canada Foundation for Innovation.
• Add 1,000 Canada Research Chairs to help attract and retain top talent at Canadian universities and support graduate research, with a focus on improving gender and racial equity among faculty, promoting interdisciplinary research and reinforcing Canada’s world-leading capabilities in life sciences and bio-medical research.
• Establish a new fund to help colleges and universities commercialize leading research, including identifying and securing patent rights for research done within their institutions and connecting researchers with people and businesses to help put these innovations into action and grow our economy.
• Continue to support innovation ecosystems across the country to support job creation, technology adoption and scale-up. This includes working with the Minister of Public Safety, and in close collaboration with Canadian industry and post-secondary institutions, to safeguard Canada’s world-leading research ecosystem, as well as our intellectual property (IP) intensive businesses.
• As the Minister responsible for Statistics Canada, continue to support the President of the Treasury Board in their work in building a whole-of-government approach for the improved collection, analysis, availability and publication of disaggregated data.
• Improve support for Black and Indigenous researchers by including a specific equity target for their representation in federally-funded scientific research delivered through the granting councils and providing dedicated funding to support promising graduate students, foster the mentorship and development of younger researchers and increase opportunities for Indigenous Peoples and Black Canadians in Canadian post-secondary institutions.
• Engage with provinces and seek feedback from universities, colleges, experts, lenders and other post-secondary education stakeholders to explore ways to better protect the public interest functions of public post-secondary educational institutions in insolvency and restructuring situations.
• Support the Chief Science Advisor in their work to bolster the capacity and increase the coordination of the use of science across government.
• Work with the Minister of Canadian Heritage to amend the Copyright Act to further protect artists, creators and copyright holders, including to allow resale rights for artists.
• Work with the Minister of Environment and Climate Change to implement a ‘right to repair’ to extend the life of home appliances, particularly electronics, by requiring manufacturers to supply repair manuals and spare parts, and by amending the Copyright Act to allow for the repair of digital devices and systems.

Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Infrastructure and Communities (Dominic LeBlanc)

• Lead our Government’s work in maintaining open and collaborative relationships with every province and territory, with the goal of working together to serve and improve the lives of all Canadians, and engage with lead ministers to ensure a well-coordinated and strategic approach on key priorities that have significant provincial and territorial implications. This will include ensuring that the priorities of municipalities are reflected in our agenda and maintaining open lines of communications with their elected leaders.
• Continue making meaningful investments in infrastructure across the country. Your focus must be on the successful and timely delivery of our growth-generating investments in public transit and green and social infrastructure. These investments should have a focus on increasing economic growth, supporting climate resilience, reducing emissions and creating good middle class jobs with infrastructure that improves Canadians’ quality of life.
• Support major nation-building projects that will benefit people across various regions, connect our country and improve quality of life, including the Newfoundland-Labrador fixed transportation link.
• Launch Canada’s first National Infrastructure Assessment to help identify needs and priorities in the built environment and support long-term planning toward a net-zero emissions future.
• Create open-access climate toolkits to help infrastructure owners and investors develop projects that contribute to Canada’s path to net-zero emissions.
• Work with provinces and territories to develop an approach to better support the economic growth of small and medium-size communities, ensuring that the needs and aspirations of their residents are effectively championed by our Government.
• Make additional investments through the Natural Infrastructure Fund to support community-led public green space projects by municipalities, Indigenous communities and non-profit organizations.
• Accelerate the design and delivery of the next phase of the Smart Cities Challenge.
• Continue to lead an integrated government response to protect Canada’s democratic institutions, including the federal electoral process, against foreign interference and disinformation, working with domestic and international partners. You will also lead efforts to consider the interplay between technology and democracy.
• Consider the Chief Electoral Officer’s forthcoming legislative recommendations from the 43rd and 44th general elections to further support transparency, fairness and participation in the federal electoral process. This will include working to ensure that participating in Canadian elections continue to be safe, regardless of ongoing events.

Minister of International Development and Minister responsible for the Pacific Economic Development Agency of Canada (Harjit S. Sajjan)

• Increase Canada’s international development assistance every year towards 2030 to realize the United Nations’ (UN) Sustainable Development Goals.
• Improve the way we manage and deliver international development assistance to ensure greater responsiveness, effectiveness, transparency and accountability.
• Continue to build on Canada’s historic support for education with a focus on greater access to inclusive, equitable and quality education for the world’s most marginalized children, including new funding for girls’ and refugees’ education.

Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada (David Lametti)

• Fully implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act and work with Indigenous Peoples to accelerate the co-development of an action plan to achieve the objectives of the Declaration. You will be supported in this work by all ministers, and in particular the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations, Minister of Indigenous Services and Minister of Natural Resources.
• Work with Indigenous partners to appoint a Special Interlocutor who will work with Indigenous communities and provincial and territorial governments to support the development of a legal and regulatory framework to advance justice regarding unmarked graves and make recommendations related to federal laws, regulations, policies and practices surrounding unmarked and undocumented graves and burial sites at residential schools.
• Building on the passage of Bill C-4, which criminalized conversion therapy, continue to ensure that Canadian justice policy protects the dignity and equality of LGBTQ2 Canadians.
• Continue work to ensure the Bench is gender-balanced and reflective of Canada’s diversity by working with relevant stakeholders to encourage women, Black and racialized Canadians, Indigenous Peoples and LGBTQ2 Canadians to join the Bench and the legal profession. This will include working with the Commissioner for Federal Judicial Affairs to better track diversity data for both new and past appointees to the bench.
• Address systemic discrimination and the overrepresentation of Black and racialized Canadians and Indigenous Peoples in the criminal justice system and ensure all Canadians have access to fair and just treatment, including by:
  • Secure support for the swift passage of Bill C-5 to reduce reliance on mandatory minimum penalties and promote non-criminal approaches to drug possession;
  • With the support of the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations, continue to develop, in consultation and cooperation with provinces, territories and Indigenous partners, an Indigenous Justice Strategy; and
  • With the support of the Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion, develop, in consultation and cooperation with provinces, territories and Black Canadians, a Black Canadians Justice Strategy.
• Enhance access to justice by bringing our court system into the 21st century, including by working with provinces and territories to make better use of technology and virtual court services.
• Continue efforts with the Minister of Canadian Heritage to develop and introduce legislation as soon as possible to combat serious forms of harmful online content to protect Canadians and hold social media platforms and other online services accountable for the content they host, including by strengthening the Canadian Human Rights Act and the Criminal Code to more effectively combat online hate and reintroduce measures to strengthen hate speech provisions, including the re-enactment of the former Section 13 provision. This legislation should be reflective of the feedback received during the recent consultations.
• Revive the Law Commission of Canada so it can provide independent advice on law reform needed on the complex legal issues Canadians face, such as systemic racism in the justice system, advancing reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples, issues around climate change and rapid technological shifts in the world.
• Working with the Minister of Public Safety, Minister of National Defence and Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, and with the support of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, continue to advance the National Cyber Security Action Plan, ensuring Canada is well positioned to adapt to and combat cyber risks, and ensure the security and integrity of Canada’s critical systems.
• Building on previous public consultations and technical engagements amongst experts, continue substantive review of the Privacy Act including engagement with Indigenous partners to develop specific proposals for amendments to the Privacy Act to keep pace with the effects of both technological change and evolving Canadian values.

Minister of Labour (Seamus O’Regan Jr)

• Secure passage of amendments to the Canada Labour Code to provide 10 days of paid sick leave for all federally regulated workers, and convene provinces and territories to develop a national action plan to legislate sick leave across the country while respecting provincial-territorial jurisdiction and the unique needs of small business owners.
• Complete the development of a right-to-disconnect policy, in consultation with federally regulated employers and labour groups.
• Amend the Canada Labour Code to provide up to five new paid leave days for federally regulated employees who experience a miscarriage or still birth, and to strengthen provisions to better support working women who need to be re-assigned during pregnancy and while breast-feeding.
• Continue working with provincial and territorial governments to fully implement the International Labour Organization Violence and Harassment Convention, 2019, and continue to support employers and unions to strengthen harassment and violence prevention measures in federally regulated workplaces.
• Lead the efforts to provide free menstrual products in federally regulated workplaces to help ensure women’s participation in work.
• Work to advance amendments that entitle workers employed by digital platforms to job protections under the Canada Labour Code. This work will also include collaborating with the Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion to ensure better benefits and supports for these workers.
• With the support of the Minister of Public Safety, the Minister of Public Services and Procurement and the Minister of International Trade, Export Promotion, Small Business and Economic Development, introduce legislation to eradicate forced labour from Canadian supply chains and ensure that Canadian businesses operating abroad do not contribute to human rights abuses.

Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Associate Minister of Health (Carolyn Bennett)

• Work with the Minister of Health, and with the support of the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, to establish a permanent, ongoing Canada Mental Health Transfer to help expand the delivery of high-quality, accessible and free mental health services, including for prevention and treatment.
• In order to support the mental health of Canadians, develop and implement a comprehensive, evidence-based plan, leveraging existing and new investments, including to:
  • Develop mental health standards, with a particular focus on health equity;
  • Sustain improved access to virtual mental health services with Wellness Together Canada;
  • Ensure timely access to perinatal mental health services;
  • Implement a three-digit suicide prevention hotline; and
  • Introduce a new fund for student mental health that will support the hiring of new mental health care counsellors, improve wait times for services, increase access overall and enable targeted supports to Black and racialized students at post-secondary institutions across Canada.
• Support the Minister of Indigenous Services to co-develop and invest in a distinctions-based Mental Health and Wellness Strategy to meet the needs of First Nations, Inuit and the Métis Nation, including culturally appropriate wraparound services for addiction and trauma, suicide and life promotion and the building of treatment centres.
• Oversee the implementation of our investments in mental health interventions and supports for people disproportionately impacted by COVID-19, including health care workers, front-line workers, seniors, Indigenous people, and Black and racialized Canadians.
• Work with the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development and Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth to ensure mental health supports are accessible to children and youth as they recover from the impact of the pandemic.
• Advance a comprehensive strategy to address problematic substance use in Canada, supporting efforts to improve public education to reduce stigma, and supporting provinces and territories and working with Indigenous communities to provide access to a full range of evidence-based treatment and harm reduction, as well as to create standards for substance use treatment programs.
• With the support of the Minister of Rural Economic Development, explore pathways to increase the accessibility of mental health services in rural areas.

Minister of National Revenue (Diane Lebouthillier)

• Continue to support Canadians and Canadian businesses to receive the help they need by efficiently implementing, processing, and issuing COVID-19-related benefits.
• Continue your work to modernize the CRA to provide a seamless, empathetic and client–centric experience, including by making information easier to find and understand, accelerating the use of digital tools, and enhancing the Community Volunteer Income Tax Program.

Minister of Official Languages and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (Ginette Petitpas Taylor)

• Continue to work to secure the future of the French language in Canada by fully implementing measures outlined in the White Paper, English and French: Towards a Substantive Equality of Official Languages in Canada. You will be supported in this work by the President of the Treasury Board.
• Swiftly reintroduce An Act for the Substantive Equality of French and English and the Strengthening of the Official Languages Act by early 2022.
• Increase funding for post-secondary institutions in official language minority communities and support the maintenance and vitality of official language minority communities by helping to build, renovate and develop educational and community spaces serving them.
• Protect the institutions of Quebec’s English-speaking community and support the creation of new education and community spaces for the community.
• Make new investments to improve access to French immersion and French second-language programs across the country.

Minister of Public Safety (Marco E.L. Mendicino)

• Work with the Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, and in close collaboration with Canadian industry and post-secondary institutions, to support innovation ecosystems across the country to support job creation, technology adoption and scale-up. This includes safeguarding Canada’s world-leading research ecosystem, as well as our intellectual property (IP) intensive businesses.
• Working with the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, Minister of National Defence and Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, and with the support of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, continue to advance the National Cyber Security Action Plan, ensuring Canada is well positioned to adapt to and combat cyber risks, and ensure the security and integrity of Canada’s critical systems.
• Continue to support the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Infrastructure and Communities to support an integrated government response to protect Canada’s democratic institutions, including the federal electoral process, against foreign interference and disinformation, including cyber threats, and support the Minister of National Defence to ensure that Canada is in a position to respond to rapidly evolving risks and threats in cyberspace.
• Work with the Minister of National Defence, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, and the Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, and in collaboration with implicated ministers, to develop and implement a renewed National Cyber Security Strategy, which will articulate Canada’s long-term strategy to protect our national security and economy, deter cyber threat actors, and promote norms-based international behavior in cyberspace.
• Work with the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada to bring forward measures to counter the rise of ideologically-inspired violent extremism and strengthen the capacity of Canadian police and prosecutors to bring to justice cybercriminals and terror suspects to the fullest extent of the law.
• Engage with provinces and territories to enact Clare’s Law so that individuals at risk of domestic violence can request information from the police, including from the RCMP, about their partner’s violent history.
• Continue modernizing infrastructure and processes at Canada’s ports of entry, including digital and right touch technology for travellers and conveyances, and ensuring the safety, security and integrity of our borders. This includes measures to address irregular migration and combat the trafficking of firearms and illicit drugs.

Minister of Rural Economic Development (Gudie Hutchings)

• Continue to lead the Universal Broadband Fund and accelerate the delivery of broadband service across Canada to ensure that all Canadians, no matter where they live, have access to high-speed internet.
• With the support of Ministers responsible for Regional Development Agencies, continue to implement the Rural Economic Development Strategy to build on existing investments, improve community-level rural data reporting and identify improvements that could be made to programs, policies and future investments to benefit rural communities.
• Support the Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth in the evaluation process of GBA Plus with the goal of enhancing the framing and parameters of this analytical tool and with particular attention to the intersectional analysis of race, indigeneity, rurality, disability and sexual identity, among other characteristics.
• Support the Minister of Public Services and Procurement in ensuring that Canada Post better reaches Canadians in rural and remote areas.
• Support the Minister of Mental Health and Addictions to explore pathways to increase the accessibility of mental health services in rural areas.

Minister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance (Randy Boissonnault)

• Building on the success of such programs as the Canadian Experiences Fund, continue to examine ways to finance projects and support communities, both rural and urban, across Canada as they develop destinations and create and enhance tourism products, facilities and experiences.
• Support the Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth in the evaluation process of GBA Plus with the goal of enhancing the framing and parameters of this analytical tool and with particular attention to the intersectional analysis of race, indigeneity, rurality, disability and sexual identity, among other characteristics.

President of the Treasury Board (Mona Fortier)

• Continue taking action to ensure that Public Service workplaces are free from sexual harassment and violence, as well as racism and all forms of hate.
• Ensure government policy continues to be developed through an intersectional lens, is reflective of the needs and aspirations of Canadians and supports our path to net-zero through:
  • Continuing to refine and strengthen the quality of life framework to ensure that we achieve long-term outcomes that benefit people, and that progress towards those aims is rigorously reported;
  • Working with the Minister of Environment and Climate Change on the application of a climate lens to ensure climate adaptation and mitigation considerations are integrated throughout federal government decision-making; and
  • Supporting the Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth in the evaluation process of GBA Plus with the goal of enhancing the framing and parameters of this analytical tool and with particular attention to the intersectional analysis of race, indigeneity, rurality, disability and sexual identity, among other characteristics.
• Advance work to create a diverse, equitable and inclusive workforce by ensuring the hiring, retention and promotion of diverse talents throughout the Public Service, including by:
  • Working with the Clerk of the Privy Council to support departments in implementing the plans outlined in their responses to the Call to Action on Anti-Racism, Equity and Inclusion in the Public Service and ensuring the use of disaggregated data to track our progress;
  • Continuing to build a whole-of-government approach for the improved collection, analysis, availability and publication of disaggregated data, with the support of the Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry;
  • Creating a Diversity Fellowship to mentor and sponsor diverse groups of public servants and implementing an action plan to increase representation in hiring, appointments and leadership development;
  • Creating a fellowship for 1,000 students and new graduates and offering language training to post-secondary students to reduce barriers to recruitment;
  • Ensuring that progress is made to fulfill our commitment to hire 5,000 new public servants with disabilities by 2025;
  • Offering language programs to racialized employees and expanding recruitment programs to international students and permanent residents;
  • Helping community organizations support students to enter the Public Service;
  • Establishing a mental health fund for Black public servants and supporting career advancement, training, sponsorship and educational opportunities;
  • Continuing to advance the implementation of the Pay Equity Act across the Public Service; and
  • Supporting the Minister of Labour in their work to accelerate the review of the Employment Equity Act and ensuring timely implementation of improvements.
  • You will be supported in this work by the Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion.

• Work with the Clerk of the Privy Council, and in consultation with public sector unions, to strengthen and modernize the Public Service for the twenty-first century by:
  • Bringing forward a coherent and coordinated plan for the future of work within the Public Service, including developing flexible and equitable working arrangements;
  • Developing a long-term, government-wide Public Service Skills Strategy to ensure we have the capacity to support Canadians in an increasingly changing world. This will include exploring potential pathways to improve recruiting from outside of the Public Service for short-term or permanent roles and a particular emphasis on increasing the number of public servants with modern digital skills; and
  • Continuing to work with the President of the Queen’s Privy Council for Canada, as Minister responsible for the Public Service Commission, to reduce the time it takes to hire new public servants.
• Building on the vision outlined in Canada’s Digital Government Strategy, lead our Government’s work to advance digital government to better serve Canadians by:
  • Taking steps to ensure that full consideration is given to leveraging digital delivery approaches throughout the development of major projects;
  • Continuing leadership to update and replace outdated IT systems and modernize the way government delivers benefits and services to Canadians;
  • Serving as the champion for Digital Standards, encouraging your colleagues to utilize more agile, open and user-focused methods when designing services for Canadians;
  • Further expanding open data initiatives and making more data available digitally;
  • Supporting the Canadian Digital Service in accelerating and expanding the use of their services across government, with an aim of improving the digital experience for Canadians, including through increasing the number of digitally-accessible government services; and
  • Working towards a common and secure approach for a trusted digital identity platform to support seamless service delivery to Canadians across the country.
• Initiate a comprehensive and continuous strategic policy review of government programs to examine how major programs and policies contribute to meeting the biggest challenges of our time, including achieving net-zero emissions by 2050, improving fairness and equality and promoting quality of life and growth for everyone.
• Strengthen federal procurement policies to integrate human rights, environment, social and corporate governance principles and supply chain transparency principles, and ensure they apply to federal departments and agencies, while working with Ministers responsible for Crown corporations to require adherence to such policies.
• Continue to ensure that Canadians across the country can receive services from federal institutions in both official languages and support the Minister of Official Languages in fully implementing measures outlined in the White Paper, English and French: Towards a Substantive Equality of Official Languages in Canada that are related to the Public Service.
• Work with the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons to develop a plan to both make Parliament a more inclusive place for families and to respond with greater agility in the event of a future national health crisis.

(Via Office of the Prime Minister)