Health care, reconciliation, climate top PM’s priorities
OTTAWA — The Liberal government laid out its ambitious priorities for its new mandate in the speech from the throne Thursday afternoon.
The throne speech, a parliamentary convention steeped in pageantry and tradition, is written by the prime minister’s office and delivered by the Governor General at a ceremony that takes place in the Senate.
In any new Parliament, the throne speech must be delivered before any other business can occur — except for the election of the Speaker, which took place Thursday morning for Ontario MP Anthony Rota.
The opening remarks, perhaps expectedly given heightened concerns regarding national unity following the October election, underscore the importance of working together to overcome challenges in uncertain economic times.
“The government has heard Canadians’ concerns that the world is increasingly uncertain and that the economy is changing. And in this context, regional needs and differences really matter. Today’s regional economic concerns are both justified and important,” the speech reads.
“The government will work with provinces, territories, municipalities, Indigenous groups, stakeholders, industry and Canadians to find solutions. With dialogue and co-operation, all regions of this country can overcome the challenges of today, and realize their full potential in the modern economy.”
The majority of the points in Trudeau’s throne speech for the 43rd Parliament are commitments to continue the work started in the previous mandate or to make good on Liberal campaign promises (in fact, the wording, in many cases, is taken straight from the platform).
For commitments to the environment, the government promises to set a target to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 and protect 25 per cent of Canada’s land and 25 per cent of Canada’s oceans by 2025, as well as move forward with its controversial plan to implement carbon pricing across the country.
One of the key promises from the Liberals has been on introducing a national pharmacare program, which was also reiterated in the throne speech. The government also promises to work with provinces, territories, health professionals and experts in industry and academia to make sure that all Canadians can access a primary care family doctor as well as access to mental health care when they need it.
For the economy, Trudeau’s Liberals will cut taxes for “all but the wealthiest Canadians,” cut the cost of cell and wireless services by 25 per cent and increase the federal minimum wage.
The government has also committed to moving forward with the new NAFTA including “full compensation” for supplymanaged industries “with many farmers in the dairy sector receiving their first cheques this month.”
For foreign policy, the government will renew Canada’s commitment to NATO and United Nations peacekeeping and continue to ensure that Canada’s voice is present at the UN, notably on the UN Security Council, where Canada is hoping to get elected in June for a two-year seat beginning in 2021.
Finally, when it comes to reconciliation with Indigenous communities, the Liberal government says it will introduce legislation to implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in the first year of the new mandate. It will also continue the work to end all longterm drinking water advisories on reserves by 2021.