Trudeau’s to-do list
Prime minister designate Justin Trudeau has a lot to do, and with a majority in Parliament he can do a lot. Some things he has promised to do, others he will be forced to do, others he has only hinted he might. The National Post’s Joseph Brean breaks dow
Senate reform
To fix what he described as a “partisan swamp,” Trudeau promised to appoint a panel of experts to recommend potential senators, rather than try to reform or abolish the Senate, for which the Supreme Court of Canada has set the highest possible constitutional bar.
Assisted dying
Solving this the old-fashioned way, with new legislation, would require an intense parliamentary debate for which there is little time before a Supreme Court deadline imposed after it struck down the criminal law against assisting suicide.
Tax cuts
The big-ticket campaign pledge was to cut the tax rate to 20.5 per cent from 22 per cent for middleincome earners ($45,000 to $90,000 a year) and boost the rate for higher earners. This is likely to happen soon and take effect in January.
Terror laws
Although Trudeau supported Bill C-51, rather than be wrongfooted on the volatile issue of national security, he has pledged to revisit the legislation to ensure it complies with the Charter.
Missing women
As a centrepiece of First Nations activism, and a Liberal campaign promise, an inquiry into missing and murdered indigenous women is likely to be announced soon.
Sentencing
Trudeau has said he supports mandatory minimum sentences for gun and drug crimes in extreme situations, but courts have ruled against so many as cruel and unusual that few remain.
Electoral reform
Trudeau has promised to introduce legislation within 18 months to amend the Elections Act to replace first-past-the-post federal elections with an alternative as yet unspecified.
Unbalanced
Before they left office, the Conservatives passed a law requiring balanced budgets except in recessions. Liberals called it a campaign “gimmick” and because it conflicts with Trudeau’s plans to run three deficits in a row, it is doomed to repeal.
Health care
Trudeau promised to invest $3 billion in home care services — easier said than done, as provinces tend to guard their primacy in health-care delivery.
Climate change
The new prime minister is to meet the premiers to prepare a federal framework on climate change for the Paris summit in December.
Infrastructure
They will also likely be consulted on how best to target Trudeau’s infrastructure investment, mindful the economy is growing slower than forecast in the last budget.
Warplanes
As he backs out of the Mideast mission, Trudeau must also extricate Canada from the F-35 stealth fighter jet program and find a new replacement for the aging CF-18s. He expects to save billions this way, earmarked for new ships for the navy.
Prostitution
The Tories passed a new law that targets buyers of sex, not sellers, while maintaining penalties for sex workers who communicate with clients in certain places. Critics, Trudeau among them, fear this will increase their risk by keeping activities underground.
Census
There have been rumours Trudeau intends to restore the long-form census, abolished over privacy concerns in the Harper era, for which Canada’s top statistician resigned in protest.