Prime Minister of Canada Releases Ministerial Mandate Letters

Outlining ministers’ commitments and pressing challenges they will address in their role

On Thursday, December 16, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau publicly shared mandate letters to 38 Cabinet Ministers that outline commitments that each minister will work to accomplish, as well as the pressing challenges they will address in their role.

Highlights

Minister of Environment of Climate Change

 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.

Build on the Ocean Plastics Charter by working with leading countries on the development of a new global agreement on plastics.

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.

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 all Canadians and the Net-Zero Advisory Body to identify ways to further accelerate climate action to achieve net-zero emissions as soon as possible and no later than 2050 and to pursue efforts to limit the increase in average global temperatures to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.

Work with the President of the Treasury Board on the application of a climate lens to ensure climate adaptation and mitigation considerations are integrated throughout federal government decision-making.

Work with the Minister of Public Safety and the President of the Queen’s Privy Council for Canada and Minister of Emergency Preparedness, with support of the Minister of Natural Resources, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry and the Sustainable Finance Action Council, to develop a climate data strategy to ensure that the private sector and communities have access to data to inform planning and infrastructure investments.

Minister of Public Services and Procurement

Strengthen federal procurement practices to prioritize reusable and recyclable products in support of our goal of zero plastic waste and work with the Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry to support procurement of Canadian clean technology.
 
Continue the modernization of procurement practices so they support Canada’s economic policy goals, including balanced procurement opportunities with Canada’s trading partners, provide value for money, are open and transparent and require suppliers of goods and services to apply the highest ethical and sustainability standards across their supply chains.
 
Continue to advance government-wide initiatives to increase the diversity of bidders on government contracts, including small businesses and businesses led by Indigenous Peoples, Black and racialized Canadians, women, LGBTQ2 Canadians and other under-represented groups.

President of the Treasury Board

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.
 
Accelerate our Greening Government commitments to electrify the entire federal fleet of light duty vehicles by 2030.
 
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.
 
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.
 

Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry

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.
 
Work with the Minister of Environment and Climate Change 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.
 
With the support of the Minister of Environment and Climate Change and the Minister of Natural Resources, lead the implementation of the Net Zero Accelerator Initiative, anchored in a robust, horizontal governance structure and a clear long-term investment strategy to support the strategic review of large-scale investments targeting key industrial sectors across all regions in order to drive industrial transition and significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions on a scale consistent with achieving Canada’s climate goals and meaningfully transform Canadian industry to lead and compete in a net-zero emissions future.
 
With support from the Minister of International Trade, Export Promotion, Small Business and Economic Development, helping to drive the development of Canadian clean technology companies and small and medium-sized enterprises working in the area of decarbonization.
 
Working with the Minister of Public Services and Procurement to support procurement of Canadian clean technology.

Mandate letters 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.

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