Trudeau issues supplementary mandate letter to McKenna

OTTAWA — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has issued a supplementary mandate letter to Minister of Infrastructure and Communities Catherine McKenna along with other ministers given what he terms the devastating impact of the coronavirus pandemic and the new challenges the pandemic presented.

The mandate letters were published earlier this month.

In additions to priorities set out in his mandate letter of 2019, Trudeau said McKenna is expected to implement the following commitments as set out in the Speech from the Throne 2020 and the Fall Economic Statement 2020. Here are some highlights.

• support the deputy prime minister and minister of finance to create over one million jobs, restoring employment to levels prior to the pandemic using a range of tools, including direct investments in the social sector and infrastructure, immediate training to quickly up-skill workers and incentives for employers to hire and retain workers.
• as part of Canada’s climate plan, conduct Canada’s first-ever national infrastructure assessment to help identify needs and priorities in the built environment, and undertake long-term planning toward a net zero emissions future.
• as part of Canada’s climate plan, work to develop a national climate change adaptation strategy and invest in reducing the impact of climate-related disasters, like floods and wildfires, to make communities safer and more resilient. This includes leveraging proposals received for the Disaster Mitigation and Adaptation Fund to accelerate this work.
• as part of Canada’s climate plan, deliver affordable, active and zero-emissions transit options, and provide permanent transit funding.
• as the minister responsible for the Canada Infrastructure Bank, support the minister for rural economic development to accelerate the connectivity timelines and ambitions of the Universal Broadband Fund.
• as the minister responsible for the Canada Infrastructure Bank, work to transform how we power the economy and communities, including by moving forward with investments in large-scale building retrofits and clean power. This will include advancing projects like the Atlantic Loop initiative that will connect surplus clean power to regions transitioning away from coal, and supporting investments in renewable energy, energy efficiency, energy storage and next-generation clean energy and technology solutions, including in Indigenous communities.
• expand urban parks to increase Canadians’ access to green spaces. This includes investing in natural infrastructure and building cycling and walking paths.
• as the minister responsible for the Canada Infrastructure Bank, support the minister of agriculture and agri-food in working with partners to identify opportunities to build more resilient water and irrigation infrastructure.
• work to close the infrastructure gap in Indigenous communities, particularly with respect to affordable housing, working on a distinctions basis with First Nations, Inuit and the Metis Nation to accelerate the government’s 10-year commitment.