Tell our ministers what matters to you

It’s been just over 50 days since the federal government’s new cabinet was sworn in.

Last month, the Council of Canadians issued four mandate letters – on water, trade, the climate crisis, and health – that lay out a progressive agenda for the new federal government.

Two days later, Prime Minister Trudeau issued his own mandate letters, outlining the priorities of his ministers for the coming term. But those letters did not encompass all we know is needed. Nor did they reflect the breadth of the transformative changes that a majority of Canadians voted for in the last election.

Today, we’re re-issuing our mandate letters to keep our priorities before the ministers. And we need you – our members and supporters – to join us in setting the agenda for the new cabinet.

Sign on to one or all of the Council of Canadians’ alternative mandate letters linked below:

AN ALTERNATIVE MANDATE FOR CLIMATE

AN ALTERNATIVE MANDATE FOR HEALTH

AN ALTERNATIVE MANDATE FOR WATER

AN ALTERNATIVE MANDATE FOR TRADE

The mandate we are issuing the federal government is ambitious.

In our letter on water, we call on the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Steven Guilbeault, to protect water as a public and human right, ensure that the new Canada Water Agency is free from the influences of powerful special interests and industries, keep our water safe and healthy, and address the water crises on First Nations reserves.

The letter on health care calls on Jean-Yves Duclos, the Minister of Health, to protect and expand our public health care system by: rejecting privatization attempts; setting national and enforceable standards for public long-term care; ending anti-Indigenous racism in health care provision; taking concrete steps towards a national, universal pharmacare system; and supporting a TRIPS waiver on COVID-19 vaccines.

In the letter to the Minister of Trade, Mary Ng, we call for trade deals that put people and communities first, not corporate interests. For too long, trade agreements have prioritized corporate interests over protections for workers and the environment. We urge the minister to implement policies that celebrate climate solutions, reduce inequality by deepening human rights, and ensure that all people have access to the life-saving resources and medicines they need.

And finally, our mandate letter on the climate crisis calls on Ministers Guilbeault, Wilkinson, and O’Regan to rise to the challenge of delivering the swift and bold responses that Canadians have consistently demanded. This includes implementing a plan, in line with climate science and Indigenous knowledge, to reduce emissions by at least 60 per cent by 2030 and 100 per cent by 2050. It also must include a comprehensive plan for a just transition for workers and communities as the economy moves to a low-carbon future.

In this minority parliament, the government will need to listen to people like you and me, and work to implement our priorities. The Council of Canadians will hold the government accountable and push for change on issues that matter to you.

You can help shape a government that we can all be proud of.

Thank you for everything you do.

Christina Warner
Co-Executive Director
The Council Of Canadians