Justin Trudeau's wish list -- a closer look

On Wednesday, embattled Governor-General Julie Payette delivered the so-called "Throne Speech", which traditionally outlines the Federal Government's agenda for the new session of Parliament.  The speech, titled A Stronger and More Resilient Canada,  was unusually long, lasting almost an hour. Later in the day Prime Minister Justin Trudeau took to the airwaves to deliver a message to Canadians.  This was (mercifully) much shorter, but still, there is a lot to digest here.

You might think that a minority government in the midst of a pandemic would keep its agenda fairly limited, but that's far from the case here. The Throne Speech outlined the four foundations of the government's approach thusly:

The first foundation of this plan is to fight the pandemic and save lives.

The second foundation of the Government’s plan is supporting people and businesses through this crisis as long as it lasts, whatever it takes........ 

The third foundation is to build back better to create a stronger, more resilient Canada........ 

The fourth and final foundation of this plan is to stand up for who we are as Canadians. 

Yes, COVID is at the top of the list here, but the remaining items are made up of an extensive grab-bag of new and recycled ideas that would take even a majority government many years to implement. Not surprisingly, the, the Speech is being widely interpreted as the first draft of a Liberal election platform. More on this later.

In terms of the details behind the "four foundations", the Government's specific proposals include:

• Continued efforts to enhance testing, ensure adequate supplies of personal protective equipment and (when available) a vaccine against COVID-19.
• Starting a campaign to create over one million jobs, which would restore employment to its pre-COVID level.
• Maintaining the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy through to summer 2021; scaling up the Youth Employment and Skills Strategy; setting up a Canada Recovery Benefit for workers (such as the self employed) who do not qualify for standard Employment Insurance.
• Creating an Action Plan for Women in the Economy to "ensure a feminist, intersectional approach" to the recovery phase.
• Improving standards for long-term care homes and ensuring access to medical care in remote areas.
• Setting up a Disability Inclusion Plan, including a new targeted benefit payment.
• Working towards a universal, national pharmacare plan -- an oft-repeated promise to fix one of the largest gaps in the existing medicare system.
• Additional investments in infrastructure, including public transit and broadband internet, as well as further initiatives to reduce homelessness and provide more affordable housing.     
• "The largest investment in Canadian history" in training for workers.
• "Immediate" introduction of a plan to meet and exceed Canada's climate targets for 2030 (as set out in the Paris Accords) and legislation to mandate a zero-carbon economy by 2050. 
• Further efforts toward reconciliation with Canada's Indigenous Peoples; combating systemic racism and protecting Canada's two official languages.

It is an astonishing list -- and those are just the highlights. There is very little in the speech about how all this is to be paid for, though there are suggestions of higher taxes on the wealthy and new levies on "web giants". An update of the COVID-19 Economic Response Plan is promised for later in the Fall, and will outline the Government's financial position and provide fresh fiscal projections. 

The Throne Speech is already being debated in Parliament, a debate that will culminate in a vote of confidence in the Government. The Conservatives and Bloc Quebecois have already stated that they will vote against the Government, so the prospect of an election depends on the position taken by the NDP.  That party has so far been non-committal, while calling on the Government to do more for workers affected by the pandemic. Justin Trudeau says he does not seek an early election, but the Throne Speech sets him up to be first out of the blocks if the confidence vote goes against the Government.