The Mandate – Prime Minister Carney released his “Mandate Letter” to his new Cabinet on May 21st. He spoke of a “series of crises” and the transformation of the global trading system that will threaten government finances and vital social programs.  This was the warning for us to expect some.  While briefly noting a recommitment to addressing climate change, there was a far greater emphasis on national security, national defence and the defence industry.  Other priorities were “to become an energy superpower in both clean and conventional energies” and to “restore affordable housing.”  There is also an extra emphasis on A.I. and the addition of a new Minister of A.I. and Digital Innovation.
 
The mantra is still “Build, Build, Build” as he states “Canada must build an enormous amount of new infrastructure at speeds not seen in generations. He expects to achieve this through public-private cooperation and through skills training. He also speaks of “spending less on government operations …to invest more in the people and businesses.  We’ll have to see what this means for the public service, but there have already been announcements of dramatic job cuts at the federal level. This may mean less work in the research and policy side of government, with funds directed to infrastructure.  This can be very good for municipalities.  We are confident that the federal (and provincial) governments understand that water and wastewater services are a critical part of growth and supporting housing, but we will continue to send that message.
 
You can read the full Mandate Letter here:  Mandate Letter | Prime Minister of Canada
 
The Team – While there are several familiar faces in some key roles, this really is a new Cabinet with so many new ministers. I am sorry to see some key contacts go, especially Terry Duguid in Environment and Climate Change, but there are new leaders in every portfolio that we deal with.  Here is the list of the Ministries we connect with:

The Speaker – the best news of the week was the election of long-time friend of the CWWA, Francis Scarpaleggia, as Speaker of the House of Commons.  Francis has been the MP for Lac-Saint-Jean in west Montreal for 20 years.  He has been Chair of the Liberal Caucus and most recently was Chair of the Standing Committee on the Environment and Sustainability.  Most importantly, he was a devoted Water Champion who attended many of our events and was most helpful to me in my advocacy efforts for the past 12 years.  I will miss him as my key contact on the Hill, but I wish him all the best in this new leadership role.  In his speech to Parliament, he compared the current US to the historical Roman Empire, led by an Emperor, while comparing Canada to Athens and a truer form of democracy.