Monday, November 16, 2020

Domestic policy of the Justin Trudeau government

Mottezen: /* Single Use Plastic */ update




Several '''policies regarding interior and domestic issues in Canada''' were planned and adopted by the [[Cabinet of Canada|Canadian Cabinet]], chaired by [[Prime Minister of Canada|Prime Minister]] [[Justin Trudeau]], following the October 19, 2015 election of the [[Liberal Party of Canada|Liberal Party]] to a minority of seats in the [[House of Commons of Canada|House of Commons]], such as social and environmental policies.

The government's [[economic policy]] relied on increased tax revenues to pay for increased government pending. While the government did not balanced the budget in its first term, it purported being fiscally responsable as it reduced the country [[Debt-to-GDP ratio|Debt-to-GDP]] ratio every year until the 2020, when the [[COVID-19 pandemic in Canada|COVID-19 pandemic]] hit.<ref></ref> Trudeau's progressive [[social policy]] included strong advocacy for feminism and abortion rights<ref name="HeatherSaul"></ref>, and introduced the right to [[Voluntary euthanasia|medically-assisted dying]].<ref name="CBC"></ref>

His environmental policy included introducing new commitments to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 30% before 2030, and to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.<ref name="LucasPowers"></ref> His main tool for reaching this target is a federal [[Carbon pricing in Canada|carbon pricing]] policy.<ref name="iec"></ref> Trudeau's parliament also adopted legislation for marine conservation<ref name="Lake"></ref>, banning single-use plastic<ref name="Hypocrisy">Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (given 1, expected 2)</ref>, and strengthening environmental impact assessments<ref name="JoshKElliott"></ref>. However, Trudeau is in favor of oil and gas pipelines to bring Canadian fossil fuel resources to foreign markets.<ref name="Swooning">Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (given 1, expected 2)</ref>

Under Justin Trudeau, Canada set targets to welcome an increased number of immigrants and refugees.<ref name="Syrians">Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (given 1, expected 2)</ref><ref name="Immigrants2018"></ref> Canada also legalized cannabis for recreational use in 2018.<ref name="WEED"></ref>

== Economic Policy ==

=== Infrastructure ===
During the 2015 election campaign, Trudeau said that if made prime minister, he would implement an infrastructure plan worth $60 billion (US$42 billion) in spending over 10 years.<ref></ref> Following his electoral win, in 2016, the Trudeau announced a 12-year, $180 billion (US$143 billion) infrastructure plan, with a focus on public transport, infrastructure in rural communities and Canada's northern regions, green infrastructure and affordable housing.<ref></ref> The Trudeau government also set up the [[Canada Infrastructure Bank]] to fund projects.<ref></ref>

=== Trans-Pacific Partnership ===
During the 2015 election campaign, Trudeau pledged to study the [[Trans-Pacific Partnership]] (TPP) before making a final decision on ratification.<ref>[https://ift.tt/2IzDIWo Asia-Pacific Leaders See Trade as Solution to Economic, Security Troubles] T. Moss, The Wall Street Journal, World, November 19, 2015</ref> Trudeau said that Canadians should know what effects TPP would have on different industries, adding that he would hold an open and serious discussion with Canadians.<ref>[https://ift.tt/2KhiEnV Trudeau shouldn’t be rushed into signing Pacific trade deal: Editorial] Editorial, ''Toronto Star'', Opinion, November 23, 2015</ref>

After the United States withdrew from the TPP, Canada joined the [[Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership]], which incorporates most of the provisions of the TPP and which entered into force on December 30, 2018.<ref></ref><ref></ref><ref></ref>

=== Bombardier ===
Trudeau received criticism when he provided a CA$372.5 million bailout to [[Bombardier Inc.|Bombardier]]. The public was angered when it was revealed that Bombardier executives received US$32 million of these funds in bonuses, while laying off 14,500 workers.<ref></ref> It was also revealed that [[Patrick Pichette]], a director of [[Bombardier Inc.]] also sits as a board member of the [[Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation|Trudeau Foundation]].<ref>Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (given 1, expected 2)</ref>

=== Taxes ===
Upon entering office, Trudeau's government made some changes to the tax code. A new tax bracket on the top one percent of income earners was created in 2016. Incomes over $200,000 became taxed at 33%.<ref></ref> They increased taxes on companies' [[passive income]] when it is paid out as d[[Dividend|ividend]]. They also limited "the practice of “income sprinkling,” which involves paying income to family members, even if they don’t work for the business, so that business owners can avoid paying higher taxes".<ref></ref>

In the [[2017 Canadian federal budget]], excise duties on alcohol were increased by 2%, [[Uber]] became subject to the same taxes as taxis;<ref name="Globe"></ref> and tax benefits for public transit users, the tourism sector and employers who create childcare spaces were eliminated.<ref></ref>

== Social policy ==

=== Abortion ===
Trudeau has stated that he wishes to form a party that is "resolutely pro-choice" and that potential Liberal candidates in the 2015 election who are anti-abortion would not be greenlighted for the nomination if they did not agree to vote pro-choice on abortion bills.<ref name="Justin Trudeau abortion National Post"></ref> This stance was in line with a resolution passed by a majority of Liberal party members at its 2012 policy convention.<ref name="Justin Trudeau abortion National Post" /> Trudeau's stance was criticized by conservative Catholics, with former MP [[Jim Karygiannis]] saying it will "definitely hurt the party",<ref></ref> and Toronto cardinal [[Thomas Christopher Collins|Thomas Collins]] writing to Trudeau urging him to reverse his ruling,<ref></ref> leading Trudeau to defend the position.<ref></ref>

=== Religious freedom ===
Trudeau has expressed opposition towards the proposed [[Quebec Charter of Values]], a controversial charter in that province and elsewhere that among other things prohibited public sector employees from wearing or displaying "conspicuous" religious symbols, justifying that it would make the people of Quebec "choose between their freedom of religion and freedom of expression, freedom of conscience and their economic well-being and their acceptance in the workplace. That for me is a real concern."<ref></ref> Trudeau has remained on the sidelines of the debate regarding Quebec's Bill 21.<ref>Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (given 1, expected 2)</ref>

=== Women's rights ===
[[File:Women_Deliver_2019_Conference_Location_Announcement_(34569966804).jpg|thumb|Trudeau with [[Maryam Monsef]] and [[Marie-Claude Bibeau]] at a Women Deliver event]]
Trudeau identifies as a [[Feminism|feminist]],<ref name="HeatherSaul"></ref> having stated, "I am a feminist. I'm proud to be a feminist," although his claim of being a feminist has been disputed.<ref></ref> Trudeau has also stated that "the Liberal Party is unequivocal in its defence of women's rights. We are the party of the [[Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms|Charter]]." After being sworn in as Prime Minister, when asked by a reporter why he felt gender parity was important when naming his cabinet, he replied, "Because it's 2015."<ref>[https://ift.tt/1WwZycp Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Explains Importance of Gender Parity With 3-Word Answer] – ''[[The Huffington Post]]'' Canada</ref> More recently, he has similarly answered to feminist organizations on social media that "On behalf of the Government of Canada, I am writing back to let you know that I wholeheartedly agree: Poverty is Sexist".<ref></ref>Then-Minister of Justice [[Jody Wilson-Raybould]] was mandated in the November 12 letter to introduce "government legislation to add gender identity as a prohibited ground for discrimination under Canadian law",<ref name="Mandate_MoJ_20151112"></ref> which was implemented in Bill C-16.<ref></ref>

In January 2018, in a speech at the [[World Economic Forum]], Trudeau called for critical discussion on issues brought up by the [[Me Too movement]].<ref></ref> Trudeau has also advocated a high standard and holds a "zero tolerance for sexual assault, harassment or other forms of misconduct by his employees or caucus colleagues".<ref></ref> As the leader of the Liberal Party, Trudeau initiated investigations on several Members of Parliament resulting in the dismissal of cabinet minister [[Kent Hehr]], the resignation of MP [[Darshan Kang]], and the suspension and later expulsion of MPs [[Scott Andrews (politician)|Scott Andrews]] and [[Massimo Pacetti]].<ref></ref> In an interview, Trudeau explained that the zero tolerance standard applied to himself as well and stated, "I've been very, very careful all my life to be thoughtful, to be respectful of people's space and people's headspace as well."<ref></ref>

In an interview, Trudeau explained that the zero tolerance standard applied to himself as well, and stated, "I've been very, very careful all my life to be thoughtful, to be respectful of people's space and people's headspace as well."<ref></ref> However, in 2018, after it was revealed by a woman that a 'groping' incident occurred in 2000, Trudeau said there was no need to conduct an investigation into the allegation.<ref>Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (given 1, expected 2)</ref> In March 2019, Liberal MP [[Celina Caesar-Chavannes]] resigned as a member of the Liberal caucus, citing that Trudeau shouted at her on the phone when she told him she would not like to run in the 2019 federal election. Caesar-Chavannes told ''[[The Globe and Mail]]'' that Trudeau shouted that she didn't appreciate him. As a result of this resignation, and the resignation of other prominent female liberal members of parliament [[Jody Wilson-Raybould]] and [[Jane Philpott]] (who resigned from cabinet, but not from caucus following the [[SNC-Lavalin affair]]), opposition MPs, such as [[Candice Bergen (politician)|Candice Bergen]], have accused Trudeau of being a "fake feminist".<ref>https://ift.tt/35Ala0C> In the April 2019 Daughters of the Vote event organized by Equal Voice Canada in the House of Commons, many of its delegates turned their backs when Trudeau spoke as a protest for his actions in the [[SNC-Lavalin affair|SNC-Lavalin Affair]].<ref></ref>

=== Medically-assisted dying ===
In the November 12, 2015 mandate letter, Prime Minister Trudeau tasked [[Jody Wilson-Raybould]]—who was [[Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada|Minister of Justice and Attorney General]] from 2015 to January 2019—to work with [[Jane Philpott]], then-[[Minister of Health]], to "respond to the Supreme Court of Canada decision regarding physician-assisted death".<ref name="Mandate_MoJ_20151112" /> She tabled Bill C-14 (2016), which amended the ''Criminal Code'' to allow [[Voluntary euthanasia|medical assistance in dying]].<ref name="CBC" /><ref></ref> It received royal assent on June 17, 2016.

== Environment policy ==
During the 2015 campaign, Trudeau campaigned on increasing regulations for industries and increased action to respond to [[climate change]]. Shortly after winning the 2015 general election, Prime Minister Trudeau attended the [[COP21|COP21 summit]] in Paris.<ref name="Tasker"></ref> Trudeau committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 30% before 2030, and to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.<ref name="LucasPowers"></ref>

=== Pipelines ===
A July 2020 ''Globe and Mail'' editorial said that, in spite of "long and ponderous", rigorous, regulatory reviews and a regulatory system that is "too slow" and the "high bar" that Canada sets for "meaningful Indigenous consultations", Canada, under Trudeau, has had more success in building pipelines than the United States under President Trump. By July 2020, the "all-Canadian" [[Trans Mountain expansion]] was under construction and it is expected to be in service by 2024. The Canadian section of Line 3 was completed while the "American section is in limbo". The northern section of [[Keystone XL]] pipeline is under construction but the American section is also in limbo.<ref name="G&M_20200723"></ref>

In a 2017 opinion piece in ''The Guardian'', [[Bill McKibben]] wrote that Trudeau was "hard at work pushing for new pipelines through Canada and the US to carry yet more oil out of Alberta’s tar sands, which is one of the greatest climate disasters on the planet."<ref name="Swooning">Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (given 1, expected 2)</ref> The provinces of [[Quebec]] and [[British Columbia]] have strongly opposed pipelines.<ref>Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (given 1, expected 2)</ref><ref>Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (given 1, expected 2)</ref>

On August 31, 2018, the Government of Canada purchased the "entities that control the existing [[Trans Mountain Pipeline]], its Expansion Project and related assets for $4.4 billion" which was financed through a loan to CDEV, "an enterprise Crown corporation."<ref name="GC_FIN_AnnualReport_2018_19">Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (given 1, expected 2)</ref> The Government of Canada does not intend "to be a long-term owner of the Trans Mountain entities."<ref name="GC_FIN_AnnualReport_2018_19" /> By May 29 when the purchase was announced it was met with a "storm of criticism" from environmental groups, Indigenous leaders and opposition politicians.<ref name="thestar_Ballingal_20190529"></ref> The Green Party's [[Elizabeth May]] said it was an "historic blunder"; the president of the [[Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs]] was "shocked and appalled."<ref name="thestar_Ballingal_20190529" />

=== Environmental Impact Assessment ===
Bill C-69 repealed and replaced the ''[[Canadian Environmental Assessment Act]]'' with the ''Impact Assessment Act''. Bill C-69 also replaced the ''[[National Energy Board]]'' with the ''[[Canadian Energy Regulator]]'' (CER). This law required that major infrastructure projects, such as highways, mines, and pipelines, go through a more rigorous regulatory process which includes more public consultations, better consultations with [[First Nations]], and taking into account other broad considerations such as climate change in the decision to go forward with a project or not.<ref name="JoshKElliott"></ref>

The Bill was heavily criticized by Conservatives and the [[Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers]], who feared that the new regulations would stifle investments to natural resources extraction in Canada. Alberta Premier [[Jason Kenney]] dubbed it the "No pipeline bill". However, University professors Martin Olszynski and Mark S. Winfield believe these criticisms to be overblown. Winfred point out that these new regulatory framework is much weaker than the one that existed for 40 years in Canada before it was axed in 2012. The bill brings back some of the consultation requirements from that period, but according to Winfield, "the legislation is a relatively minor adjustment to what already existed". In fact, Olszynski believes that this bill would make it easier for projects to go forward, as project critics would be included in the decision-making process, and thus less likely to resort to litigation to make their voices heard.<ref name="Lake"></ref>

=== Marine protection ===
Bill C-55, a marine protection bill amended requirements under the ''Oceans Act'' regarding what constituted [[Marine protected area|marine protected areas]]. The Liberals, the Green Party and the NDP approved the bill and the Conservative Party was opposed.<ref name="Lake" /> Bill C-68 restored provisions in the Fisheries Act, which protects more thoroughly fish habitat that Stephen Harper's government had removed in the 2012 Bill C-38—''[[Jobs, Growth and Long-term Prosperity Act]]''.<ref></ref><ref></ref> The new ''[[Navigation Protection Act|Canadian Navigable Waters Act]]'' changed what constitutes 'navigable water'.<ref></ref>

=== Carbon Pricing ===
The federal [[Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing Act]] (GHGPPA) passed into law in December 2018. This bill instituted a [[Carbon pricing in Canada]].<ref name="iec" /> Through the pricing system, [[Provinces and territories of Canada|provinces and territories]] can base their carbon pricing system on the needs and requirements of their own jurisdictions. If their proposed system does not meet federal requirements or if the province or territory decides to not create their own system, the GHGPPA implements a regulatory fee. In provinces where a GHGPPA fee is levied, 90% of the revenues will be returned to tax-payers.<ref name="theguardian_Nuccitelli_20181026"></ref> The carbon price is part of the Federal government's commitments to the [[Paris Agreement]].<ref name="NASA_nd">Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (given 1, expected 2)</ref><ref name="iec" />

=== Single Use Plastic ===
In October 2020, Trudeau's government announced it would ban 6 common single-use plastic items in Canada by the end of 2021. The list includes plastic grocery bags, straws, stir sticks, six-pack rings, cutlery and food containers made from hard-to-recycle plastics.<ref>Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (given 1, expected 2)</ref>

== Immigration ==
In 2017, the Liberal government announced Canada would welcome nearly one million immigrants over the next three years. The number of migrants will climb to 310,000 in 2018, up from 300,000 in 2017. That number was projected to rise to 330,000 in 2019, then 340,000 in 2020 and 350,000 by 2021.<ref>https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/canada-to-increase-annual-immigration-admissions-to-350-000-by-2021-1.4157933</ref><ref></ref><ref></ref><ref name="Immigrants2018"></ref>

=== Refugees ===
The headlines made by the body of [[Alan Kurdi]] on a beach of [[Turkey]] in September 2015 made a significant turnover during the 2015 campaign. Then-candidate Trudeau made a plea that under his premiership, [[Canada]] would accept 25,000 [[refugees]] in Canada.<ref name="Syrians">Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (given 1, expected 2)</ref> One month after taking office, the first plane of refugees was landing at [[Pearson airport]] in Toronto. Trudeau and Ontario Premier [[Kathleen Wynne]] were there to welcome arriving refugees.<ref>Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (given 1, expected 2)</ref>

Trudeau has also advocated and supported open border immigration that starkly contrasts President [[Donald Trump|Trump]], publicly announcing "To those fleeing persecution, terror & war, Canadians will welcome you, regardless of your faith. Diversity is our strength #WelcomeToCanada", one day after Trump's executive order banning refugees and visitors from Muslim-majority countries Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.<ref>Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (given 1, expected 2)</ref> In winter 2017, soon after President Trump took office in Washington, many Haitians who were in the United States due to the 2010 earthquake in Haiti decided to pass through the border in upstate New York to cross into Quebec. Afraid of being deported to Haiti, many decided to come illegally to Canada in hope of a better life. The [[Royal Canadian Mounted Police|RCMP]], the Custom Agency and the Army set up a temporary camp in Lacolle, Quebec, in order to regulate the influx of people trying to come into Canada. As the Canadian government recognized the United States as a safe country for immigrants, they would not be taken as refugees if they arrived at a custom border from the United States. As a result, they needed to pass through illegally to be able to request refugee status. Both the [[Conservative Party of Canada|Conservatives]] and NDP oppositions asked the government, both for different reasons, to stop the influx of Refugee claimants from Roxham Road in Lacolle.<ref>Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (given 1, expected 2)</ref>

Trudeau's government has also objected to the term "illegal border crossers".Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (given 1, expected 2) There has been an influx of overland illegal border crossings, and conflict between the Federal government and the [[Government of Ontario|Ontario government]] over how to provide housing for the incoming migrants.<ref>Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (given 1, expected 2)</ref><ref></ref>

== Indigenous people ==
[[File:Justin_Trudeau_speech_on_missing_and_murdered_indigenous_women_–_Ottawa,_October_2016.jpg|left|thumb|Trudeau giving a speech on the issue of [[missing and murdered Indigenous women]], October 2016]]
Trudeau met with hundreds of chiefs at the Assembly of First Nations on December 7, 2015, and laid out his philosophy and commitments to Indigenous peoples in Canada, to assure their "constitutionally guaranteed rights&nbsp;... a sacred obligation". In brief,<ref></ref> he promised to rescind government policies that are in conflict with their rights, make a significant investment in education programs, increase general funding, and launch an enquiry into [[Disappeared indigenous women|missing and murdered indigenous women]]. Trudeau also indicated that the new government would implement all of the recommendations made by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.<ref></ref><ref></ref>

Trudeau has previously said that he would respect a First Nations community's wishes regarding pipeline construction on their territory.<ref name="auto2"></ref> Some First Nations leaders, including a councillor for the [[Squamish Nation|Squamish First Nation]] and prominent ''[[Miꞌkmaq|Mi’kmaw]]'' lawyer [[Pam Palmater]] have stated that they believe Trudeau's purchase of the [[Trans Mountain Pipeline]] violates this promise.<ref name="auto2" /><ref></ref>

== Marijuana ==

Trudeau first publicly expressed an interest in the legalization of [[Cannabis (drug)|marijuana]] while speaking at a rally in [[Kelowna]], B.C. on June 24, 2013. He told a crowd, "I'm actually not in favour of decriminalizing [[cannabis]]. I'm in favour of legalizing it. Tax it, regulate. It's one of the only ways to keep it out of the hands of our kids because the current war on drugs, the current model is not working. We have to use evidence and science to make sure we're moving forward on that."<ref></ref>

In an interview in August 2013, Trudeau said that the last time he had used marijuana was in 2010, after he had become a Member of Parliament: "We had a few good friends over for a dinner party, our kids were at their grandmother's for the night, and one of our friends lit a joint and passed it around. I had a puff."<ref></ref><ref></ref><ref></ref> After analysing the results of the legalization of marijuana in [[Colorado]], Trudeau reiterated his position in favour of the legalization in Canada, saying that Canadians would benefit from analysing the experiences of both Colorado and the [[Washington (state)|state of Washington]].<ref></ref>

After the Liberal party formed the government in November 2015, with Trudeau as prime minister, he announced that a federal-provincial-territorial process was being created to discuss a jointly suitable process for the legalization of marijuana possession for recreational purposes. The plan is to remove marijuana consumption and incidental possession from the Criminal Code; however, new laws will be enacted for greater punishment of those convicted of supplying pot to minors and for impairment while driving a motor vehicle.<ref></ref> By late November 2015, Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould said that she and the ministers of Health and Public Safety were working on specifics as to the legislation.<ref></ref> In April 2016, the Trudeau government announced that it would aim to introduce legislation to legalize cannabis in Spring 2017.<ref></ref>

The legislation to legalize cannabis for recreational use ([[Cannabis Act]], Bill C-45) was passed by the [[House of Commons of Canada]] in late November 2017; it passed second reading in the [[Senate of Canada]] on March 22, 2018.<ref></ref> On June 18, 2018, the House passed the bill with most, but not all, of the Senate's amendments.<ref></ref> The Senate accepted this version of the Act the following day.<ref></ref> Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the next day that recreational use of cannabis would no longer violate criminal law as of October 17, 2018.<ref name="WEED"></ref> As of October 17, 2018, cannabis is legal in Canada for both recreational and medicinal use.

On October 17, the first day of legalization, the Government of Canada announced that it intends to grant pardons to Canadians convicted of simple cannabis possession charges.<ref></ref>

== Senate nominations reform ==
Trudeau has long advocated changes that would make the Senate of Canada a less partisan house. In January 2014, he announced a step that began reducing Senate partisanship by removing Liberal senators from the Liberal caucus.<ref></ref>

On December 5, 2015, after his appointment as prime minister, the new government's democratic institutions minister, Maryam Monsef, with House leader [[Dominic LeBlanc]], announced a major overhaul of the appointment process, as Trudeau had promised during the election campaign. The new system consists of five board members—three federal appointees and two from the relevant province—who will pick independent candidates, not officially affiliated with any political party, based on merit,<ref></ref> a similar concept to the [[Advisory Committee on Vice-Regal Appointments]].

The stated goal of the December 2015 reform, was to improve the effectiveness of the Senate which had been, according to Monsef, "hampered by its reputation as a partisan institution". She indicated that this reform would not require an amendment to the constitution. The advisory board was expected to have been appointed by the end of December 2015. The criteria for appointment to the Senate would be "outstanding personal qualities that include integrity and ethics and experience in public life, community service or leadership in their field of expertise". At the time of the announcement, there were 17 Senate vacancies and these were expected to be filled by the end of 2016.<ref></ref>

== Vegreville Processing Centre ==
In 2017, the [[Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada]] decided to close the processing centre in [[Vegreville]], [[Alberta]], and to relocate the centre to [[Edmonton]]. The community of 5,000 people, located about 100&nbsp;km east of Edmonton, decided to fight back against the decision. 280 people work at the centre, and according to [[Global News]], 2/3 of the workers would quit instead of moving west to Edmonton.<ref>Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (given 1, expected 2)</ref> The battle against the closure of the Vegreville Processing Centre is supported by the Rural Canada Matters movement.<ref>Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (given 1, expected 2)</ref>

== Phoenix pay system ==

The Office of the Auditor General (OAG) conducted two reports, one if 2017<ref name="OAG_report_20170925"></ref> and another in 2018<ref name="OAG_20180529"></ref> reviewing the [[Phoenix Pay System]]—a payroll processing system for [[Government of Canada|Canadian federal government]] employees that is run by [[Public Services and Procurement Canada]] (PSPC) which has been controversial for a number of years—<ref name="OAG_20180529" /><ref name="OAG_report_20170925" /> The 2018 report said that the Phoenix system was an "'incomprehensible failure' of project management and oversight."<ref name="iPolitics_Lim_20190516"></ref> Then-Prime Minister [[Stephen Harper]] had introduced the system as part of his 2009 Transformation of Pay Administration Initiative, to replace Canada's 40-year old system with a new improved, cost-saving "automated, off-the-shelf commercial system." By 2018, Phoenix has caused pay problems to over 50 percent of the federal government's 290,000 public servants through underpayments, over-payments, and non-payments.<ref name="Mockler_20180731"></ref> In the same year the Senator [[Percy Mockler]]'s [[Standing committee (Canada)|Standing Senate Committee on National Finance]] report on Phoenix Pay Problem called Phoenix an "international embarrassment"<ref name="Mockler_20180731" /> and that fixing Phoenix's problems could be up to $2.2 billion by 2023 instead of saving $70 million a year as originally planned by the Harper government.<ref name="Mockler_20180731" /> In May 2019, the [[Parliamentary Budget Officer]] (PBO) predicted that the Phoenix replacement—which will save millions—will not be operational until 2023.<ref name="iPolitics_Lim_20190516" />

== COVID-19 pandemic response ==

[[File:Chris_Coons_and_Justin_Trudeau_MSC2020_meeting.jpg|thumb|Trudeau at the 56th [[Munich Security Conference]] on 17 February 2020]]
Justin Trudeau was Prime Minister during the worldwide [[COVID-19 pandemic]]. His government's response to the Pandemic included funds for provinces and territories to adapt to the new situation, funds for coronavirus research, travel restrictions, screening of international flights, self-insolation orders under the [[Quarantine Act, 2005|Quarantine Act]], an industrial strategy, and a public health awareness campaign. To deal with the [[Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada|economic impact of the pandemic]], Trudeau waved student loans payments, increased the [[Canada Child Benefit]], doubled the annual [[Goods and services tax (Canada)|Goods and Services Tax]] payment, and introduced the [[Canada Emergency Response Benefit]] as part of the first package in March. In April 2020, Trudeau introduced the [[Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy]], the [[Canada Emergency Business Account]], and the [[Canada Emergency Student Benefit]]. On April 30, [[Parliamentary Budget Officer]] Yves Giroux issued a report projecting the federal deficit for the fiscal year 2020 could be in excess of $252&nbsp;billion, based on nearly $146&nbsp;billion in spending on federal aid measures.<ref name="pboa30"></ref> Trudeau also deployed the [[Canadian armed forces]] in long-term care homes for [[Contingency plan|contingency planning]] in Quebec and Ontario as part of [[Operation LASER]].
[[Category:Domestic policy]]
[[Category:Justin Trudeau]]


from Wikipedia - New pages [en] https://ift.tt/3pwwUJL
via IFTTT

No comments:

Post a Comment