Mandate letters will allow the measure of Prime Minister and his government [editorial]

The newly-elected Prime Minister of Canada has put his best foot forward and chosen a Cabinet that reflects the country, including putting two Indigenous people in key positions.

It was touted soon after the election results were in that Jody Wilson-Raybould of the Cape Mudge First Nation, elected to the riding of Vancouver Granville, was a shoe-in for a Cabinet post, but it surprised many that she was appointed to a dual role in the power-position of Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, an inner-circle appointment if there ever was one.

Many surmised, and even insisted, that she get the nod for
Indigenous Affairs minister, but to his credit, PM Justin Trudeau looked past the obvious.

Similarly, it was a creative move to appoint a member from
the north—and the often forgotten other coast—to the position of Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, tagging on responsibility for the Canadian Coast Guard. Hunter Tootoo, newly-elected as MP for the riding of Nunavut, takes on this role.

Dr. Carolyn Bennett, who acted as critic for Aboriginal Affairs while sitting as the third party in the House of Commons, was given the credit she deserves for her efforts to learn and understand the issues facing Aboriginal people during that time, and Trudeau’s choice for her placement as Minister of Indigenous Affairs has been roundly applauded.

On Nov. 13, these three Ministers, as did all of Trudeau’s ministers, received their marching orders, and in a new era of transparency from the federal government, these orders were made public.

In the preamble of each of the mandate letters, Trudeau reminds the ministers that they were elected on a promise of change. He said the work would be “informed by performance measurement, evidence, and feedback from Canadians.” Words that jump out while reading the letters include “collaboration”, “partnerships” and “answerable”.

And this sentence is critical to their work: “No relationship is more important to me and to Canada than the one with Indigenous Peoples.” Trudeau calls upon his ministers to renew the nation-to-nation relationship, basing it on recognition of rights, respect, co-operation and partnership.

“I expect Canadians to hold us accountable for delivering these commitments, and I expect all ministers to do their part,” reads the letter.

Trudeau has given his ministers four years “to deliver on
all of our commitments.”

In Tootoo’s case, he’s expected to increase protected marine and coastal areas by 20 per cent by 2020, restore funding for freshwater research and ocean science and monitoring programs, protect the health of fish stocks, monitor contaminants and pollution in the oceans and support responsible and sustainable aquaculture along the coast. He is to act on the Cohen Commission to restore sockeye salmon stocks in the Fraser River, and “work with the provinces, territories, Indigenous Peoples, and other stakeholders to better co-manage our three oceans.”

Bennett has been tasked with reconciliation work “and the
necessary process of truth telling and healing”. She will develop an approach for an inquiry into murdered and missing Indigenous women and girls. She will be part of a review of laws, policies, and operational practices to ensure the Crown is executing its consultation and accommodation obligations.

“Make significant new investments in First Nations education,” she was told. Work nation to nation with the Metis. “Update and expand the Nutrition North program,” alongside the Minister of Health. “Work with the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development” on a National Early Learning and Childcare Framework. “Improve the physical infrastructure for Indigenous communities, including housing outcomes.

“I expect you to re-engage in a renewed nation-to-nation process with Indigenous Peoples to make real progress on the issues most important to First Nations, the Metis Nation, and Inuit communities.”

Yes, you read that correctly… the issues most important to us. Gone is the ‘our shared interests’ mantra of the Harperites, which really only meant the interests of Conservative government alone. Housing, employment, health care, child welfare, education were among our interests mentioned by Trudeau, but there was no limit put on what we could be interested in as we travel this road called renewal.

Wilson-Raybould will be working on the murdered and missing Indigenous women’s inquiry. She’s to “reduce the rate of incarceration amongst Indigenous Canadians,” address gaps in services to Aboriginal people and those with mental illness in the criminal justice system, and restore a Court Challenges Program, which provides financial support for important cases dealing with the guarantees of Canada Constitution, among a list of other tasks.

There are 30 mandate letters on the government website at http://pm.gc.ca/eng/ministerial-mandate-letters and they are an interesting read. But most importantly, they are the yard stick by which we will be able to measure the success of the Trudeau term to see if our confidence in his leadership, as demonstrated at the polls Oct. 19, was well-placed.