It was a first for her, a repeat for him in a context very different from 2015. In keeping with tradition, the Governor General of Canada, Julie Payette, delivered, on Thursday, December 5, the Speech from the Throne, which marks the inauguration of Justin Trudeau's new government, victorious at the polls on October 26th. Appointed by Queen Elizabeth II in July 2017, the former astronaut, with more enthusiasm and naturalness than many of his predecessors, gave himself up to this codified exercise: read, before the Parliament assembled in the Senate, a speech prepared by the Prime Minister's Office to set out the main lines of its future action.
But if Justin Trudeau had been able to sing the air of "change" in 2015 after winning the battle against Conservative Stephen Harper, he had to change his vocabulary to inaugurate his second term. Now at the head of a minority government in the House (157 seats out of 338), he is required to find allies to carry out his policy. It is therefore by a call to "Unity" that the Prime Minister has started this new term. He has reached out to the regions that are assured "To work with the government in a spirit of dialogue and cooperation to overcome their economic difficulties".
In particular, the prime minister urged Parliament to study the implementation of universal dental coverage – a foot call to the Jameet Singh New Democratic Party that had made it one of its campaign commitments. He also reached out to the natives. Justin Trudeau pledged to adopt the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in the first year of this legislature and assured that he would ensure that "That the children of the wounded people are compensated fairly".
Justin Trudeau has also made the fight against climate change a priority. "Our grandchildren will judge us on our action or our inaction. But if we work together, everything is possible "he promised. The targets are ambitious: to achieve 0% net greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, to continue carbon pricing, to make the country an example in clean technologies, to encourage energy efficient housing or to plant 2 billion ten years from now. Never, no doubt, was the throne speech so green. Former Green Leader Elizabeth May rejoiced "The climate emergency message is finally heard", while regretting "That the road map is still very vague".
