Editorial: Trudeau government must deliver the "real change" it has promised Canadians

5. Take bold action on climate change

During the election campaign, the Liberal Party promised to fight climate change by putting a price on carbon, ending subsidies for the fossil fuel industry, and "making significant new investments in green infrastructure." Thus, the Trudeau government should take swift action on these priorities while also setting clear and ambitious targets to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. With the Paris Climate Change Conference just weeks away, moving on these issues sooner rather than later is all the more important.

6. Reform our voting system

The Liberals have famously said that they want to "make every vote count" by ensuring that the 2015 Federal Election is the last election conducted under our first-past-the-post voting system.

Accordingly, the Trudeau government should make good on its promise to introduce legislation enacting electoral reform within the first 18 months of its mandate.

7. Kill Bill C-51, Harper's invasion of our privacy

Earlier this year we wrote about the numerous problems with Bill C-51, warning our readers about the increased powers the bill provides to government agencies to spy on Canadians, and the ways in which it undermines our privacy rights and the security of the internet.

The Liberals initially voted in favour of Bill C-51, but later said that they were committed to repealing aspects of the bill if they formed government. Now that the party is in power, it should go a step further and repeal Bill C-51 in its entirety, as the bill does nothing to enhance our security and serves as a major threat to free speech in this country.

8. Scrap anti-worker Bills C-377 and C-525

In Parliament, the Liberals voted against Bills C-377 and C-525, claiming that the former places “an unfair administrative burden” on unions and the latter “drastically alters how unions can be formed and dissolved.” Justin Trudeau also committed to repealing both bills if the Liberals won power, noting that Bills C-377 and C-525 are unnecessary, ideological attacks on workers and their unions. As such, the Trudeau government should waste no time in scrapping both bills.

9. Address income inequality by investing in our collective future

The Liberal promises to create a new income tax bracket for Canadians earning more than $200,000 a year, apply full taxation to stock options, and enhance the Canada Pension Plan (CPP) should go a long way in addressing income inequality for citizens of all ages. Given that income inequality is on the rise, and many Canadians do not and will not have enough money to comfortably retire, the Trudeau government should move forward on these commitments as soon as possible.

There’s much more that will need to be done to address the damage that the Harper Government has inflicted on our country, but quick action on the above issues will show Canadians that the Trudeau Liberals are indeed serious about achieving “real change.”