Overview of the First 100 Days

The first 100 days of the new mandate will be a busy period, in terms of preparing for the start of a new Parliament, a Speech from the Throne, the first Budget of the mandate, and generally moving forward as quickly as possible on the Government’s priorities to ensure a successful start as Minister of Transport.

(Note: this material was prepared in advance of your mandate letter from the Prime Minister and the Speech from the Throne, These will have a material impact on activities over the first 100 days).

Early activities include the establishment of your office, background briefings, and work on the priorities outlined in your mandate letter, and the department will work closely with you and your office on these.

In the first 100 days you will have an opportunity to advance key relationships that are important to you as the Minister of Transport, notably with:

  1. provincial and territorial counterparts, with whom you have important shared responsibilities;
  2. Indigenous groups, particularly those in active engagement with Transport Canada;
  3. international partners, both bilateral (e.g. United States Secretary of Transportation) and multilateral (e.g. leadership of International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), headquartered in Montreal);
  4. key leaders of institutions in your portfolio; and
  5. key industry stakeholders.

The transportation industry stakeholders are diverse in size, needs and interests. There are a few large, international players that are household names, but there are also many smaller, less well-known players that play a crucial role in the system. For example, in the air sector, the two largest airlines (Air Canada and WestJet), account for the majority of passenger travel in Canada. However, there are an additional 206 airlines in Canada - most of them fairly small in scale and some are specialized; they are really important to the air transportation system. In some Canadian communities – particularly in remote and northern communities - these smaller operators provide the essential transportation linkage to the rest of the country

Sections below outline Key Events for Transport Canada over the first 100 days, as well as Key Events for Transportation Stakeholders in which Transport Canada officials would be participating in some way.

As the very busy weekly schedule of your Cabinet and Parliamentary responsibilities become clear, the Department will work with you and your office to decide on and schedule outreach, speaking opportunities, announcements and other engagements.

In the early days after Parliament reconvenes, you will be required to table a number of reports and plans as outlined here.

There are some items that will require early briefings and decisions by you. These include:

  • early submissions required to obtain needed authorities from Treasury Board or Cabinet;
  • management of ongoing litigation; and
  • direction for Transport Canada on key upcoming inter-governmental and international meetings.

Finally, there are several Transport Canada Contribution Programs that are currently continuing to operate within existing terms and authorities, and enable progress on important issues in the sector. There will be opportunities for you to make decisions and announcements in respect of these programs within the first 100 days. Some examples of these programs can be found here.