The December 16, 2021 Mandate Letter to the Federal Minister of the Environment and Climate Change.

Ministers receive mandate letters following a general election, a throne speech or a cabinet shuffle. They are written by the PMO and the Privy Council Office.

(I only included parts of the letter that pertain to national urban parks, the protection of heritage properties and the preservation of old-growth forests.)

Dear Minister Guilbeault:

Thank you for agreeing to serve Canadians as Minister of Environment and Climate Change....The science is clear. Canadians have been clear. We must not only continue taking real climate action, we must also move faster and go further. As Canadians are increasingly experiencing across the country, climate change is an existential threat. Building a cleaner, greener future will require a sustained and collaborative effort from all of us. As Minister, I expect you to seek opportunities within your portfolio to support our whole-of-government effort to reduce emissions, create clean jobs and address the climate-related challenges that communities are already facing.

• Recognize the "right to a healthy environment" in federal law and introduce legislation to require the development of an environmental risk strategy and the examination of the link between race, socio-economic status and exposure to environmental risk.
• Establish 10 new national parks and 10 new national marine conservation areas (NCMAs) in the next five years, working with Indigenous communities on co-management agreements for these national parks and NCMAs.
• To ensure all Canadians have access to green space, establish at least one new national urban park in every province and territory, with a target of 15 urban parks by 2030. You will also invest in existing national parks, with more Canadians than ever before visiting these sites. 
• Support the Minister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance in developing a national trails tourism strategy.
• Work with the Minister of Natural Resources to help protect old growth forests.
• Introduce comprehensive legislation to protect federally owned historic places.

Sincerely,

Rt. Hon. Justin Trudeau, P.C., M.P.

Prime Minister of Canada.