Carney promised big changes by Canada Day. Will he deliver?

Peter Zimonjic · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 28, 2025 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 9 minutes ago

During the outpouring campaign, Prime Minister Mark Carney promised a re-elected Liberal authorities led by him would determination accelerated to lick problems and conscionable challenges by Canada Day.

After his victory, those promises near Carney a small much than 60 days to code issues that person bedevilled erstwhile governments, successful immoderate cases, for a agelong time.

Here is simply a look astatine the pledges Carney made portion helium was courting the electorate, however helium has done successful addressing them and what comes next.

Eliminating interior national commercialized barriers

After becoming premier minister, but earlier the election, Carney hosted a gathering with the premiers astatine the Canadian War Museum successful Ottawa.

The March 21 gathering was focused connected 1 ascendant theme: responding to the existential and governmental menace presented by U.S. President Donald Trump.

Carney told reporters helium would code that situation by tackling the long-standing contented of Canada's interior commercialized barriers — immoderate economists person said removing them could boost Canada's system by $200 cardinal annually.

"We intend, from a national level, to person escaped commercialized by Canada day," Carney said. 

WATCH | Carney talks escaped commercialized successful archetypal gathering with premiers: 

The premier curate specified "from a national level" due to the fact that astir of Canada's interior commercialized barriers are restrictions that lone the provinces tin remove. 

Some person begun that process already, with Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador and P.E.I. signing agreements oregon moving with different provinces to remove barriers. 

Carney's committedness to person "free commercialized by Canada Day" changed somewhat by the clip the party's level was released April 19.

It said a Carney-led authorities would simply "unleash escaped commercialized successful Canada by Canada Day by tabling authorities to eliminate each national barriers to interprovincial commercialized and labour mobility and to region each national exceptions nether the Canadian Free Trade Agreement."

Bill C-5, which passed Parliament connected Thursday, volition bash conscionable that.

Verdict: Promise kept

Cutting taxes

On the taxation front, Carney promised to marque Canada much affordable by cancelling the c tax, cutting income taxation and eliminating the GST for first-time homebuyers connected properties nether $1 million.

In the archetypal fewer hours of becoming premier curate March 14, Carney signed a premier ministerial directive removing the user terms connected carbon, a argumentation alteration that took effect April 1.

The pledge to chopped the bottommost complaint of income taxation by 1 percent point, a 6.6 per cent chopped to the magnitude of taxation paid successful that bracket, came with the committedness it would instrumentality effect by Canada Day.

All 3 measures were included successful a ways and means question that passed the House of Commons connected June 5. The question allows the authorities to commencement making changes to the taxation codification earlier they are successful law — but a measure volition inactive request to beryllium passed.

The measure containing the caller measures, C-4, was introduced to the House of Commons successful May and passed second speechmaking June 12.

Verdict: Promise kept 

Joining ReArm Europe

Carney said that since becoming premier minister, his authorities has been talking to the European Union astir joining its rearmament plan, ReArm Europe, successful bid to alteration however Canada supplies its military. 

"Seventy-five cents of each dollar of superior spending for defence goes to the United States. That's not smart," Carney told CBC's Power & Politics host David Cochrane on May 27.

Watch | Carney connected European subject buildup: 

In that aforesaid interrogation Carney besides said helium wanted to "see thing concrete" connected that beforehand by Canada Day. 

After gathering with EU leaders June 23, Carney announced helium had signed a strategical defence and information concern statement with the union.

While it's progress, it's not perfection. The statement is much of a model for however Canada volition yet beryllium capable to enactment successful ReArm Europe.

The statement signed June 23 volition besides assistance Canada articulation the SAFE indebtedness program with different allied nations to bargain subject equipment.

Verdict: It's a measurement toward the door, but not done it. 

Cutting reddish tape

The Liberal predetermination level promised to "reduce reddish tape" by requiring each national departments to instrumentality steps to destruct "outdated oregon unnecessary rules, trim duplication oregon overlap with provincial rules and streamline the medication of rules and the transportation of regulatory decisions."

The level says departments are expected to undertake these reviews "within 60 days" and study connected what advancement has been made.

The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said that process is being overseen by the Treasury Board which told CBC News that it is "preparing to motorboat the ceremonial 60-day reappraisal process" and that determination volition beryllium details to stock "shortly."

The level does not specifically accidental wrong 60 days of winning the election, but the word "within 60 days" could beryllium taken to mean precisely that. It could besides conscionable mean the PMO wants the reviews to instrumentality 60 days erstwhile they are yet launched.

Verdict: Ambiguous wording leaves this 1 successful limbo. 

What comes next

The database of challenges and promises Carney indispensable code adjacent are agelong and varied. Here is simply a look astatine immoderate that volition proceed to marque headlines successful the months ahead. 

Striking a woody with Trump connected tariffs: During the G7 summit, Carney and Trump agreed to negociate toward a commercialized woody "within the coming 30 days." Carney made that announcement June 16.

Passing Bill C-4: While the taxation measures successful C-4 person been adopted, the authorities inactive has to walk done Parliament.

Passing Bill C-2: The Liberal government's Strong Borders Act would springiness accrued powers to Canada's information and quality services, grow the quality to unfastened and inspect message and let officials to cancel oregon suspend migration documents. Critics of the measure accidental it violates privacy. The Liberals volition person to negociate those concerns if they privation this bill, presently successful 2nd reading, to go law.

Passing Bill C-8: The Liberals' Critical Cyber Systems Protection Act is simply a reintroduction of Bill C-26 that died erstwhile erstwhile premier curate Justin Trudeau prorogued Parliament. C-8 passed archetypal speechmaking successful the House June 18. 

Passing Bill C-3: Introduced to the House of Commons June 5, the "lost Canadians" bill is besides a reintroduction of a erstwhile bill. The authorities responds to a 2023 Ontario Superior Court ruling that declared it unconstitutional to contradict citizenship to radical calved extracurricular of Canada earlier their parents obtained citizenship. It is successful 2nd speechmaking successful the House.