Trudeau wraps retreat with message to millennials, no new housing plans
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau wrapped up a multi-day meeting of his ministers with a message to young people: "We owe it to you to take action."
From housing affordability to climate change, Trudeau attempted to reach out directly to the demographic that's helped him win past elections, as his rival Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is trying to tap into millennials' concerns with a starkly different message about the challenges the country is facing.
"To young Canadians, I want to say something: You've had two crucial years of adulthood dramatically interrupted by COVID, and then you were hit by global inflation and increased interest rates. These events upended your educations, your first jobs, your early years of building a career and a network," said the prime minister in Charlottetown on Wednesday.
After highlighting what the government has done to try to address these strains so far, from offering ways to save up to buy a home to eliminating interest on student loans, Trudeau noted "there's lots more to do."
"We owe it to you to take action, so you can fully benefit from the promise of Canada. So you can succeed and access all the opportunities the generations before you had. So that you can have both a healthy economy and a healthy environment in strong, vibrant communities long into the future. As a team, this is one of our top priorities," he said.
Trudeau's millennial reach-out comes after cabinet was to hear directly during the retreat from Paul Kershaw, the founder of focused on advocating for young Canadians struggling to get ahead in the current economic climate.
This renewed messaging targeted at younger voters also follows , which found the Liberals were trailing the Conservatives by 11 points among millennials (those born between 1980 and 1996), and among Gen Z voters (those born between 1997 and 2005) Trudeau's party is four points behind Poilievre's Conservative Party.
Speaking to CTV News at the cabinet retreat, Kershaw said Poilievre should be credited for "tapping into" the grief many young people are feeling, but cautioned that if his "doom and gloom momentum" gives rise to a disillusionment it could have a counterintuitive effect given millennials'' lasting electoral sway.
"If it gives rise to more cynicism, and has younger people opt out, and we need them to opt in with their parents and grandparents to change the system… so that we can make our policies ready for the moment… cynicism won't get us there," Kershaw said.
A new analysis by RBC released Wednesday warns that millennials are "more indebted than ever."
"Canadians between the ages of 35 and 44 (who have debt) had a total debt-to-disposable income ratio of 250 per cent in 2019. That’s far heavier than the debt load that was carried by Canadians of the same age in 1999," reads the post. "Younger indebted millennials (under age 35) aren’t faring much better, with debt loads worth 165 per cent of their disposable income."
HOUSING TOP PRIORITY BUT NO NEW ACTION
Backed by his recently-rejigged front bench of ministers, the prime minister said that heading into the fall, the rising cost of housing will be one of the minority Liberal government's "core" priorities, however he's wrapping up the three-day retreat without announcing any concrete actions on that front.
Trudeau said the retreat was productive, included hearing directly from Canadians who are struggling to buy a home or afford rising rents, as well as studying historical trends and StatCan census data, but offered no timelines or specifics on further efforts to tackle the housing crisis beyond building more homes.
"Everyone agrees that it's a complex issue that requires solutions that bring together all orders of government, the private sector, and the non-profit sector… Middle-class Canadians who want to build equity through homeownership feel increasingly like that dream is out of reach. And now, more and more renters in the housing market means rising demand is causing rent to rise for everyone," Trudeau said.
Zeroing in on Trudeau's handling of housing and how it's impacting young people in a press conference outside of the House of Commons, Poilievre panned the prime minister for coming away from cabinet without a plan, while comparing the current housing market to prison.
"The truth is… for young people and the working class the housing market after eight years of Justin Trudeau is a prison. It's a prison of walls for 350 square foot apartments that cost $2,000 A month. Or parents' basements where young adults of 35 years old live, never having a chance to start a family with their biological clocks running out," he said.
Poilievre spoke about how the "average mortgage payment in Canada has now risen to $3,500." Though, by the end of the availability upon questioning from reporters, he clarified that the figure he was citing was based on one housing analysts' assessment of newly purchased homes with a 20 per cent down payment.
He ended his availability calling for Trudeau to recall the House of Commons, which is on a summer break.
"Open up the House so Canadians can get a home," he said.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh called it a "complete failure of leadership" that Trudeau's cabinet walked away from the east coast waterfront confab without announcing any new housing policy plans.
"One of the most serious things that we're up against. How does that make any sense? We're faced with a housing crisis, and we've got Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who's busy blaming others saying it's not his responsibility. We've got Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, who wants to blame cities. New Democrats want to build," Singh said.
Singh said while he's happy to talk housing "any day," he didn't specifically say whether he agrees with his opposition colleagues in calling for an early House recall.
INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS 'EASY VILLAN'
Trudeau said the government is being careful to not place blame on any one group such as foreign homebuyers, aggressive developers, or international students. Rather he is viewing the current crisis as one simmering for decades, exacerbated by a multitude of factors, and not solvable with one "silver bullet."
"I think it's really critical at this moment for the federal government to acknowledge the grief that a younger demographic is feeling about being locked out of housing as renters and as owners," Kershaw said.
Still, there was much chatter at the cabinet retreat over the Liberals considering a cap on international students as one way to tamp down skyrocketing rent.
"We only get through this by rolling up our sleeves and getting the work done… And the good news is, Canada has done this before. We have faced housing crises before in our history," Trudeau said, pointing to the post-WWII era when governments built entire neighborhoods.
Kershaw said that in order to "meet the moment," the federal government can't then just pick an "easy villain" like the current focus on international students.
Echoing this in an interview on CTV News Channel, chairperson of the Canadian Federation of Students and international student Maelis Barre called a potential cap “quite disappointing and shameful,†that if pursued would amount to a “band-aid solution†that doesn’t address the root issue of housing affordability.
“We know that the housing crisis is rooted in complex economic and policy factors that have evolved over the decades,†Barre said.
Asked his views on an international student cap, Poilievre accused current Housing Minister Sean Fraser, who until a few weeks ago was the immigration minister, of ruining the program.
“We as Conservatives, we'll make sure that international students have homes, health care, and when they want it: jobs, so that we can get back to a system that supports our universities, attracts the world's brightest people, helps the demographics of our country, but does not leave people living in squalor,†Poilievre said.
CLIMATE POLICY 'MORE URGENT THAN EVER'
On the climate front, Trudeau called it a worsening "emergency" but similar to the housing issue, the cabinet retreat has not resulted in any announcement of new plans, seeing Trudeau make efforts to tout the existing carbon pricing and rebate program, and industrial green tech efforts.
Speaking about the extreme weather witnessed across the country this summer, from devastating wildfires, to dangerous air quality blanketing much of Canada as a result of the smoke.
"Climate policies are more urgent than ever. Canadians cannot afford leaders who want to roll them back," Trudeau said, in an apparent jab at Poilievre.
While Poilievre didn’t speak to, nor was he asked about the environment file on Wednesday, he has been running paid advertising on his fight against the carbon tax and recently had to postpone his tour of British Columbia and call off an "axe the tax" rally in Yukon due to the wildfires ravaging the region.
IN DEPTH
Jagmeet Singh pulls NDP out of deal with Trudeau Liberals, takes aim at Poilievre Conservatives
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has pulled his party out of the supply-and-confidence agreement that had been helping keep Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's minority Liberals in power.
'Not the result we wanted': Trudeau responds after surprise Conservative byelection win in Liberal stronghold
Conservative candidate Don Stewart winning the closely-watched Toronto-St. Paul's federal byelection, and delivering a stunning upset to Justin Trudeau's candidate Leslie Church in the long-time Liberal riding, has sent political shockwaves through both parties.
'We will go with the majority': Liberals slammed by opposition over proposal to delay next election
The federal Liberal government learned Friday it might have to retreat on a proposal within its electoral reform legislation to delay the next vote by one week, after all opposition parties came out to say they can't support it.
Budget 2024 prioritizes housing while taxing highest earners, deficit projected at $39.8B
In an effort to level the playing field for young people, in the 2024 federal budget, the government is targeting Canada's highest earners with new taxes in order to help offset billions in new spending to enhance the country's housing supply and social supports.
'One of the greatest': Former prime minister Brian Mulroney commemorated at state funeral
Prominent Canadians, political leaders, and family members remembered former prime minister and Progressive Conservative titan Brian Mulroney as an ambitious and compassionate nation-builder at his state funeral on Saturday.
Opinion
opinion Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster
A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government’s three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party’s popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?
opinion Don Martin: The doctor Trudeau dumped has a prescription for better health care
Political columnist Don Martin sat down with former federal health minister Jane Philpott, who's on a crusade to help fix Canada's broken health care system, and who declined to take any shots at the prime minister who dumped her from caucus.
opinion Don Martin: Trudeau's seeking shelter from the housing storm he helped create
While Justin Trudeau's recent housing announcements are generally drawing praise from experts, political columnist Don Martin argues there shouldn’t be any standing ovations for a prime minister who helped caused the problem in the first place.
opinion Don Martin: Poilievre has the field to himself as he races across the country to big crowds
It came to pass on Thursday evening that the confidentially predictable failure of the Official Opposition non-confidence motion went down with 204 Liberal, BQ and NDP nays to 116 Conservative yeas. But forcing Canada into a federal election campaign was never the point.
opinion Don Martin: How a beer break may have doomed the carbon tax hike
When the Liberal government chopped a planned beer excise tax hike to two per cent from 4.5 per cent and froze future increases until after the next election, says political columnist Don Martin, it almost guaranteed a similar carbon tax move in the offing.
CTVNews.ca ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½
NEW Health data collected from Indigenous Peoples in Canada has a dark history. One Indigenous company is turning that around
Software company Mustimuhw Information, which develops medical records systems built on a foundation of Indigenous traditions and values, is allowing health providers to capture data informed by cultural practices.
Hezbollah handed out pagers hours before blasts, even after checks: Reuters
Lebanon's Hezbollah was still handing its members new Gold Apollo branded pagers hours before thousands blew up this week, two security sources said, indicating the group was confident the devices were safe despite an ongoing sweep of electronic kit to identify threats.
Cognitive decline reduced by MIND diet, especially for women and Black people, study finds
Following the MIND diet for 10 years produced a small but significant decrease in the risk of developing thinking, concentration and memory problems, a new study found.
The province's public security minister said he was "shocked" Thursday amid reports that a body believed to be that of a 14-year-old boy was found this week near a Hells Angels hideout near Quebec City.
An Ontario man says it is 'unfair' to pay a $1,500 insurance surcharge because his four-year-old SUV is at a higher risk of being stolen.
Federal firearm buyback program has cost $67M, still not collecting guns after 4 years
The federal firearm buyback program has cost taxpayers nearly $67.2 million since it was announced in 2020, but it still hasn't collected a single gun.
No, these viral purple apples don't exist in Saskatchewan
If something looks too good to be true, it might be. That's the message from Saskatchewan horticulturists after customers have come into their stores hoping to buy purple apple trees this month.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police has lost 205 firearms since 2020, including machine-guns
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police has lost 205 firearms since 2020, including more than 120 handguns and at least five fully automatic weapons like machine-guns.
Influencer couple denies leaving kids alone on cruise
For most people, dinner on a cruise ship is a time to relax. But when influencer couple Abby and Matt Howard decided to kick back with a dinner à deux, they ended up kicking up a storm.
Local Spotlight
They say a dog is a man’s best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.
Paleontologists from the Royal B.C. Museum have uncovered "a trove of extraordinary fossils" high in the mountains of northern B.C., the museum announced Thursday.
The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating an important milestone in the organization's history: 50 years since the first women joined the force.
It's been a whirlwind of joyful events for a northern Ontario couple who just welcomed a baby into their family and won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot last month.
A Good Samaritan in New Brunswick has replaced a man's stolen bottle cart so he can continue to collect cans and bottles in his Moncton neighbourhood.
David Krumholtz, known for roles like Bernard the Elf in The Santa Clause and physicist Isidor Rabi in Oppenheimer, has spent the latter part of his summer filming horror flick Altar in Winnipeg. He says Winnipeg is the most movie-savvy town he's ever been in.
Edmontonians can count themselves lucky to ever see one tiger salamander, let alone the thousands one local woman says recently descended on her childhood home.
A daytrip to the backcountry turned into a frightening experience for a Vancouver couple this weekend.