Prime Minister Justin Trudeau offered an optimistic vision for Quebec, but few concrete promises as he delivered a series of campaign-style speeches in the provincial capital Friday.
With the federal 2019 election only months away, he highlighted the Liberals’ infrastructure investments, pursuit of free trade deals, carbon tax, and small-business tax cuts in an address to members of Quebec City’s business community.
But Trudeau stopped short of taking any concrete steps to respond to the list of demands Quebec Premier François Legault has asked Ottawa to address before the next election.
That list includes:
- Compensation for the costs incurred dealing with the influx of thousands of asylum seekers entering Quebec from the United States at unofficial border crossings.
- More power to select immigrants.
- A single federal and provincial tax return managed by the province.
- A commitment to fund major public transit projects.
While the Legault government is planning to cut immigration by about 20 per cent, Trudeau chose to highlight immigration as a solution to the province’s labour shortage, estimated at over 100,000 jobs.
« Recruitment of qualified foreign workers is one, but it won’t be enough by itself, » and must be coupled by investments in education and training, he added.
Trudeau said the government was ready to invest in Quebec infrastructure, but declined to provide a firm timeline for a major project to fix the Pont de Québec, citing the involvement of multiple partners.
Quebec Deputy Premier Geneviève Guilbault, who attended the luncheon, said she was disappointed Trudeau didn’t make any promises on issues such as immigration.
« We felt that he was in a positive mood, but we would have appreciated more concrete commitments, » she said.
The Liberal party won 40 of Quebec’s 78 seats on its way to a strong majority in the last election, and the province is crucial to the prime minister’s re-election hopes.
But while the party’s poll numbers in Quebec are strong, Trudeau has faced tough questions in the province lately on thorny issues including immigration, the government’s decision to purchase the Trans Mountain pipeline, and NAFTA concessions that are unpopular with the province’s dairy farmers.
More Davie questions
Trudeau also faced criticism over his government’s refusal to give a second contract to the Davie shipyard for a supply vessel.
The federal government awarded Quebec-based Davie Shipbuilding a $700-million contract to convert a civilian container ship into a temporary supply vessel and lease it to the navy for at least five years.
Davie has offered to convert and lease another ship for $500 million, but the navy says that’s unnecessary.
Davie unveiled MV Asterix to much fanfare in 2017. (Davie/Supplied)
Pierre Drapeau, president of the association of suppliers to the shipyard, told Trudeau that work is urgently needed at Davie.
He said fewer than three per cent of the contracts from Ottawa’s national shipbuilding strategy have gone to the shipyard in Lévis, which is across the river from Quebec City, and workers are losing their jobs.
Trudeau said he is looking at ways to provide more work for the shipyard, but a second supply ship is simply not needed right now.
« We understand there are preoccupations and concerns regarding the Davie workers, and we are trying to look for new contracts and new ways to support them and deliver equipment that Canada needs, » he said.
« But the [Defence Department] and the Coast Guard, everyone has been very, very clear that we don’t need Obelix and that’s why we aren’t advancing on the Obelix, » he said, referring to the second ship Davie had proposed to the government.
Trudeau blamed the previous Conservative government of Stephen Harper for awarding shipbuilding contracts to Vancouver and Halifax while leaving out Quebec’s capital.
A meeting at the Quebec City mosque
In the afternoon, Trudeau paid a private visit to the Quebec City mosque to meet survivors of the shooting, as well as widows of the victims.
Next week will mark two years since a gunman entered the mosque and killed six men and wounded five others.
The meeting was closed to the media.
« It’s important for me to spend a little time with this community that inspires us all by its strength, its courage and its extraordinary resilience. »
The mosque president said there was no talk of politics or of the gun registry while meeting with Trudeau — instead they discussed diversity and Canada’s strengths.
Campaign mode
Friday evening, Trudeau appeared to be in full campaign mode as he sprang onto a stage to the sound of blaring music to deliver a speech to party members attending a weekend convention.
He promised his partisan audience the party would « stick to its values » during the coming campaign.
Trudeau is greeted by supporters before his speech. (Jacques Boissinot/Canadian Press)
« Faced with a world that is folding in on itself, Canada asserts itself, commits itself, imposes itself, » he told the cheering crowd.