A look back at 2019 with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was on Breakfast Television in Toronto on Tuesday to talk about the past year, the state of the economy and his plans for 2020.

The year was filled with scandals and a divided election that saw the Liberals lose its majority status.

In the wide-ranging interview, Trudeau discussed the challenges of the last year but also seemed optimistic that quick action can be made on such issues as gun control in the upcoming year, despite his government’s minority status.

The Prime Minister said the biggest issues he will be focusing on going into 2020 will be affordability for both the average Canadian and students. He also said fighting climate change is a priority.

Trudeau also addressed the video of the NATO conversation that quickly spread across the internet, and the current standing of the country’s relationship with the United States and its leader Donald Trump.

The economy and Canada’s relationship with China were also brought to the table. Trudeau said the release of detained Canadians in China “continues to be a big priority for us” and that throughout the year they have been in discussions with all levels of government in China about their release, as well as having Canada’s allies put pressure on China. He added that he hopes the opposition parties in the House of Commons will be helpful on this issue and not end up playing “parliamentary politics.”

Below are some of the questions asked by CityNews reporter Melanie Ng and Trudeau’s responses. The questions and answers have been edited and condensed for the reader. Click on the video above for the full interview.

Q&A with the prime minister

Q: What do you think you did well in 2019 and what do you think you could have improved on?

A: We were able to do a lot of things that made a difference in people’s lives, from the Canada Child Benefit to investments in transit, infrastructure, moving forward on housing … I think one of the things people felt, and I heard this during the election campaign, is we’d gotten a little disconnected from their daily concerns and we weren’t doing a good enough job at sharing and reassuring them about the things we were doing — I think that’s one of the things we have to think about — and what helps with that is better collaboration, more work with premiers, more work with other parties, and that’s what a minority situation will deliver us.

Q: With respect to the scandals this past year and the heated election, how do you respond when someone questions you personally?

A: That’s what elections are about, they’re about looking at who is stepping up and who wants to lead the country and what kind of team they’re bringing and what kind of values they stand for … citizens have to be questioning their leaders on a number of things.

Q: Do you feel there’s repair needed in various communities or do you think you’ve done that throughout the campaign?

A: Oh no, there’s lots more to do. We know that things like anti-black racism, systemic bias, systemic discrimination and unconscious bias are real things that require a lot more work and that’s why we’re partnering with communities, we’re going to be working hard to make sure that there is better awareness and understanding of the very real discrimination that racialized Canadians face.

Q: Moving forward in the House of Commons, it is not the majority you are looking for … there is so much going on. We could potentially go back to the polls within a couple of years, are you ready for that?

A: What we do is we focus on how we can get as much done for Canadians as possible. Regardless of what’s happening inside of Parliament … despite all the internal politicking that’s going to happen on Parliament Hill, we have to make sure that we are delivering in a real way that has an impact on people.

Q: Do you think you can get real things passed in the House of Commons with a minority government?

A: I think if you look at it issue-by-issue, there’s a broad consensus on a number of things, like moving forward on more health care investments to help people find a family doctor, moving forward on Pharmacare, a broad consensus around doing more on gun control, there’s a broad consensus around doing more to fight climate change. Yes, there’s going to be a need to listen together but I think on those things, Canadians expect us, rightly so, to get those done.

Q: On gun control, your government is looking at a ban on assault weapons. What is the timeline on that?

A: We’re going to do it soon.

Q: Is banning handguns the actual answer or is investing in taking down gangs the answer?

A: The answer is we need to do all of that. Bill Blair is someone who has worked to combat gun violence at all levels for much of his career. He knows and we know, part of it is investing in community centres and support for young people, part of it is an anti-gang strategy, part of it is strengthening the border so there’s less illegal flow of guns, part of it is strengthening gun control laws as well, including eliminating weapons that are designed to kill the largest number of people in the shortest amount of time — that is military-style assault rifles.

Q: For those in the West … how do you answer to their concerns?

A: You have to recognize that people right across the country are living with anxiety … but it is really hitting hard in Alberta and Saskatchewan, where oil prices have been down for a while and hundreds of thousands of jobs [have been] lost. It is a real pain point for people. We need to work with the provincial government to support people to make sure there are good jobs.

Q: How is your relationship with the premiers out West?

A: The relationship is good. We’re always going to find things to agree on, there will always be moments where we disagree — and we disagree a lot on how ambitious we need to be on fighting climate change. but we don’t disagree on the fact that we need to do more to support families in Alberta and Saskatchewan.

Q: The environment is a big issue. Where do we move from here?

A: We need to be more and more ambitious. We’ve laid out a plan that increases our price on pollution by $10 a tonne up until 2022 … There’s lots of big things we’re doing and there’s lots more to do.

Q: Are you still on track to ban single-use plastics by 2021?

A: The Green Party, obviously, the NDP and even the Bloc are very much supportive of us moving forward on banning single-use plastics … working with industry, working with communities on banning single-use plastics is something we’re going to continue doing.

Q: A conversation was overheard at NATO that referenced President Donald Trump. When you saw this come out, what did you think to yourself on how do you make good on that?

A: As I’ve tried to do with every situation with the President is work constructively through it and we were able just a few days later to sign the new NAFTA agreement … it is a good deal for Canada.

Q: What about the two Canadians still detained in China?

A: It continues to be a big priority for us … We have been engaging throughout the year, at all levels, with the Chinese government. We’ve been having our allies put pressure on China as well, bringing it up that two Canadians being detained is a problem for people around the world. It remains our number one issue we continue to work on but we know it’s a complex situation.

Q: During the election, the term ‘middle class’ was brought up often. Can you define who the middle class is?

A: I think Canadians know who is in the middle class and know what their families are facing. We focus on the actual issues. A recent grad, once we bring in the changes, will no longer have to pay back their student loans until they’re making at least $35,000 a year.

On affordability for families, Trudeau said: We are going to be increasing the Canada Child Benefit by 15 per cent for kids under one.

On housing affordability, especially for recent grads, Trudeau said: We are expanding the first-time home buyer’s credit to make sure that mortgage payments are more affordable and they can get that first home.

Q: What is your No. 1 priority for 2020?

A: Affordability as we fight climate change. Making sure people can be confident about their family’s finances and future while they see us fighting climate change in ways that point out that there’s a lot of growth, opportunity and new jobs in tackling this global, pressing issue.