Trudeau, Poilievre trade barbs in caucus speeches as Parliament set to reconvene – National | 24CA News

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre struck very completely different tones Friday in speeches to their caucuses forward of what’s prone to be a heated spring session of Parliament — one describing a “positive vision” for Canada’s future, the opposite asking, “What’s happening to our country?”

The House of Commons will reconvene on Monday after greater than a month away and is predicted to give attention to the numerous challenges Canadians have continued to face since final 12 months, together with excessive inflation and rising rates of interest, journey delays and a struggling health-care system.

Speaking to his caucus in Ottawa throughout a three-day retreat, Trudeau acknowledged Canada and the world at giant are going through “difficult times,” however mentioned his authorities would work to “meet this moment.”

“We’re beginning a new year, and more than ever, it’s important to reaffirm our positive vision for a stronger future together,” he mentioned.

“The world is facing a moment and as Liberals, as Canadians, we must meet it.”

The prime minister mentioned a selected focus this spring will probably be on well being care, as premiers throughout the nation name for extra federal funding to resuscitate programs which might be affected by lengthy wait instances for sufferers and a scarcity of staff.

Trudeau is ready to satisfy with premiers on Feb. 7 to debate the difficulty, elevating questions on whether or not a deal could also be imminent. Ottawa has repeatedly mentioned any additional funding will probably be topic to enhancements led by the provinces and territories, and Trudeau recommended this week he plans to take a look at bilateral offers with provinces.

“What Canadians are experiencing right now is simply not living up to that promise” of common well being care, Trudeau mentioned, “and we’re going to change that.

“Yes, we will invest more money — that’s certainly part of the solution — but we’ll also make sure Canadians see improvements and better results.”

2:08Trudeau plans assembly with premiers to barter health-care funding

Trudeau additionally highlighted Canada’s continued assist for Ukraine as Russia’s invasion nears the one-year mark, together with different worldwide issues just like the gang disaster in Haiti, protests for gender rights in Iran and Afghan refugees fleeing Taliban rule.

The struggles confronted by “the global south,” from local weather change to meals insecurity, will even be a spotlight overseas, he added.

“When the world is more stable, we are all safer and more prosperous, including here at home,” he mentioned.

Earlier within the day in Ottawa, Poilievre opened his speech to the Conservative caucus with a really completely different tone.

“What’s happening to our country? Seriously,” he requested, pointing to crime he known as “out of control,” days-long waits at airports throughout extreme winter storms and the rising price of groceries, rents and mortgages.

“Everything feels broken. Oh — I just offended Justin Trudeau. He gets very angry when I talk about these problems. He thinks that if we don’t speak about them out loud, that Canadians will forget that they exist.”

1:10Pierre Poilievre lays out priorities for Conservative Party forward of Parliament’s return

He pointed to Trudeau’s feedback at an annual Liberal vacation half in December, the place the prime minister advised his supporters that “Canada is not broken.”

Poilievre mentioned that speech, made to Liberal caucus members, staffers, consultants and donors, confirmed Trudeau is out of contact with what common Canadians are going through attributable to issues the Conservative chief says had been created by the federal government.

“There is pain in the faces you do not see, there is suffering in the voices you do not hear, and there is distress and even chaos in the places you do not go,” Poilievre mentioned.

He additionally promised investigations into authorities spending, together with contracts awarded to consulting agency McKinsey which have amounted to over $100 million since 2015. A House of Commons committee voted earlier this month to probe how the contracts had been awarded and what they had been for.

But a lot of Poilievre’s speech was centered on crime, telling his caucus that cities throughout the nation have gotten “crime zones” beneath Trudeau’s watch. Recent violent assaults on Toronto’s transit system had been cited as a key instance.

A Statistics Canada report launched final November reveals the nation’s murder fee elevated for the third consecutive 12 months, with cities like Winnipeg and Regina boasting the worst charges per capita. The crime severity index was down in 2021 and 2020 after 5 years of will increase.

Trudeau’s speech didn’t contact on public security. But he spent a good portion of it contrasting his strategy to governing with Poilievre’s, which the prime minister mentioned was centered on division and disinformation.

“There are two leaders today that you have to choose between,” Trudeau mentioned. “Are we going to make sure we are working for a positive vision of the future, or do we incite people to anger without providing constructive and positive solutions?

“Mr. Poilievre has made his choice.”

— with recordsdata from the Canadian Press

&copy 2023 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.