Trudeau sworn in as Canada’s 23rd prime minister

A look at the promises of the Liberal leader in Toronto and beyond

Canada’s new Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promises big changes for Canada. On Nov. 4, he began by naming the 31 members of his cabinet that includes 50 per cent women.

Following the Oct. 19 election, Trudeau held a news conference, reiterating what he hopes to accomplish during his term.

  • In a virtual town hall meeting on the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network, Trudeau said his goal is to repeal or reform certain parts of legislation that are disrespectful towards indigenous people. He has pledged that there will be an inquiry into the cases of many missing and murdered indigenous girls and women.

  • Trudeau wants to remove Canada’s CF-18 fighter jets from Iraq. He said he spoke with U.S. President Barack Obama about Canada’s efforts to stop the Islamic State. Trudeau wants to make sure the removal is done in “an orderly fashion.”
  • For Toronto, Trudeau pledged $2.6 billion to fund the SmartTrack plan of Mayor John Tory, and an additional $2 billion towards GO transit. Trudeau believes that the Conservative party did not invest enough into infrastructure.
  • Trudeau also vowed to fund more affordable housing in Toronto. During a campaign stop in Toronto he talked about families in the GTA, and announced that the Liberal party would pledge $125 million in tax incentives.
  • Trudeau and Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne sat down at Queen’s Park and discussed Ontario’s pension plan. The Liberal party has campaigned to strengthen retirement income for Canadians.
  • Trudeau says he also plans to move forward with the legalization and regulation of marijuana, arguing he believes the criminalization of marijuana funds crime and makes it too accessible to minors.  

  • The Conservative party sparked controversy with a proposal to ban the wearing of the religious niqab for Canadian citizenship ceremonies. Trudeau has spoken clearly of his opposition to this proposal when he said in a press conference that, “Canada defends the rights of minorities.” Accordingly, he feels it takes away from Canadian’s rights and freedoms.
  • Helping youth is a frequent topic of Trudeau’s platform. He has promised that the Liberal Party will “invest to create more jobs and better opportunities for young Canadians.” This will be done with an additional 40,000 more jobs for youth, he says. Unlike the Green Party, Trudeau did not pledge to abolish post-secondary tuition fees.

The Observer conducted an informal survey to find out what  the top election priorities were for some voters this year:

About this article

By: Tara Fortune
Posted: Nov 4 2015 10:46 am
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Filed under: News Opinion
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