MIRAMICHI, N.B. — Justin Trudeau is warning voters to be cautious of fear-mongering about immigration, suggesting the problem will probably be a hot-button concern throughout the federal election marketing campaign this fall.
The prime minister made the prediction Thursday throughout a city corridor assembly in northern New Brunswick, the place a younger Syrian refugee thanked him for permitting her household to return to Canada.
“I got here all the best way from Syria, and I got here right here to thanks,” Tasmeen Ali instructed the prime minister in a delicate voice, her phrases met with heat applause from the 250 individuals gathered inside a highschool in Miramichi.
Trudeau reminded the gang it was his Liberal authorities that granted asylum to 40,000 Syrian refugees in 2015-16.
The Canadian Press
He mentioned his authorities was glad to assist, however he harassed it was Canadians — these in church and group teams, neighbourhoods and households — who made the mixing of Syrians a hit.
“Welcoming people who find themselves attempting to construct a greater life is what constructed this nation,” he mentioned.
However Trudeau’s upbeat tone modified when he advised the world has change into more and more fearful, insular and anxious about immigration.
“After we’re confronted with anxieties, it’s extremely straightforward to have these fears drummed up and exacerbated — getting individuals to level fingers and lay blame,” he mentioned.
There are individuals attempting to create worry, intolerance and misinformation about immigration throughout Canada, he mentioned, although he didn’t identify any people or teams.
“However the type of fear-mongering, the type of intolerance, the type of misinformation happening throughout the nation and world wide is one thing all of us have a accountability to interact with a optimistic and a considerate approach.”
The Canadian Press
Trudeau mentioned he was trying ahead to talking with Canadians about immigration throughout the upcoming marketing campaign.
The assembly was a part of a cross-Canada swing geared toward boosting the fortunes of Liberal candidates in an election 12 months.
Trudeau confronted robust questions at earlier city corridor conferences in Quebec, British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Ontario.
Within the 2015 common election, Liberal candidates gained each one of many 32 ridings in Atlantic Canada.
As anticipated, the gang at James M. Hill Excessive College was greater than variety to the prime minister. There have been just a few different thank yous, just a few requests for photographs throughout the question-and-answer session and no heated exchanges.
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For greater than 90 minutes, a seemingly relaxed Trudeau fielded 16 questions, which included queries about abortion, radon gasoline, rural growth, seasonal employment, Indigenous rights, hashish, pharmacare and Lyme illness.
Earlier within the day, Trudeau mentioned his authorities would not spend extra money on the troubled 2021 Francophonie Video games in New Brunswick — except the provincial authorities agreed to pay extra.
Final month, New Brunswick’s Progressive Conservative authorities introduced the Video games may show too costly for the province, as value estimates ballooned to $130 million — a sevenfold enhance.
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Whereas visiting a child-care centre in Quispamsis, Trudeau mentioned Ottawa would solely match provincial spending dollar-for-dollar.
“Clearly the Francophonie Video games are deeply necessary to me,” Trudeau mentioned. “We expect it is extraordinarily necessary to maneuver ahead on the Francophonie Video games, however … we’ve a framework for giant sporting occasions.”
Premier Blaine Higgs has mentioned the province will stick to its authentic dedication to spend $10 million, insisting his authorities will not spend one other penny.
The ninth Video games of La Francophonie are scheduled to be held within the Moncton and Dieppe space in the summertime of 2021, attracting 3,000 athletes and artists from greater than 50 member states which have French as a typical language.
With recordsdata from Michael MacDonald in Halifax
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