‘Get real’ about anxiety workers feel: Trudeau
HAMBURG — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau used one of Germany’s most prestigious black-tie galas to tell business leaders to “get real” about addressing the anxieties of workers in an uncertain world.
Trudeau delivered the no-holds-barred message to an audience of 400 politicians, business leaders and other notables at the annual St. Matthew’s Banquet in the opulent Hamburg city hall.
The St. Matthew’s Banquet is a 700-yearold event in which the elders of the citystates invite foreign guests to celebrate their friendship. It has heard from kings, presidents, mayors and others in what is now Germany’s second-largest city.
Trudeau has spoken repeatedly in Europe this week about the need for politicians to address the “anxieties” of working people, who are fearful of the pace of change and of being left behind in the globalized world.
He has spoken of the need for politicians to do a better job explaining the tangible benefits of agreements such as Canada’s free trade deal with the European Union — a pact the European Parliament ratified earlier in the week over the objections of a vocal civil society movement.
However, the prime minister ramped up the message on Friday night in Hamburg.
“No more brushing aside the concerns of our workers and our citizens,” the prime minister said in prepared remarks. “We have to address the root cause of their worries, and get real about how the changing economy is impacting peoples’ lives.”
German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel called Trudeau a friend of Europe and praised the Canada-EU free trade deal as an answer to the “new nationalism” in the United States.
Trudeau said the anxiety of working people is turning into anger, and politicians and business leaders must take heed and take “long-term responsibility” for workers, their families, and the communities in which they operate.
“For business leaders, it’s about thinking beyond your short-term responsibility to your shareholders,” Trudeau said.
“It’s time to pay a living wage, to pay your taxes. And give your workers the benefits — and peace of mind — that come with stable, full-time contracts.”
He said employers can’t leave their employees feeling “overworked and undervalued” and must find ways to help them “modernize their skills for a changing world.”
More than money goes into NATO support: Trudeau
BERLIN — Canada’s indifference to the ever-present push for more NATO spending was laid bare Friday in Germany as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau all but shrugged off Donald Trump’s push to squeeze alliance members for more money.
Standing alongside German Chancellor Angela Merkel, whose country has already promised significant increases to its own NATO contributions, Trudeau suggested that when it comes to demonstrating Canada’s commitment, money isn’t everything.
He acknowledged the spending target agreed to in 2014 by the members of the 28-country transatlantic alliance — two per cent of GDP annually — but described Canada and Germany as principal NATO actors who do much of the “heavy lifting.”
“There are many ways of evaluating one’s contribution to NATO,” Trudeau said.
Germany and Canada have “always been amongst the strongest actors in NATO,” he said, citing Canada’s leadership of a multinational NATO mission in Latvia aimed at strengthening its eastern flank against Russia.
He also said Canada is in the midst of “significant procurement projects” — fighter jets and shipbuilding, specifically — and working with NATO to ensure the alliance is being as effective as possible.
Merkel said Germany answered the 2014 call by increasing its defence budget eight per cent over last year.
That will build on Germany’s current 1.2 per cent of GDP — compared to Canada 0.99 per cent of GDP.