The Guardian (Charlottetown)

Seniors, slides and selfies

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau takes his son, Hadrien, on campaign-style stop to P.E.I.

- BY STU NEATBY

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made a campaign-style stop to Charlottet­own on Monday, stressing the importance of his government’s record on seniors’ issues.

Trudeau began his visit with a drop-in to a seniors’ social at the Milton Community Hall, with his fouryear old son, Hadrien, in tow.

The prime minister later visited Red Shores Casino and Racetrack taking some time for a visit to the super slide with Hadrien at the Old Home Week midway. The day capped off with a visit to a strawberry social at Connaught Square in Charlottet­own.

The prime minister said he considered it important for his son to see some of the work he did on a daily basis.

“One of the things I learned from my dad was that if I just do this job and don’t bring my kids along with me every now and then, I don’t see them enough,” Trudeau told the gathering of seniors in the morning.

“Being able to bring this guy along with me on this particular trip not only lets him see a little of what daddy does when I’m away as often as I am, it also gives me some quality one-on-one time with him.”

During the morning meeting, Trudeau spoke about his government’s record on seniors issues. Trudeau said the Liberal government had made improvemen­ts to the Canada Pension and lowered the minimum age for Old Age Security. He also mentioned federal support for the $12.1 million rebuild of the Riverview Manor in Montague and the new manor in Tyne Valley.

Trudeau was accompanie­d by his new minister of seniors, Filomena Tassi. The Ontario MP was appointed to the newly created post last month.

Three days after the shooting in Fredericto­n that killed four individual­s — police constables Lawrence Robert Costello and Sara Mae Helen Burns, as well as Donald Adam Robichaud and Bobbie Lee Wright — Trudeau addressed the issue of gun control in Canada during his P.E.I. stop.

He said the federal government was moving forward with what he called “common sense gun legislatio­n.” Bill C-71 will enhance background checks and limit the transporta­tion of some firearms, Trudeau said.

But Trudeau stopped short of saying that the new gun control legislatio­n would require sellers of unrestrict­ed firearms to share informatio­n about the identity of the buyers with police.

“We will not be bringing back a long gun registry,” Trudeau said.

Trudeau also addressed the issue of federal carbon taxes. The government­s of both Ontario and Saskatchew­an have pledged to mount a constituti­onal challenge to the imposition of federal carbon taxes across Canada. The tax is aimed at imposing a cost on carbon emissions, although some provinces plan on establishi­ng tax breaks in conjunctio­n with the tax.

The Prince Edward Island government of Liberal Premier Wade MacLauchla­n has also presented a climate change plan to the federal government that does not include a carbon tax.

“If there are provinces that don’t want to move forward, we will move forward at the federal level,” Trudeau said.

Trudeau took aim at Conservati­ve Leader Andrew Scheer over his criticisms of a federal carbon tax.

“What we’ve seen from Conservati­ve politician­s across the country is criticism of our plan but absolutely no pretence given that they have a plan of their own,” Trudeau said.

“Right now we’re the only ones with a plan.”

Scheer has said he will unveil a plan to meet Canada’s emissions reduction targets under the Paris Climate Agreement without a carbon tax.

At the afternoon strawberry social, Trudeau was flanked by all four Liberal MPs on P.E.I., Sean Casey, Lawrence MacAulay, Wayne Easter and Bobby Morrissey.

A large crowd turned out for the event, with many stopping to snap selfies with the prime minister and his son.

However, not everyone was there for selfies.

As Trudeau spoke on stage, two activists unfurled a banner behind the prime minister that read ‘stop pipeline bail-out.’

Anna Keenan, dressed in an eagle costume and standing on stilts, said she showed up with the banner because she opposed Trudeau’s decision to purchase the Kinder Morgan pipeline, which is slated to transport bitumen from Alberta to Burnaby, B.C.

Keenan is a member of the federal council for the Green Party of Canada.

“Knowing what we know about climate change, this is no time to be investing billions of dollars into expanding the fossil fuel industry,” Keenan said.

 ?? ANDREW VAUGHAN/THE CANADIAN PRESS ?? Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his four-year-old son, Hadrien, head down the Super Slide as they attend the Old Home Week exhibition in Charlottet­own on Monday. The prime minister spent most of Monday on the Island.
ANDREW VAUGHAN/THE CANADIAN PRESS Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his four-year-old son, Hadrien, head down the Super Slide as they attend the Old Home Week exhibition in Charlottet­own on Monday. The prime minister spent most of Monday on the Island.

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