Trudeau vows to ‘work constructively’ with U.S. president-elect

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau paid a visit to the Toronto Star Friday afternoon, and took questions from journalists and readers on some of the most pressing topics in Canadian politics. Here are some highlights: Canada-U.S. relations in Trump era “The Canada-U.S. relationship goes a lot deeper than who’s in the White House and who’s in Parliament,” said Trudeau, on the question of how the election of Donald Trump may affect Canada-U.S. ties.

The prime minister noted that while he and the president-elect have different political viewpoints, they are united in their concern for the middle class’s economic stability.

“We have to understand a lot of the frustration and the anxiety (of Trump voters) comes from worry linked to economic opportunity,” Trudeau said.

“Canadians expect me to work constructively with the presidentelect of the United States and I certainly will,” he said. Cash for access Trudeau has come under fire from opposition parties over Liberal party fundraisers and potential conflicts of interest created by “cash-for-access” events with the PM.

Asked whether he would follow Ontario’s lead in tightening political donation rules, he said he hasn’t “dug extremely deeply” into the provincial legislation. But there are benefits to meeting with donors face-to-face.

“I like a certain amount of directness,” he said. “I like the fact I could say to a room full of people, ‘If you want me to go out and achieve the kind of change we need, I need your support.’ ” Electoral reform While campaigning last year, Trudeau promised to dump Canada’s first-past-the-post election system. There have been few signs of progress, however, and the prime minister’s commitment to reform has come into question recently.

He said he was “working hard” to keep his promises, adding that his government would ask Canadians where the electoral system should be headed. “I’m very much looking forward to the next step, which is engagement with all 15 million households in this country,” he said.

Canadians will be asked about their “values,” as opposed to what precise rules they want implemented, Trudeau said.