Justin Trudeau told his MPs to stay focused on helping Canadians at home in this coming election year, despite the anxiety created by global turbulence.
The prime minister referred to the China-U.S. trade war and the pending Brexit divorce of Britain and Europe, as well as the threat of climate change and the economic upheaval of lost jobs to Artificial Intelligence.
But Trudeau skirted mention of CanadaB次元官网网址檚 personal list of international woes, including its plummeting relations with China after the RCMP arrested Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou on Dec. 1 at the behest of the United States.
Days later, China detained Michael Kovrig, a Canadian diplomat on leave, and Michael Spavor, an entrepreneur, on vague allegations of B次元官网网址渆ngaging in activities that endanger the national security.B次元官网网址� Last week, a third imprisoned Canadian, Robert Lloyd Schellenberg, received an upgraded sentence to a previous drug smuggling conviction from a Chinese court B次元官网网址� death.
B次元官网网址淧eople across the country B次元官网网址� and really, around the world B次元官网网址� are anxious about what they see happening on the news, and in their communities,B次元官网网址� Trudeau said Sunday at the opening of a two-day caucus retreat for Liberal MPs on Parliament Hill.
B次元官网网址淐limate change is an increasingly dire threat, with floods and fires destroying whole towns at a blistering pace. The worldB次元官网网址檚 two largest economies are at odds, and our founding European nations are going through unprecedented political turmoil.B次元官网网址�
Trudeau avoided mention of two other major international irritants.
ThereB次元官网网址檚 the uncertainty around some significant unfinished economic business with the Trump administration in Washington, D.C., that cuts to the core of CanadaB次元官网网址檚 economic future. This includes ratifying a newly renegotiated North American free trade agreement, and getting rid of punishing U.S. sanctions on Canadian steel and aluminum.
Canada is also in the midst of a falling out with Saudi Arabia, which started in August when the countryB次元官网网址檚 volatile Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was bent out of shape by a tweet from Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland calling for the release of political prisoners. Saudi Arabia expelled CanadaB次元官网网址檚 ambassador, froze investment and recalled its foreign university students.
Earlier this month, Canada accepted 18-year-old Rahaf Mohammed Alqunun as a refugee from Saudi Arabia after she became an internet sensation in Thailand for fleeing what she alleged was an abusive family.
Those international headaches could make it more difficult for the Trudeau Liberals to keep the focus on domestic concerns as they navigate their way through an election year.
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He used SundayB次元官网网址檚 speech to sharpen what will be his core campaign message when Canadians are expected to go the polls in October in the next federal election.
Trudeau took several partisan shots at the Conservatives, saying they have no plan for tackling climate change and the economy while citing Liberal gains in lowering taxes and unemployment. The prime minister singled out the Canada Child Benefit.
Trudeau said the Liberals will offer Canadians hope, branding his opposition as a party of wedge politics rooted in the ideas of its former leader, Stephen Harper.
B次元官网网址淢ake no mistake: The Conservatives pretend to be B次元官网网址榝or the people,B次元官网网址� but that couldnB次元官网网址檛 be further from the truth. This is still very much the party of Stephen Harper,B次元官网网址� Trudeau said.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 all the same B次元官网网址� wedge issues, cuts to services and the will to look backwards. TheyB次元官网网址檒l never change.B次元官网网址�
Mike Blanchfield, The Canadian Press
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