PM Trudeau holding affordability-focused cabinet retreat in Vancouver

VANCOUVER -

Kicking off a three-day meeting with members of the federal cabinet to plot out their plans for the fall, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said a key focus will be on coming up with "solutions" to ease Canadians' affordability concerns.

“Our focus this week, as we kick off what will be a busy and important fall of parliamentary work, is on the economy, is hearing from Canadians, working with Canadians to solve the very real pressures they're facing,” Trudeau told reporters in Vancouver, where the cabinet retreat is happening.

“Whether it's to make sure that we're growing the economy, making sure we're creating good jobs now and into the future, or directly supporting people in the challenges they are facing around the cost of living, that is our focus," he said on Tuesday morning. 

The retreat is bringing together all federal ministers for a series of meetings, which begun on Tuesday evening and are scheduled to continue through to Thursday. Next week the entire Liberal caucus will gather for a broader conversation about the fall House of Commons sitting, beginning on Sept. 19.  

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After a summer when many Canadians experienced travel chaos and the effects of inflation at the grocery store and gas pumps, ministers are likely to bring to the table the concerns they've heard first-hand while in their constituencies and meeting others across the country.

Trudeau said the cabinet retreat will include talk about how the federal Liberals can be “putting forward solutions to make a difference for Canadians,” adding that, “it's going to take a lot of hard work over the coming months.”

Though, whether any concrete announcements that address cost of living concerns are made by the end of the retreat, remains to be seen. 

With another interest rate hike expected this week, Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc said new measures meant to help Canadians through the affordability crisis are going to be a main topic of conversation at the retreat.

"We've obviously heard in every part of the country, the importance of working on economic measures that speak to affordability issues," LeBlanc told reporters. He said the cabinet will be talking about how to act on those concerns.

HOUSING, CLIMATE, SAFETY ON AGENDA

Gathering in one of Canada's most expensive cities — particularly when it comes to housing — cabinet will also be discussing the government’s next steps when it comes to meeting their promises to make housing more affordable. 

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Before the retreat got underway, the prime minister made an announcement on the site of a major housing development in downtown Vancouver. 

Pledging a $1.4-billion loan through the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation’s rental construction financing initiative, Trudeau said the funding will to go towards nearly 3,000 homes as part of the Sen̓áḵw project. According to the government, it’s the largest First Nations economic partnership and aims to be the largest net-zero residential project in the country.

According to a statement from the Prime Minister's Office about the cabinet confab, other topics slated for discussion include: the "unacceptable" delays tied to passport and immigration applications, climate change and the Liberal plans for transitioning to a clean economy, and strengthening democracy. The PMO has also noted plans for ministers to talk about "creating safer communities" which may be connected to the government's gun control policy.

With a manhunt still underway for one of the suspects in a series of stabbing attacks — one of the worst mass murders in Canadian history — that took place in Saskatchewan over the weekend, updates from the relevant federal ministers are expected as the situation continues to unfold.

On Tuesday, the prime minister said the current response is still very much in “crisis mode.”

“We're ensuring whatever resources are needed by the police of jurisdiction are received, to be able to put an end to this situation. And, allow people to grieve, without fear, to start the healing process that will take an awfully, awfully long time because this was an incredibly horrific, traumatic event,” Trudeau said. 

CONFIDENT IN KEEPING NDP DEAL 

As the Liberals plot out their fall plans, an additional dynamic at play is the ongoing confidence-and-supply agreement with the NDP. If it is maintained, the two-party deal will keep Trudeau’s minority government in power until the end of the current Parliament in 2025.

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To lock in this stability, the Liberals committed to making progress on a series of longstanding NDP priorities, and without tangible action on key pillars like dental care soon, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has suggested he’d be willing to walk away from the deal.

LeBlanc said Tuesday that the Liberals are "very confident that the 27 commitments that Mr. Singh and the prime minister made to Canadians will be enacted."

"We once a month to take stock of our progress on those commitments. It is a very positive, constructive conversation we have with the NDP… We're on a schedule agreed upon with the NDP, that gives me a great deal of confidence."

Asked whether the NDP has been consulted on the fall agenda in the House of Commons, LeBlanc said that it is "an ongoing and active conversation," noting the parties' respective House leaders speak regularly.

"We're going to return to Parliament and focus on continuing to implement, as we agreed upon with Mr. Singh, the commitments in the supply and confidence agreement," he said.

FOCUS ON CONSERVATIVE RACE?

The cabinet retreat will wrap up just a few days before the federal Conservatives announce who has won their months-long leadership race

The winner is poised to waste no time in challenging the Liberals over their plans, seeking to tap into Canadians' anxieties to make a case for a change.

This has prompted Nanos Research Founder Nik Nanos to predict an "ugly and edgy House of Commons this fall." 

However, questioned Tuesday about how much the incoming new leader of the Official Opposition will be a factor at the retreat, LeBlanc said the government's focus is "not at all on the next Conservative leader."

"We understand the anxiety of Canadians, and that is the focus of our work here in Vancouver. We're not here to spend a lot of time worrying about who the Conservative Party will chooses their next leader," he said.