Trudeau's town halls offer a master class in changing the narrative: Robyn Urback
What better for a little reputation resuscitation than a talking-to-Canadians tour?
By Robyn Urback, CBC News Posted: Jan 12, 2018 5:00 AM ET1446 Comments
Commenting is now closed for this story.
I was the sixth person to comment and CBC blocked me immediately
Content disabled.
David Amos
Methinks I recall Trudeau
"The Younger" asking a Lady at the Town Hall meeting in Nova Scotia what
law he had broken but apparently he does not read the National Post
because it is clearly quoted N'esy Pas?
"Section 121 (1) (c) of the [Criminal] Code makes it an offence for any official or employee of the government to accept “from a person who has dealings with the government a commission, reward, advantage or benefit of any kind.”
"Section 121 (1) (c) of the [Criminal] Code makes it an offence for any official or employee of the government to accept “from a person who has dealings with the government a commission, reward, advantage or benefit of any kind.”
harry richard
not one direct answer
David Amos
@harry richard I got one immediately and it could not have been more blunt. (spelling corrected)
FYI I was the sixth person to comment on this article and the Liberal propaganda outfit commonly known as the CBC blocked me immediately because I quoted a Section of the Criminal Code that is well known to many other commenters within their comment sections and in other "News" Corps as well.
FYI I was the sixth person to comment on this article and the Liberal propaganda outfit commonly known as the CBC blocked me immediately because I quoted a Section of the Criminal Code that is well known to many other commenters within their comment sections and in other "News" Corps as well.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/liberal-marijuana-pardon-legal-1.4484496
Trudeau says pot purchasers are funding gangs, organized crime and must be charged
Liberal government looks at options to erase criminal records for possessing pot, but not until it's legal
By Kathleen Harris, CBC News Posted: Jan 12, 2018 11:39 AM ET2670 Comments
Commenting is now closed for this story.
Norma Mathers
Just pardon all past possession charges .They were stupid charges to begin with
David Amos
@Norma Mathers My question is
whereas Trudeau "The Younger" has already admitted to smoking dope and
there were witnesses present to testify to that fact then why have
Goodale and the RCMP not charged him yet?
Richard Sharp
@David Amos
I remember smoking a joint with friends in the stairwell at the Skyline hotel In Ottawa 40 or so years ago at a Liberal (PET) convention. There were Mounties everywhere but they were interested in protecting lives, not busting potheads.
I remember smoking a joint with friends in the stairwell at the Skyline hotel In Ottawa 40 or so years ago at a Liberal (PET) convention. There were Mounties everywhere but they were interested in protecting lives, not busting potheads.
Darren MacDonald
@David Amos And brag about it.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/trudeau-london-town-hall-1.4483274
Trudeau's London, Ont., town hall interrupted by hecklers
PM says he put electoral reform aside when he saw it was going in direction that would hurt country
By Kathleen Harris, Peter Zimonjic, CBC News Posted: Jan 11, 2018 4:11 PM ET4900 Comments
Commenting is now closed for this story.
David Amos
Interesting that comment section is still open after the bell tolled N'esy Pas?
Ralph Fiennes
Well you know he will be
cheered in Quebec City - I wonder who will be censoring the questions in
Winnipeg and Edmonton. Especially Edmonton - someone might have to
show him where Alberta is.
David Amos
@Ralph Fiennes Methinks that
Me Prime Minister Trudeau "The Younger" is not as popular in Quebec as
he once was now that his sunny ways are quite cloudy N'esy Pas?
david mccaig
@Ralph Fiennes
No room for people who don't want to listen only want to distrupt
No room for people who don't want to listen only want to distrupt
david mccaig
@Ralph Fiennes
Have no doubt MANY of the 'heckler' are paid provocateurs.
Have no doubt MANY of the 'heckler' are paid provocateurs.
david mccaig
@Ralph Fiennes
Canadians DO NOT want to devolve into a US style society.
Canadians DO NOT want to devolve into a US style society.
david mccaig
@Ralph Fiennes
Canada is under attack from international right wing groups.
Canada is under attack from international right wing groups.
This comment is awaiting moderation by the site administrators.
David Amos
@david mccaig Methinks your
hero Mr Prime Minister Trudeau "The Younger" should check out the
Canadian Criminal Code before he dismisses anymore questioan from
concerned ladies N'esy Pas?
steve martin
Tim Bitz
steve martin
92% of middle class family's will see an 2200.00 tax increase by 2019 ,, Frazier institute
. To bad the libs didn't see this coming from a mile away like the rest of us. But hay nice hair
. To bad the libs didn't see this coming from a mile away like the rest of us. But hay nice hair
David Amos
@steve martin Its too bad the
middle class folks in Fundy Royal didn't listen to me in 2004 and I ran
four more times after that while folks just continued to ignore me even
when I came back in 2015
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/fundy-royal-riding-profile-1.3274276
Fundy Royal campaign targets middle class with focus on jobs
Fundy Royal voters have elected Conservatives all but 1 time in 28 elections over 101 years
CBC News Posted: Oct 17, 2015 6:00 AM AT
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/fundy-royal-riding-profile-1.3274276
Fundy Royal campaign targets middle class with focus on jobs
Fundy Royal voters have elected Conservatives all but 1 time in 28 elections over 101 years
CBC News Posted: Oct 17, 2015 6:00 AM AT
Tim Bitz
He faces lots of questions but he answers them with bafflegab.
David Amos
@Tim Bitz YUP but he sure is handsome N'esy Pas?
Alfred Sterl
Mr. Trudeau you do not speak for all Canadians
Until you learn this, you are not my PM.
Until you learn this, you are not my PM.
David Amos
@Alfred Sterl Nobody was ever mine R.B. Bennett quit politicking long before I was born.
Eddie Grant
The Omar Khadr issue was
before the courts when Trudeau decided to circumvent the court action,
and sweep everything under the carpet by trading $10 million of the
Canadian taxpayer's money in exchange for Omar Khadr not talking about
it. In these "town halls" you will note that nobody is ever allowed any
follow-up questions to steer Trudeau back to the actual question and to
provide the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. Why did
Trudeau pull this away from the courts, and how did he determine that
the actions of the Chretien and Martin Liberals in their original
handling of Khadr's situation was worth $10 million?
David Allan
@Eddie Grant
Harper set the precedent with Maher Arar.
Khadr had already won. The items he was suing for were already decided by the SCC.
Trudeau saved us $30M. Fiscal responsibility.
Harper set the precedent with Maher Arar.
Khadr had already won. The items he was suing for were already decided by the SCC.
Trudeau saved us $30M. Fiscal responsibility.
David Amos
@David Allan Methinks thou doth jest too much N'esy Pas?
Harper was forced to apologize and cut a cheque.
Harper was forced to apologize and cut a cheque.
ernest paschee
My question to you Mr Prime Minister
What are you going to do once voted out in 2019?
What are you going to do once voted out in 2019?
David Amos
@ernest paschee He will win again Scheer will make certain of it
Damian Gottfried
Notice he is speaking at easy
places to speak. Universities, and other liberal friendly environments.
He won't speak at a small-town arena in Saskatchewan. Not in his
lifetime.
David Amos
@Damian Gottfried Methinks he had it a little rough in the Maritimes N'esy Pas?
Rob Clayton
MrTrump correctly identified the problem. Why are we admitting people from these Countries?
They are economic migrants. But looking at the crime rates and the welfare rates we will be supporting they and their progeny for the next 100 years!
They are economic migrants. But looking at the crime rates and the welfare rates we will be supporting they and their progeny for the next 100 years!
@Rob Clayton Mr Trump is a dumb as a post and feel free to tell I said so so that he can sue me too.
Val Graham
Somebody please explain to me
what's a town hall meeting? I still don't get it, is this like a local
drama club inviting a drama amateur Justin to lecture them on dramatic
and irreversible change of Canada to a post-national state status ...
David Amos
@Val Graham Harpper used to hold them before he was PM
Debra Kiwat
Liberal zombies are in full protection mode tonight.
David Allan
@Debra Kiwat
Odd.
You've started many threads.
Most threads on this article are started by Conservative zombies. Certainly the most active ones.
Yet you think someone else is triggered.
Psychological projection is a theory in psychology in which humans defend themselves against their own unpleasant impulses by denying their existence while attributing them to others.
Projection may help a fragile ego reduce anxiety, but at the cost of a certain dissociation, as in dissociative identity disorder.[32] In extreme cases, an individual's personality may end up becoming critically depleted.[33] In such cases, therapy may be required which would include the slow rebuilding of the personality through the "taking back" of such projections.[34]
Odd.
You've started many threads.
Most threads on this article are started by Conservative zombies. Certainly the most active ones.
Yet you think someone else is triggered.
Psychological projection is a theory in psychology in which humans defend themselves against their own unpleasant impulses by denying their existence while attributing them to others.
Projection may help a fragile ego reduce anxiety, but at the cost of a certain dissociation, as in dissociative identity disorder.[32] In extreme cases, an individual's personality may end up becoming critically depleted.[33] In such cases, therapy may be required which would include the slow rebuilding of the personality through the "taking back" of such projections.[34]
David Amos
@Debra Kiwat YUP
David Amos
@David Allan Oh MY My still won't argue me will ya?
David Amos
@David Allan If there are
Conservative zombies then it follows there must be Liberal zombies as
well. Methinks you are one of the latter and perhaps a lawyer too N'esy
Pas?
Content disabled.
David Amos
@David Allan If perchance
your are a lawyer Methinks that perhaps you should query my name in the
docket of Federal Court before you embarrass yourself further N'esy Pas?
David Amos
@David Allan Why is that I am not surprised to see CBC block my replies to you?
John R. McTaggart
Why do people co m m ent here?
John R. McTaggart
Why do people comment here?
John R. McTaggart
This is a research comment.
David Amos
@John R. McTaggart Research or not You are becoming a little redundant my question is why does CBC allow it?
John R. McTaggart
What's with a ll th e sill y sp li tt ing o f word s in th e Comments the s e d a y s ?
Jacques Renoir
Trudeau – “I really did want
this election to be the last first-past-the-post. But I wasn’t gonna do
something that would harm our chance of getting a second majority”.
David Amos
@Jacques Renoir Whereas we
are still commenting an hour after this section of CBC should be closed
Methinks we should call this who is gonna be last past the post N'esy
Pas?
Jacques Renoir
@will morgan - by the way, who's running the show while JT's out on his endless fêtes.
Content disabled.
David Amos
@Jacques Renoir The same people who are monitoring this comment section
David Amos
@Jacques Renoir Do ya think I
should tell Jesse's minions within Viafour that I emailed their boss
and the Harper appointed lawyer Hubby Lacroix and his new liberal
bosses earlier to today and that they know I have already blogged and
tweeted about thier malicious nonsense as well?
will morgan
@Jacques Renoir
I'll take that as it could only help.
You should unplug your computer from the dial up modem and try wireless. I hear there are even wireless phones and tablets that will work outside your house.
I'll take that as it could only help.
You should unplug your computer from the dial up modem and try wireless. I hear there are even wireless phones and tablets that will work outside your house.
David Amos
@will morgan Methinks you jest too much N'esy Pas?
FYI I was doing that Internet stuff in a wireless fashion byway of Yankee companies around Beantown long before I came home to run in the election of the 38th Parliament
FYI I was doing that Internet stuff in a wireless fashion byway of Yankee companies around Beantown long before I came home to run in the election of the 38th Parliament
Content disabled.
David Amos
@will morgan Hell in 2002
while I was deep in the woods of Canada and writing some rather
important legal documents for Yankee courts The Yankee Feds would call
me on my Canadian cell phone to see where I was byway of the cell
towers. I remember talking to Kevin Mearn the Chief of Police of Milton
MA about his pal Senator Brian Joyce for over an hour and got no bill
for the air time, Too too funny indeed in retrospect of all that has
happened since.
will morgan
@David Amos
Huh? What does any of that have to with Jacques ignorance of how wireless works?
Huh? What does any of that have to with Jacques ignorance of how wireless works?
David Amos
@will morgan I figured that you needed a little enlightenment as well
David Amos
@will morgan Trust that you
don't know the whole story because CBC has blocked two of my replies
within this thread alone. However I publish everything in the spirit of
full disclosure
Randy J Apps
These haters are Conservative plants, they only attend to spout hatred.
They have a war going on in their own party about Scheers abilities.
The con's will be in the wilderness for years to come.
They have a war going on in their own party about Scheers abilities.
The con's will be in the wilderness for years to come.
will morgan
@Randy J Apps
Andy has a problem. His social conservative roots are showing. Four months to act on the Beyak letters? Did he simply agree with what was in the letters or was he too frightened to challenge the extreme right wing of the party? I suspect both.
Andy has a problem. His social conservative roots are showing. Four months to act on the Beyak letters? Did he simply agree with what was in the letters or was he too frightened to challenge the extreme right wing of the party? I suspect both.
Lee Gordon
@Randy J Apps
Like the tin foil hat. Maybe they are just Canadians frustrated with Trudeau
Like the tin foil hat. Maybe they are just Canadians frustrated with Trudeau
David Amos
@will morgan Methinks what you suspect is correct
ian McDonald
ian McDonald
Mr Prime Minister, There is a
country with 11 official languages, has equal opportunity in employment
and universal health care inshrined within it's constitution.
That country is South Africa. Is that your gold standard for "Diversity is our strength" ?
That country is South Africa. Is that your gold standard for "Diversity is our strength" ?
David Amos
@ian McDonald Good question now listen for the crickets click out the coded response after this comment section finally closes.
Craig Jones
" and when I saw that the electoral reform process was moving in the wrong direction, I put that promise aside"
The direction he's talking about is that it was starting to look like it would not benefit the Liberals.
The direction he's talking about is that it was starting to look like it would not benefit the Liberals.
David Amos
@Craig Jones I had a lot to
say about just before Thanksgiving in 2016 to the ERRE Committee when
they appeared in Fredericton NB What I foretold came true if anyone
cares to check the public record.
Arlond Lynds
This is what ICUC considers civil discourse. CBC needs to take this web space back in house, it is a disaster.
David Amos
@Arlond Lynds They should publish all the comments first
Pete Shartin
David Amos
Ralph Goodale is ready to
retire anyway , Ralph do your duty as a Canadian and end this debacle
for the good of the country , once you step up the majority of other MPs
will follow don't let trudeau destroy Canada
if you are a Canadian Ralph step up !
if you are a Canadian Ralph step up !
@Pete Shartin You're joking correct?
joombush
It is funny, CBC will publish comments that have all kinds of spelling mistakes, but not if you miss spell Trudeau and Morneau.
David Amos
@joombush Trust that they do far worse as well
Sandra Lynn
Sandra Lynn
Why is Trudeau doing the constant campaigning? I didn't like it under Harper and I sure don't like it now.
David Amos
@Sandra Lynn The folks demand selfies
will morgan
@Sandra Lynn
The sheer number of posts shows Canadians are very interested in the PM and what he says.
Some people have read about or watched every town hall and made posts here.
The sheer number of posts shows Canadians are very interested in the PM and what he says.
Some people have read about or watched every town hall and made posts here.
David Amos
@will morgan Particularly me
will morgan
@David Amos
And Sandra Lynn. LOL
And Sandra Lynn. LOL
Sandra Lynn
@will morgan why wouldn't I
be interested in what the current PM has to say? I also listened to
what Harper had to say. What IS your point?
David Amos
@Sandra Lynn My hat is of to
you Lady When you bored please listen to what I said during a debate in
the election of the 42 Parliament
Just Google Fundy Royal Debate
Just Google Fundy Royal Debate
Lee Gordon
The illusion of free speech. Thanks CBC for confirming what most Canadians already suspected.
David Amos
@Lee Gordon I second that remark
http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/liberal-nafta-cabinet-retreat-1.4482473
Canada to stand firm, 'get respect' from Trump administration as trade tensions rise, ministers say
Liberals hope for the best but prepare for the worst, as fate of NAFTA hangs in balance
By Kathleen Harris, CBC News Posted: Jan 11, 2018 11:44 AM ET3957 Comments
Commenting is now closed for this story.
David Amos
"Canada to stand firm, 'get respect' from Trump administration as trade tensions rise" ???
Too Too Funny Indeed. Why is it i am thinking of great old tune by Otis Redding and sung by Aretha Franklin so righteously well?
What you want, Baby, I got it
What you need, Do you know I got it
However methinks our Little Lady Foreign Minister and her minions should dream if they think Trump even knows what the word Respect means. N'esy Pas?
Val Graham
Too Too Funny Indeed. Why is it i am thinking of great old tune by Otis Redding and sung by Aretha Franklin so righteously well?
What you want, Baby, I got it
What you need, Do you know I got it
However methinks our Little Lady Foreign Minister and her minions should dream if they think Trump even knows what the word Respect means. N'esy Pas?
Val Graham
Canada has My Respect, Freeland and Trudeau Don't ...
David Amos
@Val Graham Can you Imagine Freeland and Trudeau sobbing to President Oprah someday and demanding Respect?
http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/oprah-president-fame-trump-1.4479790
http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/oprah-president-fame-trump-1.4479790
Oprah for president? The political economy of fame: Don Pittis
Stardom helps a candidate raise money, run and win, but governing requires some real skills
By Don Pittis, CBC News Posted: Jan 11, 2018 5:00 AM ET2123 Comments
Commenting is now closed for this story.
Marla K Jones
Oprah Winfrey ? Now I have
heard it all. She is no politician. In fact other than heading the soap
opera afternoon talk shows she has no training to run a country. This
cannot be taken seriously.
David Amos
@Marla K Jones I love the circus as much as anyone but I am also well aware that certain ones should be taken very seriously
David Amos
@Stuart Wozniak Methinks Jimmy Carter was a very Peaceful President. The Lady could follow his lead. N'esy Pas?
Glen Strathy
Oprah as President would conjur images of Eva Peron -- lots of glitter, but not much substance in terms of policy.
Stuart Wozniak
@Glen Strathy
Philanthropy does not mix well with bombs bursting in err.
Philanthropy does not mix well with bombs bursting in err.
David Amos
@Stuart Wozniak Methinks
Philanthropy would be a Pleasant Change in a Presidential Mandate rather
than following the twisted words from a song about a War in which
Canadians burnt down Washington after the tough talking Yankees had run
off. N'esy Pas?
Henri Bianchi
Hillary lost because ordinary
people leading ordinary lives in places other than big cities were fed
up with urban intellectuals who ignored their concerns.
Oprah is an urban intellectual. If the Democrats run her then they have learned nothing.
Oprah is an urban intellectual. If the Democrats run her then they have learned nothing.
John Mellor
@Penny Catt how does getting
rich from your own ambition, which is very credible make you fit to run a
country. You're obviously missing the disconnect. Once Oprah is done
her term let's get P Diddy or Jay Z in next, they came from hard times
and have empires. God forbid we have people other than rich celebrities
running the country. Hillary Clinton served her time in a relevant
profession and served in public office. I'm not saying Hillary should
have or deserved to be president, in fact, quite the opposite. She lost,
so that's that. But is Hillary more qualified than Oprah? Um....yeah.
With this type of logic I'm going to apply to be CEO of Microsoft. I'm a
self made man that came from humble beginnings and have opinions about
how software should work. So I'm obviously qualified. Give me a break
David Amos
@John Mellor "But is Hillary more qualified than Oprah? Um....yeah."
Um .... Nope.
Oprah self-made success cannot be denied. Hillary merely ran on her hubby's coattails and connections and failed. N'esy Pas?
Um .... Nope.
Oprah self-made success cannot be denied. Hillary merely ran on her hubby's coattails and connections and failed. N'esy Pas?
Paul MacDonald
Trudeau is a perfect example of someone who won but is not qualified to be PM .
David Amos
@Paul MacDonald YUP
Abe Swift
The Democrats had the same
emotional feelings for Hillary and look how she made out in the
election. Oprah is not going to do any better.
David Amos
@Abe Swift Methinks the
Democrats do not have the same emotional feelings for the two Ladies
just because of their gender. They are totally different characters.
Can you imagine Oprah saying with glee such words as "We came, we saw, he died"? Hillary definitely did. N'esy Pas?
Can you imagine Oprah saying with glee such words as "We came, we saw, he died"? Hillary definitely did. N'esy Pas?
Val Graham
Oprah is "Queen of the Universe," so they say,
Where have I heard this before?
Our Lord and Savior Barack Obama?
Seriously messed up messianic nuttiness is now taking hold.
Where have I heard this before?
Our Lord and Savior Barack Obama?
Seriously messed up messianic nuttiness is now taking hold.
david mccaig
@Val Graham
Actually Obama did save America. If you remember after eight years of the last republicans, the banks were collapsing, the housing market has already collapsed and the US was losing 800 thousand jobs a month.
Actually Obama did save America. If you remember after eight years of the last republicans, the banks were collapsing, the housing market has already collapsed and the US was losing 800 thousand jobs a month.
David Amos
@david mccaig "Actually Obama did save America."
Yea Right
How far did Obama put his country deeper in debt? How many wars did he involve his country in?
Methinks I remember different deeds than you do. N'esy Pas?
Yea Right
How far did Obama put his country deeper in debt? How many wars did he involve his country in?
Methinks I remember different deeds than you do. N'esy Pas?
Sharon Reid
many Canadians voted in a
celebrity who did not accomplish anything like Trump or Oprah and he has
proved to be a dud. That is unless you are a returning ISIS member
Juan Podrido
@Adam Snelling
Stop confusing the issue with actual facts, please. ;)
Stop confusing the issue with actual facts, please. ;)
David Amos
@Juan Podrido LOL
Henry Burrows
First of all Hillary does not have the intellect necessary to be President of the USA.
She has never decided anything except who to interview on afternoon ladies talk shows.
She has never decided anything except who to interview on afternoon ladies talk shows.
Juan Podrido
@Henry Burrows
Got it: Hillary -> Oprah. So you are saying:
Oprah does not have the intellect necessary to be POTUS, you say.
What about the man with the 8th-grade vocabulary and name-calling habit, the narcissism of Napoleon, and the attention span of a gerbil on Jolt? You know, the guy living at 1600 Pa Ave?
Got it: Hillary -> Oprah. So you are saying:
Oprah does not have the intellect necessary to be POTUS, you say.
What about the man with the 8th-grade vocabulary and name-calling habit, the narcissism of Napoleon, and the attention span of a gerbil on Jolt? You know, the guy living at 1600 Pa Ave?
Content disabled.
David Amos
David Amos
@Juan Podrido Methinks you may enjoy CBC's latest headline It certainly supports your argument N'esy Pas?
http://www.cbc.ca/beta/news/world/trump-immigration-africa-1.4483832
Trump asks why U.S. would want immigrants from 'shithole countries'
Democrats and Republicans condemn comments made in Oval Office meeting
Thomson Reuters 1 Hour Ago
"This page is a work in progress. Follow this link to return to the CBCNews.ca you know"
http://www.cbc.ca/beta/news/world/trump-immigration-africa-1.4483832
Trump asks why U.S. would want immigrants from 'shithole countries'
Democrats and Republicans condemn comments made in Oval Office meeting
Thomson Reuters 1 Hour Ago
"This page is a work in progress. Follow this link to return to the CBCNews.ca you know"
Content disabled.
David Amos
David Amos
@David Amos Why on earth
would CBC block a comment with a link to their own article published
today if I were wrong about their obvious malice towards me?
David Amos
@Juan Podrido Too bad CBC
blocked my reply to you. However I fixed it so that you and everyone
else can byway of Google and Twitter.
Rosemarie Barmann
the current losers are here in Canada after voting in a complete clown but don't take my opinion seriously, go check the facts
Karen King
@Rosemarie Barmann
I have checked the facts, you are wrong.
I have checked the facts, you are wrong.
David Amos
@Karen King Check again Methinks that obviously she is correct because you don't take her opinion seriously N'esy Pas?
Ken MacDonald
Just because you're rich
doesn't mean you're smart. Anyone who hasn't watched Idiocracy, check it
out, it's the perfect American documentary.
David Amos
@Ken MacDonald "Just because you're rich doesn't mean you're smart."
True. You can be as dumb as a post yet inherit Papa's money and Mama's good looks as well just like Trudeau "The Younger" did.
However
Methinks that Oprah did not create out of nothing the Empire she did because she is dumb N'esy Pas?
True. You can be as dumb as a post yet inherit Papa's money and Mama's good looks as well just like Trudeau "The Younger" did.
However
Methinks that Oprah did not create out of nothing the Empire she did because she is dumb N'esy Pas?
http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/liberal-cabinet-retreat-2018-1.4481575
Liberals push 'proven plan' for economy as Trudeau holds cabinet retreat in London, Ont.
Ministers promote fiscal record as they take stock of what 2015 promises remain unchecked
By Kathleen Harris, CBC News Posted: Jan 11, 2018 5:00 AM ET2334 Comments
Commenting is now closed for this story.
David Amos
@Tim Zarantz Perhaps fols should review what I have been teeling Folks in Fundy Ryal since 2004http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/fundy-royal-riding-profile-1.3274276
Fundy Royal campaign targets middle class with focus on jobs
Fundy Royal voters have elected Conservatives all but 1 time in 28 elections over 101 years
CBC News Posted: Oct 17, 2015 6:00 AM AT
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-cFOKT6TlSE
Fundy Royal, New Brunswick Debate – Federal Elections 2015 - The Local Campaign, Rogers TV
Published on Oct 1, 2015
Alfred Sterl
This guy said we should feel safe of returning fighters coming back here.
He has lost it. I don't want to live near those people.
He has lost it. I don't want to live near those people.
Charlie Wood
@Arlond Lynds
Trudeau is the most truth challenged as well as the most divisive Prime Minister in Canadian history.
Trudeau is the most truth challenged as well as the most divisive Prime Minister in Canadian history.
David Amos
@Charlie Wood Methinks that
Me Prime Minister Trudeau "The Younger" is not as popular as he once was
now that his sunny ways are quite cloudy N'esy Pas?
jimmysinclair
And yet another LPC press release courtesy of the state funded broadcaster.
They never end.
They never end.
@jimmysinclair "Trudeau holds cabinet retreat" ??? Too Too Funny.
Methinks they are retreating in more way than one N'esy Pas?
Methinks they are retreating in more way than one N'esy Pas?
David Amos
@jimmysinclair The state
funded propaganda broadcaster is maintaining its malicious MO and
blocking comments that contain links to their very own articles
published on the very same day. Go Figure.
http://www.cbc.ca/beta/news/world/trump-immigration-africa-1.4483832
http://www.cbc.ca/beta/news/world/trump-immigration-africa-1.4483832
This page is a work in progress. Follow this link to return to the CBCNews.ca you know
Trump asks why U.S. would want immigrants from 'shithole countries'
Democrats and Republicans condemn comments made in Oval Office meeting
1 Hour Ago
In bluntly vulgar language, President Donald
Trump questioned Thursday why the U.S. would accept more immigrants from
Haiti and "shithole countries" in Africa rather than places like
Norway, according to people briefed on the Oval Office conversation.
(Evan Vucci/Associated Press)
U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday questioned why the United
States would want to have immigrants from Haiti and African nations,
referring to some as "shithole countries," according to two sources
familiar with the comments.
Trump's remarks, made in the White House, came as Democratic Senator Dick Durbin and Republican Senator Lindsey Graham briefed the president on a newly drafted immigration bill being touted by a bipartisan group of senators, according to the sources, who asked not to be identified.
Other government officials were present during the conversation, the sources said.
The lawmakers were describing how certain immigration programs operate, including one to give safe haven in the United States to people from countries suffering from natural disasters or civil strife.
One of the sources who was briefed on the conversation said that Trump said, "Why do we want all these people from Africa here? They're shithole countries ... We should have more people from Norway."
The second source familiar with the conversation, said Trump, who has vowed to clamp down on illegal immigration, also questioned the need for Haitians in the United States.
Many Democrats and some Republican lawmakers slammed the president for his remarks.
Republican U.S. Representative Mia Love, a daughter of Haitian immigrants, said the comments were "unkind, divisive, elitist, and fly in the face of our nation's values" and called on Trump to apologize to the American people and to the countries he denigrated.
Another Republican Representative, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, who was born in Cuba and whose south Florida district includes many Haitian immigrants, said: "Language like that shouldn't be heard in locker rooms and it shouldn't be heard in the White House."
Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal, a frequent Trump critic, said the president's comment "smacks of blatant racism, the most odious and insidious racism masquerading poorly as immigration policy."
In an apparent response to his critics, Trump took to Twitter late on Thursday night.
"The Democrats seem intent on having people and drugs pour into our country from the Southern Border, risking thousands of lives in the process," he tweeted. "It is my duty to protect the lives and safety of all Americans. We must build a Great Wall, think Merit and end Lottery & Chain. USA!"
The program that was being discussed at the White House is called Temporary Protected Status.
Trump's remarks, made in the White House, came as Democratic Senator Dick Durbin and Republican Senator Lindsey Graham briefed the president on a newly drafted immigration bill being touted by a bipartisan group of senators, according to the sources, who asked not to be identified.
Republican Congresswoman Mia Love said
Trump's comments were "unkind, divisive, elitist, and fly in the face of
our nation's values" and called on him to apologize to the American
people and to the countries he denigrated. (Rick Bowmer/Associated
Press)
The lawmakers were describing how certain immigration programs operate, including one to give safe haven in the United States to people from countries suffering from natural disasters or civil strife.
'Unkind, divisive, elitist'
One of the sources who was briefed on the conversation said that Trump said, "Why do we want all these people from Africa here? They're shithole countries ... We should have more people from Norway."
The second source familiar with the conversation, said Trump, who has vowed to clamp down on illegal immigration, also questioned the need for Haitians in the United States.
Many Democrats and some Republican lawmakers slammed the president for his remarks.
Republican U.S. Representative Mia Love, a daughter of Haitian immigrants, said the comments were "unkind, divisive, elitist, and fly in the face of our nation's values" and called on Trump to apologize to the American people and to the countries he denigrated.
'Smacks of blatant racism'
Another Republican Representative, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, who was born in Cuba and whose south Florida district includes many Haitian immigrants, said: "Language like that shouldn't be heard in locker rooms and it shouldn't be heard in the White House."
Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal, a frequent Trump critic, said the president's comment "smacks of blatant racism, the most odious and insidious racism masquerading poorly as immigration policy."
In an apparent response to his critics, Trump took to Twitter late on Thursday night.
"The Democrats seem intent on having people and drugs pour into our country from the Southern Border, risking thousands of lives in the process," he tweeted. "It is my duty to protect the lives and safety of all Americans. We must build a Great Wall, think Merit and end Lottery & Chain. USA!"
59,000 Haitians with protected status
The program that was being discussed at the White House is called Temporary Protected Status.
This week, Trump moved to end the status for immigrants from El Salvador, which could result in 200,000 Salvadorans legally in the United States being deported, beginning in September of next year.
The bipartisan Senate plan would attempt to maintain TPS in return for ending or changing a "diversity" lottery program that has been aimed at allowing up to 50,000 people a year from countries with few émigrés to the United States.
'Trump will always fight for the American people'
Asked about Trump's comments, White House spokesperson Raj Shah said: "Certain Washington politicians choose to fight for foreign countries, but President Trump will always fight for the American people.
U.S. President Donald Trump's spokesperson
says he wants immigrants who can "grow our economy and assimilate into
our great nation." (Carlos Barria/Reuters)
Another source familiar with the meeting said Trump was questioning why the United States should take in unskilled labourers from the countries under discussion and should instead welcome immigrants from nations that can offer skilled workers.
Canada to stand firm, 'get respect' from Trump administration as trade tensions rise, ministers say
Liberals hope for the best but prepare for the worst, as fate of NAFTA hangs in balance
By Kathleen Harris, CBC News Posted: Jan 11, 2018 11:44 AM ET
Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland speaks to the
media as she arrives for the first day of a cabinet retreat in London,
Ont., Thursday. (Geoff Robins/The Canadian Press)
Tough-talking Liberal cabinet ministers are delivering a collective message that Canada will "stay strong" to defend the country's interests in the face of escalating trade tensions with the United States.
The economic fallout from trade disputes is top of mind for ministers holding a two-day winter retreat in London, Ont., after markets reacted negatively to reports the U.S. is increasingly likely to withdraw from NAFTA.
Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland said today it's "no secret" the U.S. could signal its intent to withdraw from the agreement, since U.S. President Donald Trump has made that publicly known even before talks began.
"Our approach from the start has been to hope for the best but prepare for the worst. So Canada is prepared for every eventuality," she said.
Freeland said Canada will enter the sixth round of NAFTA talks, to be held in Montreal Jan. 23 to 28, with a spirit of good will, and says it's "absolutely possible" to have a positive outcome.
Withdrawal from NAFTA could take place six months after a country provides written notice of its intent.
Freeland insisted NAFTA talks are on a separate track from the ongoing dispute with the U.S. over softwood lumber.
Softwood lumber dispute
This week, Canada launched a wide-ranging, 32-page complaint to the World Trade Organization (WTO) against the U.S., challenging American anti-dumping and anti-subsidy duties.
International Trade Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne said Canada will remain solution-oriented and constructive in its trade talks, but said the WTO complaint sends a clear message of "firmness" in Canada's approach.
"I think the American colleagues also understand when you stand strong and sending a message that says we will stand up for the forestry industry, we will stand up for our aerospace industry, we'll stand up for Canadian workers," he said. "You get respect. When people see that you're firm, you get respect."
Standing firm
Champagne said taking a strong stand is what the public expects.
"They want their Canadian government to stand firm. They want to engage, they want us to be constructive, but they want us to also be standing firm to defend Canadian workers, the forestry industry in particular, the aerospace industry have been subject to unfair duties and this is sending a message and I think it's important we will be there to defend obviously, our workers."
As Canada prepares for a possible U.S. pullout from NAFTA, it will continue an aggressive outreach plan that includes meetings with state governors and lawmakers in Washington.
But the potential financial fallout was flagged in the markets yesterday, where stocks dropped and the Canadian dollar weakened with reports of heightened uncertainty over the fate of NAFTA,
Finance Minister BIll Morneau wouldn't speculate on outcomes, but he insisted any agreement must be in Canada's best interests.
"I know what we are trying to achieve is improvement in NAFTA. I know that's better for Canada and we'll continue down that path," he said.
Oprah for president? The political economy of fame: Don Pittis
Stardom helps a candidate raise money, run and win, but governing requires some real skills
By Don Pittis, CBC News Posted: Jan 11, 2018 5:00 AM ET
Oprah Winfrey receives the Presidential Medal of Freedom
from Barack Obama in 2013. Following a speech at the Golden Globes last
weekend, it suddenly feels as if she could soon be giving them out.
(Larry Downing/Reuters)
This happened following a speech widely judged by the media to be "presidential" after she won the Cecil B. deMille Award for "outstanding contributions to the world of entertainment" at the Golden Globes this past weekend.
Since then, whispers of a run by Oprah Winfrey for the White House top job have turned into blaring headlines.
As she strolls through the door flung open by Donald Trump, all at once it feels to those of us who lived through and handicapped the rise of the current president from reality TV host to Oval Office, that Oprah is the one to beat.
The tyranny of fame
This has led to fear among political observers that the transition from candidates with substance to candidates with stardom has become a trend and is simply more evidence of a steep decline in the democratic process.
"It's terrible. It's awful, this, what I call the tyranny of fame," explodes Dennis Pilon, author of Wrestling with Democracy: Voting Systems as Politics in the Twentieth Century West.
'I'll beat Oprah,' said U.S. President Donald
Trump this week. Critics point out that while fame helped Trump win, it
demonstrated nothing about his ability to govern. (Carlos
Barria/Reuters)
As a sure sign it sees her as a threat, this week Fox News took a bead on the former talk show host, linking her to Clinton scandal.
'I'll beat Oprah'
Trump himself has declared "I'll beat Oprah," which, as in the case of his attacks on the tell-all book Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House that soared to best-seller status after his dismissive tweets, seem likely to have the opposite effect.
The notion that Oprah might be a better alternative to Trump does not change Pilon's mind.
"Fame is a profoundly undemocratic phenomenon," says Pilon. He calls it part of a system of social control that tells ordinary people they are not beautiful enough or talented enough to do any more than watch from the sidelines. "It encourages a kind of non-participation."
And while he objects to what it does to the political process, in an era when publicity and the money to buy it are keys to winning, he understands the attraction of parties that end up supporting famous candidates.
South Indian film star Rajinikanth announced
on Dec. 31 that he is starting a political party to make the leap from
celebrity to politics. (Babu/Reuters)
Perhaps most important, says Pilon, as stars in their own right they garner wall-to-wall coverage from media outlets seeking to attract readers and viewers, a persistent complaint by the Hillary Clinton campaign about Trump's free exposure.
As Ronald Reagan once quipped, "Politics is just like show business."
That may be true for attracting money, giving campaign speeches and even winning, but according to Fire and Fury author Michael Wolff speaking on CBC Radio's The Current yesterday, for a president like Trump, actually running a country is a different job.
Governing requires skills
"Anything that we would associate in any traditional ways with governing, which has to do with process, which has to do with goals, which has to do with making choices and decisions, has to do with weighing a lot of information, and a lot of data," says Wolff in the interview with host Anna Maria Tremonti, "none of these things are within the president's interests or, frankly, ability."
In an office a few floors above Pilon's, York's dean of liberal arts and professional studies, Ananya Mukherjee-Reed, has looked at the concept of fame and politics from a perspective outside North America's.
Mukherjee-Reed is a political economist who keeps an eye on the politics of South Asia, where making the jump from fame to public office has become commonplace.
Just two weeks ago the Indian mega-star Rajinikanth announced he was forming a political party in a bid to succeed Jayalalithaa Jayaram, the late chief minister of Tamil Nadu, who was also a film star before she ran for office.
"It's not value-based. It's not politics based on vision," says Mukherjee-Reed. "It's basically based on charisma."
In a country where top movie stars, even regional stars, earn huge salaries, it's also based on wealth. Indian movie stars have the cash and the fan base to take a run at politics.
Ulysses S. Grant parlayed his fame as a Civil War general into the presidency. (U.S. Treasury)
The Duke of Wellington became British prime minister after winning his spurs against Napoleon. U.S. presidents Ulysses S. Grant and Dwight D. Eisenhower parlayed their fame from the Civil War and the Second World War, respectively.
But arguably they had transferable skills in managing complex organizations.
Trump has compared himself to Reagan, but whether or not you liked his politics, there is no question Reagan worked his way up to the top job, first as head of the Screen Actors Guild, then as two-term governor of California.
But in the Indian example, says Mukherjee-Reed, celebrity-based politicians — including those famous for their political families — who come without political skills or policy experience do not do as well.
"From within the celebrity culture, there's no great shining examples of huge political leadership."
Instead, she says, media stars are often driven by the same thing that motivated them in their first career: Fame.
"It's really the expansion of their celebrity status into a political realm which furthers their celebrity status," she says.
"Because after a while, if you're not such a hot movie star anymore, you still have another realm in which you can be present in public life."
Liberals push 'proven plan' for economy as Trudeau holds cabinet retreat in London, Ont.
Ministers promote fiscal record as they take stock of what 2015 promises remain unchecked
By Kathleen Harris, CBC News Posted: Jan 11, 2018 5:00 AM ET
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is holding a two-day winter
cabinet retreat in London, Ont. (Todd Korol/Canadian Press)
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau begins a two-day cabinet retreat in London, Ont., today, taking stock of what remains on the Liberal checklist as he looks ahead to the next election.
Arriving at the meeting, Trudeau made a brief statement about the goal of the retreat.
"I look forward to conversations about the economy and jobs, and a broad range of issues facing Canadians," he said Thursday morning.
Government sources told CBC News that ministers are acutely aware the clock is ticking to 2019 and plan to drive a message to Canadians that strong numbers and high consumer confidence are signs Liberal policies are working.
A spokesperson for the prime minister said continuing the plan to create jobs and grow the economy in all parts of the country is at the top of the cabinet agenda.
"Discussions throughout the retreat will focus on advancing our government's key objectives of strengthening the economy, ensuring equality of opportunity for all Canadians and growing the middle class," said Cameron Ahmad.
"Cabinet will also discuss implementation of our economic agenda and delivering concrete results on our commitments."
Cabinet ministers, joined by Peter Harder, the government's leader in the Senate, met for a private dinner last night at a downtown hotel, where senior staff also gathered.
Budget in the works
Michael Barber, who advises the government on "deliverology," and Dominic Barton, who chairs the government's council of economic advisers, will attend the meeting in southwestern Ontario.
Finance Minister Bill Morneau, who is now preparing the next federal budget, has been tweeting about the government's track record.
Chloé Luciani-Girouard, a spokesperson for Morneau, said he's building on a "proven plan" and that the government remains committed to growing the economy while promoting gender equality.
Last year's budget introduced the first-ever gender statement and increased funding for gender-based analysis. That will be expanded, she said.
"These were important steps — but they were just the beginning," Luciani-Girouard said. "As we prepare for budget 2018, we are building on that commitment and making sure gender issues and equality for women and men are top of mind as we consider each and every budgetary decision we make."
Liberal checklist of promises
Beyond the federal budget plan, ministers meeting in London will also be whittling down the list of Liberal priorities that remain unchecked, including legalizing and regulating marijuana, launching an infrastructure bank and ending long-term boil water advisories on First Nations reserves.
There's also the challenge of dealing with the Trump administration amid escalating trade disputes and growing uncertainty over the fate of the North American Free Trade Agreement.
The London retreat comes as Trudeau holds a series of town hall meetings, where he has faced a rash of tough questions from the public, ranging from a multi-million dollar payment to Omar Khadr to rehabilitating former ISIS fighters who have returned home to Canada.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau took questions
from the crowd gathered at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ont.
Wednesday on topics that ranged from national security, to gender
equality and the legalization of drugs. (David Donnelly/CBC)
Conservative MP Peter Kent said Trudeau will not be able to escape that ethical lapse by turning the channel to the economy.
"A lot of talk, not a lot of substance, and [there are] serious concerns about the transparency, accountability and the ethical behaviour beyond the letter of the law that the prime minister talks a lot about, but apparently regards himself to be above those rules, regulations and laws," he told CBC News.
Time running out
NDP house leader Peter Julian said the Liberal messaging on helping the middle class runs counter to the fact many families are going deeper into debt just to maintain the same standard of living.
"It's a bit of a delusion for the Liberals when we're seeing all the hardship that comes from this record level of family debt and the increasing poverty and increasing homelessness," he said. "For the Liberals to say things are great — they are simply not, for the average Canadian."
Julian said the Liberals are running out of time to deliver on key promises, and have already broken several related to electoral reform, the environment and housing for First Nations.
"I think the government made a series of promises a lot of Canadians agreed with. But when you look at their track record, for the most part they've broken those promises," he said. "They have to understand that Canadians will hold them to account in 2019 for the broken promises of 2015."
Trudeau will hold a town hall at London's Western University tonight, in an auditorium that holds 2,300 people.
Trudeau's town halls offer a master class in changing the narrative: Robyn Urback
What better for a little reputation resuscitation than a talking-to-Canadians tour?
By Robyn Urback, CBC News Posted: Jan 12, 2018 5:00 AM ET
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau listens to a question from
protesters during a town hall meeting in Hamilton on Jan. 10. If Trudeau
takes a beating in his town halls, which he has, all the better — even
his critics will have to reluctantly commend him for taking his
medicine. (Nathan Denette/Canadian Press)
Politicians always earn extra cred by submitting themselves to the lion's den, and the PMO's decision to not screen the questions — as evidenced by the pointed questions about Trudeau's ethical lapses, the government's settlement with Omar Khadr and the deportation of Abdoul Abdi — only bolsters the perception that the prime minister is making himself available and accountable to concerned Canadians.
His answers generally invalidate that perception, what with few of them being of any real substance, but the impression the whole exercise leaves is one of a leader willing to face his critics. And impression is pretty much all that matters here.
A wobbly end to 2017
The last we saw of Trudeau in 2017, he was stumbling through a presser on former ethics commissioner Mary Dawson's report into his Aga Khan vacation, which Dawson found was in violation of four sections of the Conflict of Interest Act. Trudeau was embarrassingly unprepared for questions that should have been wholly anticipated, and he walked away from the podium wounded.
The timing was especially bad, considering a few of his other end-of-year lowlights: a miscalculated trade gambit to China, enduring ethical questions about his finance minister's divestment of personal assets and a clash between one of his ministers and a group of thalidomide survivors.
So what better for a little reputation resuscitation than a talking-to-Canadians tour? Especially with prepared remarks, rolled sleeves, a little humour about being a powerful man in government accepting gifts (har har) and so forth?
An open forum town hall is particularly handy in that it generates all sorts of headlines about all sorts of different topics, diluting the focus from any single issue. And if Trudeau takes a beating, which he has, all the better — even his critics will have to reluctantly commend him for taking his medicine. Beautiful work, PMO.
Some readers will misinterpret this analysis as an ovation, of sorts, for the prime minister's latest efforts at accountability. But familiar readers surely recognize I am far too cynical for that. Rather, my intention here is to point out that after a wobbly end to 2017, it appears the Trudeau machine is back on track, ready to turn heckles into standing ovations and bad press into photo ops.
Whatever one might say about his governing abilities, Trudeau is a very skilled politician. Canadians are being reminded of that again.
Politics News
Trudeau heckled on Omar Khadr
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The opposition, meanwhile, is still working out the kinks — to put it generously.
Andrew Scheer's team is trying to figure out who he's supposed to be (this week, he's the guy who grew up just like everyone else), though he has alienated some supporters by kicking Sen. Lynn Beyak out of the Conservative caucus over letters about residential schools she posted on her Senate website.
Scheer, who campaigned for the Conservative leadership on a vague promise to defund universities that don't uphold free speech, is now being accused of censorship by Beyak and her supporters. It's a bad look, especially with the he-said-she-said going on between the sides, which dispute each other's versions of the instructions that were conveyed.
Jagmeet Singh's team is arguably faring worse, having seemed to lose the early momentum that Scheer's team never really enjoyed.
The NDP leader had a few early blunders — bizarre answers to questions about the Air India bombing, an embarrassing about-face on his position on language requirements for judges — while slowly revealing policy positions on Twitter, apparently by way of beat poetry.
His team seems enduringly unaware of the expectations of the leader of a major political party, initially refusing a media appearance without seeing questions in advance, then more recently, by weirdly playing coy when asked about photos of an apparent engagement ceremony. But if this guy wants to be prime minister, there is no more playing coy about these things.
This greenness around both party leaders will fade, surely, but compared to Operation Trudeau — which can end 2017 muddied with scandal, only to emerge with A+ shareable content of the prime minister disarming a heckler — it seems they have a long way to go. Meanwhile, Trudeau will keep embracing those blows, and in the long run probably be better off for it.
Trudeau says pot purchasers are funding gangs, organized crime and must be charged
Liberal government looks at options to erase criminal records for possessing pot, but not until it's legal
By Kathleen Harris, CBC News Posted: Jan 12, 2018 11:39 AM ET
As Canada moves to legalize cannabis, the Liberal
government is looking at ways to deal with people who have criminal
records for possessing the drug. (Henry Romero/Reuters)
The Liberal government is looking at ways to deal with criminal records for possessing pot, but Trudeau said there will be no amnesty until after cannabis is legalized and controlled in July.
"Certainly we know the current legislation is hurting Canadians and criminalizing Canadians who perhaps shouldn't be. But that is an engagement we will take once we have a legalized and controlled regime in place — not before," he told reporters after a two-day cabinet retreat in London, Ont.
Trudeau said the government's plan for marijuana is "fundamentally" about public health and safety, and until the critical regulatory and security regimes are in place it will be treated as an illegal product.
"We recognize that anyone who is currently purchasing marijuana is participating in illegal activity that is funding criminal organizations and street gangs, and therefore we do not want to encourage, in any way, people to engage in that behaviour until the law has changed," he said.
Trudeau on cannabis amnesty
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"Once the law is changed, we will of course reflect on fairness in a way that is responsible moving forward."
The bill passed the House of Commons in November and is now in the Senate.
Possible pardons on the way
Earlier today, Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale confirmed officials are examining "all the legal implications for possible pardons, or record suspensions, for criminal records for cannabis.
But he would not say how the government is likely to proceed.
"We're in the midst of a major change here. I know there is a real anxiety for a bit of a play-by-play commentary, but I think the responsible thing is to do the analysis, see where the unfairnesses are and take the appropriate steps to correct those problem," he told reporters in London, Ont., where the Liberal cabinet is holding a winter retreat. "But we need to do it in an orderly way."
A potential amnesty program was first reported in La Presse.
Critics have pushed for a pardon, or record suspension, program for simple possession of cannabis, and say people should not be criminally charged in the period before the government brings its legalization plan into force.
'Existing law remains'
While acknowledging "unfairnesses," Goodale said criminal charges and prosecutions must continue until the law formally changes. The government is aiming to legalize cannabis by July.
"We're moving in an orderly fashion to change the law appropriately and get the job done. In the meantime, the existing law remains and people need to obey that law."
Goodale said the change represents a "significant transformational change in the Canadian law."
He said any legal moves to address criminal records would not take place until after the laws are in force.
Cannabis could be legal in Canada by July. (Matt Kwong/CBC)
'Devastating' consequences
"Parliament is well aware of the devastating consequences of carrying criminal convictions, especially for young people, Indigenous and marginalized Canadians," he told CBC News in a statement. "It is illogical and unjust to continue this policy on the eve of legalization."
Davies said the NDP proposed amendments to the pot legalization bill that would provide an expedited pardon process for Canadians carrying convictions for cannabis offences that no longer exist, but they were rejected.
"We once again call on the Trudeau government to create a process to pardon and expunge the criminal records of Canadians with cannabis offences," he said.
Supporting rehabilitation, crime prevention
Scott Bardsley, a spokesperson for Goodale, said anyone convicted of simple possession of up to 30 grams can apply for a record suspension through the Parole Board of Canada, five years after the sentence is completed.
The government is now in the process of reforming the pardons system based on "evidence-based criminal justice policies" that support rehabilitation and crime prevention.
He acknowledged pardons can be a significant barrier to employment, because some positions require criminal record checks.
Trudeau's London, Ont., town hall interrupted by hecklers
PM says he put electoral reform aside when he saw it was going in direction that would hurt country
By Kathleen Harris, Peter Zimonjic, CBC News Posted: Jan 11, 2018 4:11 PM ET
A woman, upset over the Liberal government's
anti-Islamophobia motion, heckles Prime Minister Justin Trudeau early on
during Thursday's town hall event at Western University in London, Ont.
(Geoff Robins/Canadian Press)
Justin Trudeau's third town hall of his cross-country tour saw repeated interruptions from two persistent hecklers who interrupted questioners and attempted to shout down the prime minister before one of them had to be forcibly removed by police.
The first came when Trudeau was trying to answer a question from a young boy who asked how he deals with his "haters."
"I don't really have to worry too much about being defined by what someone thinks of me," Trudeau said, noting that, as a child, people would tell him that they did not like him because their parents didn't like his father.
A woman then stood up in the crowd and started shouting about free speech, the security threat posed by Canadians who left to join ISIS and are now beginning to return home, and the decision to locate the town hall at a university.
She was also upset about M-103, the motion passed in the House of Commons that called on federal politicians to condemn Islamophobia.
Trudeau and the hecklers
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Shortly afterward, another questioner was interrupted by a man shouting at Trudeau, without the benefit of a microphone. The RCMP surrounded the man and he eventually sat down.
Not long afterwards the man stood up and threw a stack of papers from the raised seating area where he was positioned before continuing to shout at and over Trudeau as he tried to calm the heckler down.
The prime minister offered him the chance to remain in the auditorium if he remained seated and quiet, but he refused and was escorted out by security after shouting about corruption and wrongdoings of the Supreme Court.
As the man left, Trudeau explained that he was disturbing the event. The man hollered "You're disturbing me!"
The town hall at Western University was the third in a series of six such meetings, and came as Trudeau holds a two-day retreat for his cabinet in the southwestern Ontario city.
Cabinet ministers mingled with students and other members of the audience in the packed auditorium. Outside, a long queue of people, who began lining up at 1 p.m. ET, waited in the rain hoping for a seat.
During the first two town halls — in Lower Sackville, N.S. and Hamilton — the prime minister endured heckling and drew applause as he faced a broad range of questions on topics that covered everything from federal drug policy, to the Liberal government's $10.5 million payment to Omar Khadr, to concerns over former ISIS fighters returning to Canada.
Electoral reform
In London, Trudeau, who also serves at the minister of youth, was asked about electoral reform by a questioner who said she was disappointed that he wasn't going to make sure that every vote in the country counts.
The prime minister's promise, later broken, to do away with the first-past-the-post electoral system was a vote winner among Canadians under the age of 25 in the last election. The vast majority of audience members Thursday evening also fell into that age group.
Trudeau answered that Canada's democracy could be improved, but that any attempt had to be done very carefully. It was a version of the response he had used in the past.
Trudeau on canceling electoral reform
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Trudeau explained that he is in favour of a system that lets voters rank their choices, rather than one that encourages voting against candidates.
"I wasn't going to do something that I felt would harm Canada and weaken our democracy just to tick a box off on an electoral platform," he said.
"I understand that you were disappointed about that but ultimately, my responsibility is to do things that are good for this country and when I saw that the electoral reform was going in a direction that wasn't going to be good for this country I put that promise aside."
Trudeau speaks at Western University. The
town hall was the third in a series of six such meetings, and came as
Trudeau holds a two-day retreat for his cabinet in the area. ( Geoff
Robins/Canadian Press)
Reconciliation
Trudeau was also asked about the degeneration of political dialogue, and said his government's public policy is based on informed thought and evidence over rhetoric.
"It might win elections, but [rhetoric] doesn't leave society or the country any better off. And I do believe that reason will win out over time," as long as it comes with passion, he said.
Trudeau's next town hall will be in Quebec City on Jan. 18. Later in the month, he will host town halls in Winnipeg and Edmonton, but no specific dates for those events have been released.
The evening finished with a question about the government's approach and commitment to reconciliation with Indigenous people.
Trudeau speaks with Myeengun Henry, chief of
the Chippewa of the Thames First Nation. The PM reminded the crowd he
gave his ministers a clear mandate to change the relationship between
Ottawa and the First Nations. (Geoff Robins/Canadian Press)
But he said the long-term solutions to the problems caused by residential schools must ultimately come from Indigenous leaders, not Parliament Hill.
"No matter how we might have a great idea in Ottawa on how to fix it, the solution can't come from Ottawa," he said.
Trudeau said it will be a long, slow process that must be defined and delivered by Indigenous people.
The government is working to help preserve Indigenous language and culture and said that as a Quebecer, he understands the need to "resist assimilation."
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