Parses captions for PM Trudeau's daily speeches and presents them in a more human readable format
Minister to announce the first really direct support for municipalities today. They have been calling for it for many weeks, and the pandemic has proven extremely costly to cities. Municipal leaders have been asking for anywhere between 10 to $15 billion over the course of the next number of months, and they say residents are depending on the services that cities provide more than ever now. The revenues that they get, as you can imagine, public transit, for instance, has all but dried up during this pandemic. We are awaiting to hear from the prime Minister on that. I will bring in Vassy kapelos and David Cochrane. Good to see both of you. This is something that has been asked for for a number of weeks. We’ve heard from basically all the mayors of big cities, certainly, Vassy, talking about how desperate cities are given that they have little ability to be able to raise more money and are taking a significant hit, whether it be public transit or other things.
Vassy:
Yeah, desperate is the perfect word to use, the perfectdescriptor, Rosie. Right from I was say maybe two weeks into this pandemic, so right at the outset of April, mayors from cities of all sizes, but you’re right, especially bigcities, were sounding an alarm. I want to put forward some numbers that help contextualize I think how big of a city cities are taking. You’re right, their revenue sources are property taxes and user fees, and certainly user fees have dried completely up. Toronto is losing according to its mayor $65 million a week. Vancouver will be short anywhere from 110 million to $330 million this year. Edmonton expects to lose up to $260 million. Calgary is losing $15 million a week. They have also made a lot of corresponding layoffs. In Edmonton, for example, more than 4, 000 people have been laidoff. Calgary has laid off 1800 people. Toronto won’t hire more than 5, 000 seasonal workers that operate a lot of the parks and day camps, although some are going forward. They anticipate that 5, 000 people won’t get their jobs back. Basically their message is this is going to get a lot worse before it gets better, and their ask from the federal government has been, in a way, not to circumvent but to sort of complement, I guess, what the provinces may be able to do under ordinary circumstances, and that is help them out with ac ash injection. Remember cities for the most part legally cannot run a deficit. and that puts them in a real bind. They would normally be going to the provinces for help, but the provinces, of course, are extremely cash strapped due to the help that they are offering fr ts pandemic, so they are tug to the federal government, and the figure you out out there, the number is needed as an emergency fund to help them with their ability to pay employees, operating costs basically. That’s the thing they need rightnow. My understanding is that this announcement is the first part is how the federal government is characterizing it to me of what they may announce for municipalities, but today it won’t be the direct operating help. Instead it will be about infrastructure, and that will rise a whole host of questions. We’ll have to wait to see what the details are. From the mayors that I’ve spokento, and I know you’ll be speaking to some as well, they are worried about operating costs right now that’s their primary focus. I’m sure they will welcome news on infrastructure money as they always would, but how much that would help them in their currentpredictment is their big question.
Rosemary:
and if it is money for infrastructure, is the suggestion then from Ottawa we’re giving you infrastructure money so you use the money that we would have used for this to use for operating costs. I don’t know the answer to that, but I wonder if that will be the suggestion that we get from the Prime Minister. and David, it is, as Vassy said, user fees, certainly transit fees that you would make a lot of money off of, but the federation of Canadian municipalities has also said, you know, there are people who aren’t able to pay their property taxes even. So all sources of revenue are under some pressure here for cities.
David:
Yeah, especially in the commercial sector with the economy essentially on total shut down. I don’t think what we’re going to hear from the Prime Minister is going to satisfy all of the demands out there. The way as I understand it, this is essentially a cash advance on the money they normally get through the gist component transfer, the gas tax transfer, excuse me, and instead of getting it paid out over a period of time, we’re going to get it all at once. But that’s essentially not new money. That’s a cash advance on money they knew was coming for a specific purpose but they’re going to get it early, presumably to help with bridging through better times as this that seems to be the big picture on the non-individual bailouts. Direct cash is going to familiesand people and more credit and cash advance and liquidity goingto government and companies in terms of the aid packages comingout of the government. So really this has to be seen as a first step down payment on a larger aid package for municipalities, which I don’t think will see the full size andscale of until there’s multi-level negotiations, they figure out how the economy can reopen and get a clear sense of just what the fiscal damage of this pandemic will be. While the government is the bankof Canada, it is essentially bank rolling Canada in a significant way right now. As we get towards the end of this, there will be a reckoning to help the more financially vulnerable provinces, in particular, and municipalities who have been absolutely hammered. I think that’s the policy announcement today. I think the Prime Minister will have to speak on the delicate subject of race when you look atwhat’s happening south of the border, the protests we saw in toronto over the weekend becauseof the investigation there that’s happening involving the death of a young woman. This is something that’s unavoidable for a national political leader, I think, and isuspect the Prime Minister – hedid address it I believe on Friday. He brought it up at the end saying I want to talk about this. Well, the circumstance on mondaymorning is far more severe than it was on Friday based on a veryeventful weekend south of the border and here in Canada. We’re going to have to hear something from the Prime Minister on that for sure.
Rosemary:
Quite right. and that will lead me to My nextinterview. The Minister of families, children and social development, when he was Minister of immigration he raised some concerns, and has since, over racial profiling. He continues to do that today, and he’s actually spoken himself about some of his own experiences as a refugee when he first arrived in this country. Good to see you, Minister, thanks for making the time.
Thanks for having me.
Rosemary:
So let’s just talk maybe about your reaction to what you have seen over the course of the past three or fourdays, the protests certainly sometimes that have turned quite violent at night in the United States, and some signs of that too in Montreal over the weekend. What is your reaction to that?
Well, I think our government will always support the rights of Canadians to freedom of expression. We support people’s right to express themselves. While also protecting the Canadians. We understand that these are tough times. The frustrations that people have in terms of having their stories being heard, their lived reality – I mean, it is really important for us as a country to recognize that anti-black racismis a reality for many, many members of our community, and the fact that should be something that we should talk about, that we should put on thetable, because that’s the only way that you can address these issues. You can’t address an issue without [indiscernible] lived reality.
Rosemary:
You yourself have three young boys, and you have previously spoken about some of your experiences. Can you tell us a little bit about them, what you have experienced as racism or microaggressions?
I think sadly this is something that is very, very familiar to many black canadiansthat I personally know, and many that have reached out to me over the years. It’s not something that is new to us, being followed around in a store, being racially profiled while driving a car. These are very, very common experiences, unfortunately, and the fact of the matter is in the meantime there simply is not – there is simply [indiscernible] to many, many people of good faith who are friends of black Canadians across the country, and so what I AM trying to say and My reaction to what is happening both in the United States but also to a certain extent in Canada is that this ISS lived reality for many of us. and anti-black racism, especially the systemic kind, holds many, many of our fellow Canadians back, and we need to deal with it so that we can havethose individuals in our community fully participate in canadian society. It is unfortunate that some don’t even want to see as part of the canadian fabric and they see it as an american reality, but the fact of the matter is we do have an issue, and by and large Canada has and continues to be a very generous country, acountry that welcomes newcomers, a country that allows people to achieve any dream that they aspire to. But at the same time we have – we need to do, and one of those among many is anti-black racism, and the fact of the matter is governments alone cannot do it. I mean, government has a major role to play in pushing forward policies that bring people up, that move towards full inclusionof all our citizens, including members of the black community, but we all need to do our part, whether you’re a ceo, whether you’re teacher or a police officer. We need to practise empathy and true inclusion. We do celebrate the fact that Canada is a diverse country, butwe need two also make it an inclusive country, and the only way to do that is to include everyone, and to also acknowledge the lived reality ofit.
Rosemary:
I’m glad you brought up the issue of this country versus the United States. Obviously the situations are different, but do you believe that this country is, I don’t know, maybe not having enough of conversation around race? maybe dismissing the issue entirely in some cases or suggesting that Canada doesn’t have the same issues as the United States so we don’t need to talk about them? do you feel that at all?
That’s precisely it. You hit the nail on the head. I think the point is to have those conversations because it is through those conversations which can be very difficult conversations, but it is through those conversations that we can have breakthroughs, that we can actually hear the pain and the frustration of many, many members of our fellow Canadian citizens, and so those folks will tell us, and they will show us their lived reality. But we can only do that if we’reopen to those conversations. So the point I was making in My public communications over the last couple of days is that we need to create the space for those conversations. We need to hear about the reality of black youth in our urban centres, for example. The reality that they go through in their interactions with police, the reality that they go through in the job market and the housing market. Things that I have personally experienced, but I think the point is once we create that space and we have those difficult conversations, then we can move forward. and that will only make Canada an even better country than it already is. It won’t take away from us, and – have that conversation. I’ve seen some push back even from some public officials, a gentleman who was the founding chairman of the united conservative party. In Alberta he pushed back and said don’t bring this issue across the border. [indiscernible] this is something that is real for many, many Canadians, and the fact that it is a lived reality for many Canadians should concern all of us and should then force us to have conversations that will lead to real solutions.
Rosemary:
Yeah, it is hard, you know, to have those conversations. I agree, and it’s hard to know what to do as well. Just a couple minutes before your boss, the Prime Minister, comes out, Minister. You have three young kids, so I don’t know how aware they are of what has happened, but what are you saying to them right now, you know, watching the video of George Floyd being killed by a police officer is so deeply disturbing. How do you have any conversation about any of that with your kids?
Before we even have that conversation I think you need to process it yourself. I have been talking to many of My friends who are really having difficult time processing those images. I mean, this was a slow motion death right in front of us, of an individual at the hands of a police officer. I mean, it’s really hard to deal with that from the perspective of looking at those images. But I think, you know, when I talk about the difficult conversations, I seriously mean it. I mean, I publicly invite that – to call me so that he can hear from me and many other son the reality of anti-black racism in Canada, that this is not something that is being brought over the border. This is as canadian as anything else. But I also think that, you know, education and talking about trueinclusion and putting forward policies and programs that immediately include people wouldmake a big difference in the lives of everyone. But it starts from those conversations, and it starts from the willingness to acknowledge that something is real that is real for so many canadian citizens.
Rosemary:
Does it make you worried for your children, though?
Oh, absolutely. I think it is – for those of us in leadership positions, in positions of responsibility, we have to do everything that we can to ensure that the next generation does not have to endure the daily microaggressions and other profiling that happens to too many members of our community. and I think if we can move the needle forward, I think that’s something that each and every one of us should aspire to. It shouldn’t just fall to members of the black Canadian community. It should be a responsibility for all of us, because if some of – if some members of our community are being marginalized, it should concern all of us.
Rosemary:
How do you do that at the cabinet table, Minister? this will be My last question. You are a minority at the cabinet table in many ways too.
I would say it’s very refreshing because when the Prime Minister – we have never stopped having that conversation, and I know that he is going to address this issue head on today, and I’m very heartened by that. Secondly, I must say that among the cabinet table and in our caucus we are – you know, I have felt nothing but a welcoming of those – of the desire to have those conversations, of the desire to continually push ourselves to dobetter. There’s always more work to be done to create a more inclusive society, and it’s not just for black Canadians. There are conversations around how do we do better with indigenous peoples and other vulnerable groups, and I have found that our team collectively has had the openness and the willingness to continue to have those conversations. It’s a journey. It’s a marathon. It’s not something that can be fixed overnight with one policy or one conversation, but we got to keep at it.
Rosemary:
Yep. Minister, good of you to make the time and to open up that door to that difficult conversation so many of us are trying to have over the course of the past few days. Thank you very much, sir. Appreciate your time.
Thank you for having me. Appreciate it.
Rosemary:
That’s the minister of families, children and socialdevelopment. He was here in Ottawa.
okay, we are standing by to wait for Minister’s boss, the Prime Minister of Canada. He will be coming out his front door shortly. This will be really his first time since I would say an escalation or a spread of these protests and rallies has taken place across the United States over the course of the weekend, and certainly into Canada as well, into major cities in this country. We’ve seen some people coming together to try and raise awareness of issues around race and policing in this country as well as in the United States. and as you heard from the Minister, the Prime Minister is set to address some of those issues in his remarks today. Maybe I’ll bring in Vassy because I didn’t get your perspective on that. I know you were hosting on Friday, and he did talk about iota little bit, but the situation has even changed since Friday.
Vassy:
Certainly not to the level that it is right now, or at least we were not witnessing exactly what we did witness over the weekend, and at the end of the press conference, I’m confident the Prime Minister will talk a lot about what you just heard the Minister outline, and while we are watching this unfold south of the border, it is very present and real for so many people in this country and not just south of the border and it needs to be discussed and discussed more and with more frequency. I anticipate that we will hear something similar from the Prime Minister today. I’m not sure in the way of – but I thought all your questionswere, you know, it was very interesting to hear it from the Minister’s perspective and I can only imagine jag meet Singh who is leader of the NDP addressed it today, talked about his own lived experience, and as well, think main issue I walk away from listening to both of them is, you know, as much as possible, all the time, actually, we should not be dismissing the idea that it is very present here, just because we are not watching that video at this juncture take place herein Canada doesn’t mean that it isn’t the reality that so many people in this country face day in and day out, and you’re right to point out that example in Toronto where the family of that young woman is concerned about what happened to her, and if race was a motivating factor. They don’t have any conclusions, but those questions at this point are very much being raised, and this happened in the middle of last week in Toronto. So certainly I walk away thinking to myself a lot about the presence of that issue right now for so many people in this country, and that is what we are hearing echoed by politicians very frequently at this point as well.
Rosemary:
Yeah, and certainlywe’ve talked about over the course of the past couple of months now how issues are often exacerbated during the pandemic, and problems that were – that existed and we all maybe were aware of have been laid bare in a different way. I only make that point because in the case of George Floyd he had been laid off because of the pandemic at a restaurant. So these stories are intertwined, and people are feeling frustrated. Jag meet Singh, one of the thing she brought up this morning was need for more data around race when it comes to the pandemic. That’s something that we are not collecting systemically in this country, so we don’t have a really good picture of how it is affecting minority populations or black populations in this country in a different way. We have a bit of a picture on the island of Montreal, but we certainly don’t have a complete picture. We have a bit of a picture in Toronto, but that too sort of shows that if you don’t pay attention to how it’s affecting different communities, you’re probably not going to address some of these problems directly, and some of that is because they are in communities where it’s poorer or they are having a harder time or there’s more people living together, and those things too help you address the underlying problems of racism, David. It’s a whole bunch of things I just threw at you, but I do think the pandemic and race and things that we’re seeing in the United States are connected. a lot of people who are out protesting are out of work because of the pandemic, and they feel devalued and they are worried about things and all these things start to become, you know, just a really sad reality for many people.
David:
Yeah, there is an unwavering inequality across society, and first I’m going to acknowledge, middle aged middle class white guy who grew up in st. John’s, I cannot speak to the lived experience of any racialized Canadian and please do not take of anything of what I’m about to say as an attempt to do that. But there is an inequality that most of us who are privileged and comfortable can ignore in normal times because we go about our daily lives and things are fine, and it doesn’t intrude into our consciousness in a significant way. The pandemic has disrupted everybody’s daily life, and as you said, laid bare a lot of ongoing festering issues in society from the treatment of the poor to the aged. What we’re seeing with black Americans in particular right now in the United States, and it’s coming at a time when people have been locked down, economically vulnerable. There’s a health care vulnerability in the United States that does not exist in Canada to the same degree because of the private cooperate nature of the health care system and people being unable to afford care or being denied care, and then a sequence of deaths. Because there was the young ab re kid in Georgia who was hunteddown, allegedly, we’ve seen the videotape because he was going for a jog in a neighbourhood. I was watching CNN last night and they did about a five-minutesequence of all the cop killingsof unarmed predominantly black men over the last series of years, and when you stack them all together, it really reinforces how significant the problem is. So the Prime Minister is going to try to address this in some way when he comes out. I will say he has his own challenges on this particular topic, rosie. I was on the plane with him the night the pictures of him in black face and brown face surfaced during the election campaign, and we had to shout a bunch of uncomfortable questionsat the Prime Minister, the liberal candidate at the time, and I suspect that has been something that has surfaced on social media over the weekend ashe made his comments about what was happening in the United States on Friday. and will undoubtedly try to address it again because while it’s happening south of the border, it seeps into this country and there are a lot of people who are watching it with a lot more personal reaction than you or I are able to have in watching something like this, but undoubtedly it’s – what we saw is absolutely horrifying andterrifying to the point that I can’t have the tv TN around My kids. They are too young for that kindof thing. What the Prime Minister’s going to say and how it’s received, I’m not sure how that’s going togo. It is an issue that Canada has to confront. The first nations issue in Canada is certainly a great scaron the country. Thankful we have not yet had kind of violence we are seeing in the United States and hopefully it doesn’t come to that in this country because we can find a way to deal with the problems we have here.
Rosemary:
The Prime Minister will have to find a way to address what we are seeing south of the border while recognizing that some of the problems exist here. We are at very least not seeing right now the confrontations between protesters and police, which are creating very violent episodes in the United States. So that –
David:
and Rosie, at least he’s willing to come out and speak to it and address it.
Rosemary:
I was going to say that, yes.
David:
There is a real absence right now at the top of the political spectrum in the United States. The national moral leadership Ina time like this, it’s more agitation than calming right now, and to the point, when the mayor of one of the biggest cities in the United States, in Atlanta, with very large black population, when the mayor of that community is saying just stay quiet to the president, that speaks to a real problem. You know, the contrast is quite stark.
Rosemary:
Yeah, the president only reacting on Twitter through the weekend and has yet to address the nation, even though some of his advisors, according to the “new York times”, has suggested that he make some sort of public statement. That has not happened, and last night the lights of the white house were turned out as the protests turned violent down Pennsylvania avenue. The major policy announcement today from the Prime Minister is about funding for municipalities that are feeling under pressure right now. Here is the Prime Minister of Canada.