Parses captions for PM Trudeau's daily speeches and presents them in a more human readable format
Operator:
question: [voice of interpreter] Mr. Trudeau, are you ready to make a firm commitment on the extension of the CERB for people who need it. I understand there will be more information this week, but can you confirm it will be extended in one form or another?
Answer:
I can reassure Canadians right across the country that as I said at the outset, we will continue to be there for people who need help and we will be announcing further details this week.
Operator:
Follow up, Michelle.
Question:
No extension that leads to no firm commitment. I would like to add something else. There were some demonstrations against bill 21 yesterday and with respect to fighting systemic racism, you promised todo better. Are you considering the possibility of changing your approach and intervening such as against bill 21 that some people consider to be part and parcel of racism in our institutions?
Answer:
My position on that has been known for quite some time, but we are currently looking at the fact that quebecers themselves are demonstrating against that legislation and we have a legal system that continues to do its work. We will continue to monitor this.
Thank you. Next question. [end of translation].
Operator:
Next question Kate bongero, “bloomberg.” line open.
Question:
Hello, Mr. Trudeau. I can have a question about immigration targets. Do you have a sense of how the down flow will affect immigration over the next two years?
Answer:
We recognize there’s been a couple of months where very few people have come to Canada. We’ve closed the borders due to COVID-19, and that’s had an impact on the number of immigrants arriving in Canada. Canada continues to be a country that knows that immigration is an essential source of growth, property, opportunity, both for Canadians and those arriving in this country. We look forward to continuing to be a strong country in regards to immigration. We will have more to say on that obviously as our country begins to reopen, but we are still very much in the closed phase of the pandemic response.
Following up.
Question:
Small businesses say the rental subsidy isn’t being used because landlords won’t apply for it. How is your government going to deal with this and increase the uptake?
Answer:
We have been impressing on the provinces the need to move forward with eviction bans. This is what we spoke about when we moved forward with the commercial rent subsidy. We’ve seen a number of provinces move forward on it, but we know more provinces need to step up. This is an area where the provinces get to make the rules. The federal government doesn’t have the levers in regards to landlords. But I hope more provinces will understand an evictions ban is the right way to go. [voice of interpreter] we pointed out the need to prevent evictions as part of the commercial rent subsidy program, but the provinces must bring in their own rules and legislation. Some have and we hope all will do that. [end of translation].
Operator:
Next question brianlily, Toronto sun.”
Question:
Good morning, Prime Minister. You’ve been talking about canadaneeding to do better and acknowledge the past when it comes to issues around race. Your party’s primary fundraising club is called the Laurie club. I wonder given laurier’s history with china and signing an order-in-council banning black immigration. Will you change the name of the laurier club?
Answer:
Thank you for your question, Brian. Obviously we recognize that over the past decades and generationscanada has not done well enough. I apologized in the house for the kamagataru. We’ve made a direct acknowledgement of the very, very many mistakes Canada has made in the past. Those mistakes continue today with systemic racism that continues. We need to take concrete measures to move forward to change the systems, to improve the systems, to better support racialized Canadians and indigenous Canadians. That’s what we’re going to focuson. There are conversations around names of sports teams, around statues and how we commemorate historical figures. Those conversations are important and will continue. [voice of interpreter] I think Canada has to do better. That is clear when it comes to fighting systemic racism. Of course there are many, many events in our past for which we have apologized and we have pledged to do better. We still see we have systems in place that do not properly treat all Canadians, particularly indigenous Canadians and racialized Canadians. That’s why we will work very hard to improve our systems. Now, with respect to looking at the names of sports teams or the presence of statues or the names of buildings, there are very important discussions that have to take place among Canadians onthat. We will be listening to Canadians with concerns. [end of translation].
Question:
I’d like to hear specifically from you, Prime Minister, how far back do you think you have to go? what is the cut off? is it owning slaves like James mcgill, the person your Alma mater is named for? is it holding views that are 200years old. Where do we draw the line saying this needs to be renamed and that doesn’t?
Answer:
I think first of all it’s a sign of progress that things have changed so much from100 years ago, 200 years ago in so many ways. We have significantly improved as a society and there is still much more to do. I think all of these situations has to be discussed on a case-by-case basis. I think there will be a range ofviews on any issue. We need to listen carefully and with a lot of sensitivity on concerns of what we’re renaming, what we continue to use as learning lessons for future generations. [voice of interpreter] I think we have a duty to address these difficult issues on a case-by-case. We have to listen to Canadians and we have to hear those different perspectives and try to find a best way to move forward in recognizing the mistakes of the past. We have to acknowledge there have been changes.
Question:
Good morning, Mr. Trudeau. I’d like to come back to the CERB, the Canada emergency response benefit. You say that you are looking at how you can extend it. I don’t understand why it’s taking so long. Don’t you just have to extend the deadline?
Answer:
Well, we are working on that. As I said, we will have another announcement to make in the coming days. Not today. But this morning I can reassure all Canadians who are currently receiving the response benefit or are looking for a job and are not sure they will find one by the time the CERB ends, that we will continue to be there to support them. As we’ve been saying right from the beginning, we are a government that will be here to help people. [end of translation] people have questions about what’s going to happen as they end their CERB benefits in the coming month an dare worried they will not be able to find another job. I will be making an announcement in the coming days on that extension, on that issue. For now all I can say is we will continue to be there to support Canadians. We have said this from the beginning, that our government will be there to support Canadians in need and our people can be assured we will be there.
Question:
[voice of interpreter] so I understand the parameters of the program may change and not just the end date. Do you think it would be enough for you to have the support of the NDP? on Wednesday there is a confidence vote on supply. The NDP Says it will vote against if you don’t extend the CERB. is there a risk that your minority government will fall and Canada will find itself in an election?
Answer:
Well, obviously in any minority parliament, the M.P.s decide what happens. We will continue to be there forthose who need our support. I think that’s what all members of Canada expect from us.
Question:
a question from My colleague in New Brunswick. There were two indigenous individuals who were killed by police bullets. One of the families is asking for a public inquiry on what occurred. Do you agree? do you think you need to have a public inquiry to find out what happened?
Answer:
Well, first of all I want to say that obviously those families deserve answers. We stand with them, and of course there are many, many questions about what happened and we want answers. We expect there to be a transparent and open inquiry on exactly what occurred. and I think Canadians and the families need answers. [end of translation] first of all, My heart goes out to the families and loved ones of those who died. It is really important that they get answers, that we all get answers on what happened. That’s why we need open and transparent investigations to provide answers to Canadians on individual cases, but we also need to pay attention to the larger picture.
Question:
[voice of interpreter] would that be a public inquiry?
Answer:
Yes, I think the answers need to be public.
Question:
You were asked a question about laurier, but you didn’t answer it. You talk about systemic racism existing in our society and in organizations. You’re not proposing solutions. You’re saying it’s out there. I think what is needed is solutions. What are the solutions, Mr. Trudeau?
Answer:
Well, for a number of days we have been expanding our work and talking to racialized and indigenous communities. We know a lot of proposals have been made and recommendations in various reports. There are things we know we can do. Now we’re working with the communities to prioritize those actions and we’ll have more to say about that in the coming days. [end of translation] we have over the years and decades received many stacks of recommendations, analyzes and reports about ways to better fight systemic racism, to reduce inequities in our system. It is a question of picking which of those recommendations we should be moving forward withfirst. That’s why we’re working with indigenous leadership and communities, working with the black community, working with racialized Canadians to prioritize what things we should do rapidly right away. We’ll have more to say in the coming days on that.
Question:
Prime Minister, the shooting death on Friday is the latest of six since April, six indigenous people have been shot and killed by police in Canada. Two other indigenous people have died in the company or in the custody of police. The circumstances of their death are unknown. That’s just in the last three months. What specifically will your government do to ensure this doesn’t continue?
Answer:
There is systemic racism racism in Canada. It means that indigenous people, black Canadians, and racialized Canadians are far more likely to suffer violence at the hands of authorities and police than non-racialized Canadians. This is a problem that we have seen for many years. We have made steps to improve it, but there is a need for muchmore, much quicker. That’s why we’re working right now with communities to address the first things that need to bedone most rapidly. We are going to move forward with them rapidly. [voice of interpreter] we know that for a very long time we have a system that treats indigenous and racialized Canadians differently. That is than other non-minoritycanadians. We have taken steps in recent years to try to improve the situation, but of course there is much more to be done and we will do that. Right now we are working with experts in the communities. We are working with different groups to identify the measures that we should introduce on a priority basis and quickly and we will have announcements aboutthat in the coming days. [end of translation].
Question:
You acknowledge that you have had these reports and you have been in government for five years and the action has not been taken. One of the recommendations by Murray Sinclair is that police be screened for systemic racism.
Answer:
Other police forces are under the jurisdiction of other orders of government. We know that there are many, many different things that need to happen in order to go after and to reduce systemic racism and we will work with communities to prioritize custom ones we should do first and mostrapidly.
Question:
[indiscernible].
Answer:
[voice of interpreter] we realize there is a great deal to be done in the coming years. We have taken concrete steps in the last four or five years, but there is more to be done. We will be working with the RCMP. We hope that all the other governments will be working with their police forces to improve their recruitment approach. [end of translation].
Question:
On the CERB extension, there is an issue here in terms of the numbers of people on CERB as opposed to companies with the wage subsidy, very low uptake on the wage subsidy. With this extension and provinces reopening, what more can your government do to encourage companies to use the wage subsidy, aside from begging and pleading?
Answer:
Every week we see more and more companies take on the wage subsidy as our local economies reopen. We have millions of Canadians receiving the wage subsidy. and we’re seeing as people get back to work and jobs are created, people are taking it up. CERB was designed to keep everyone at home and how us to get through the phase of this pandemic. As we’re getting into the recovery phase, we are seeing more and more taking on the wage subsidy which is a good thing. Even with the economy reopening, we know there are many jobs thatwon’t be coming back in the short term. That’s why we’re looking to continuing to help people on thecerb who can’t find a job. [voice of interpreter] there are millions of Canadians who are taking advantage of the emergency response benefit. With the reopening of the economy, there will be more jobs created and people will be coming off the CERB and benefit ting from the wage subsidy. We still have some work to do because even with the reopening of the economy, there are many jobs that have disappeared and may not come back quickly. So we have to be there to continue to support those Canadians who can’t find work and need the CERB. [end of translation].
Question:
When you see the dramatic spike of coronavirus cases in a number of states, new york’s governor, and texas’sgovernor are musing about going into lock down mode again. What concerns are there for your government when you think about the border restrictions and the talks to keep that ongoing? how concerning is that?
Answer:
On Thursday night with the premiers we had a good conversation about the border restrictions. It is clear there is broad consensus across the provinces that we need to continue the border restrictions. We will discuss with the United States administration on ways forward, but our priority on this is to ensure we are keeping Canadians safe while ensuring the flow of essential goods and services. [voice of interpreter] last Thursday with the premiers, we talked about the border issue. There is a clear consensus that the premiers of the provinces want us to maintain the current measures at the Canada-United States border. We’re in discussion with the United States administration at this timeto ensure we can keep Canadians safe. [end of translation].
Question:
Prime Minister, last week there were reports that your immigration Minister presented a plan to give permanent residency status to asylum seekers who are working in the health care industry in Canada. What will the eligibility criteria be and also, will that be extended to essential workers, not just health care workers?
Answer:
Obviously Canada is country that has a strong immigration system. Part of the strength of that immigration system is rigorous applications of immigration rules that ensures Canadians that we can be positive towards immigration, even as others around the world turn away from immigration. At the same time, we recognize the extraordinary work done by many vulnerable people caring for vulnerable people. We recognize the invaluable support they’ve given to Canadians during this time. [voice of interpreter] I think the principles that reassure Canadians about immigration is the fact that we have a rigorous system that applies right across the country. At the same time, we know that we are dealing with this situation where people are vulnerable, they are seeking asylum. We have benefit ted from their help with our seniors. So we are looking at different ways of supporting them as well. [end of translation].
Question:
Just come back to the Canada-United States border. Despite the consensus to keep itas tight as it is, we’re seeing loopholes, we’re seeing americantourists going to alaska. We have people who are flying across the border. is this acceptable?
Answer:
Obviously we have heard those reports and are looking into them. As we continue our conversations with the Americans, as we look at adjusting or shifting our posture in certain ways, we need to make sure that we’re able to apply the rules consistently and that we’re doing everything necessary to keep Canadians safe at this important time. [voice of interpreter] of course I did hear those reports and we are looking at what we can do as we negotiate with the Americans with respect to a possible extension of the restrictions at the border. We will prioritize the safety of all Canadians. [end of translation]