OTTAWA -- Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau won鈥檛 formally commit to a specific target for representation of Black, Indigenous, and people of colour in cabinet, despite doing so for women in 2015.
In an interview with CTV National News on Wednesday, Trudeau said only that a Liberal government would continue to work to improve representation within ministerial offices and Parliament more broadly.
鈥淚 commit to continuing to doing more. What we have done over the past year is bring in far more diversity into the Prime Minister鈥檚 Office than ever before, into cabinet. Right now we have record numbers of Indigenous candidates, of Black candidates, of Filipino candidates, of women candidates within our party, of Asian-Canadian candidates,鈥� he said.
He said the Liberals would seek to embody diversity 鈥渂ecause you need to hear from everyone if you鈥檙e going to serve everyone.鈥�
However, based on Trudeau's comments, that doesn鈥檛 include a specific target at this time.
In 2015, Trudeau appointed 15 women to what he described as the first gender-balanced cabinet in Canadian history. The cabinet has been at least 50 per cent female ever since.
When it comes to the Prime Minister鈥檚 Office, according to the latest available data from July, 29 out of 98 -- or 30 per cent -- of staffers within the PMO are self-identified as Black, Indigenous, or a person of colour. Based on the latest available Census data, 22 per cent of Canada鈥檚 population belongs to a visible minority.
Here is the full text of Trudeau's interview with 麻豆影视 National Affairs Correspondent Omar Sachedina.
Note: This transcript has been edited for length and grammar.
Sachedina: You have now had 32 days and three debates to convince Canadians why it鈥檚 necessary for them to spend $600 million on an election during a pandemic, during an unfolding humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan. The fact that you still have to defend your decision to call this election, what does that tell you?
Trudeau: Well, I think Canadians are seeing that there are very different ideas about how to end this pandemic, how to move forward on climate change, on child care, on housing. Canadians deserve a choice, because those decisions are going to be taken by the government now, in the coming weeks, not a year from now, not two years from now. That鈥檚 the choice Canadians get to make.
Sachedina: But your budget had passed, you had struck deals with eight provinces and territories on a signature initiative that this country has been waiting on for decades, which is child care. There are many Canadians out there who would say that by calling this election, you have put that in jeopardy.
Trudeau: The only thing putting child care in jeopardy is Erin O鈥橳oole鈥檚 desire to turn it back, to rip up deals that give Canadians $10 a day [child care.]
Sachedina: But you decided when to call this election, Mr. Trudeau.
Trudeau: 鈥� I know, Canadians want child care not just for their families, but for jobs, for economic growth, for businesses who鈥檝e said 'you鈥檙e right, this pandemic has taught us affordable child care is an economic policy.' Mr. O鈥橳oole's making the wrong choice, and Canadians have the opportunity to show that.
Sachedina: Canadians of course want a leader they can trust, a leader with integrity, and to be frank, you鈥檝e broken several of your pledges even before the surge in pandemic spending. You abandoned your pledge to balance the books. Ending boil-water advisories by March 2021, didn鈥檛 happen. Electoral reform, didn鈥檛 happen. Affordable housing, still unaffordable in major cities across the country. And your plan to tackle hate, instances of hate have gone up, increased in this country under your watch rather than decreased. Why should Canadians give you yet another mandate? Why should they trust you?
Trudeau: I think Canadians have seen that over the past six years, not only did we create a million jobs, but we lifted a million people out of poverty. We鈥檝e moved forward on ending 116 boil water advisories and have a plan to end all of them.
Sachedina: But your pledge was March 2021. There are still people in a G7 country that can鈥檛 have access safe water.
Trudeau: Yes, and we will lift them all. The pandemic slowed some things down.
Sachedina: When? What鈥檚 the timeline?
Trudeau: In the coming months and year 鈥� We promised big things and we delivered big things. But yes, there is more to do, and that鈥檚 why the choice of whether we go stronger on fighting against racism and intolerance, when a Conservative platform didn鈥檛 even mention the word racism, the choice becomes clear 鈥�
Sachedina: I want to move on to Quebec鈥檚 ban on religious symbols. You鈥檝e said it doesn鈥檛 foster hate, that it doesn鈥檛 foster discrimination, and yet you鈥檙e leaving the door open to a legal challenge, to intervening. Why would you consider fighting a law you don鈥檛 think is discriminatory?
Trudeau: I have been very clear from the beginning that I disagree with that law. Canadians and Quebecers know that well. What I鈥檝e also said is that no I will not take it off the table, unlike the other leaders, including Jagmeet Singh, from challenging [it].
Sachedina: But Mr. Trudeau, what do you specifically disagree with about Bill 21?
Trudeau: I don鈥檛 think the government should be telling a woman what she should or should not wear, that鈥檚 not something we want to see in our free society.
Sachedina: But that鈥檚 exactly what Quebec is doing, why won鈥檛 you use the term discrimination?
Trudeau: That鈥檚 why I disagree with it and that鈥檚 why we have not taken off the table challenging it at one point. I鈥檝e been saying that for years 鈥� because a federal government always needs to stand up for peoples鈥� fundamental rights. Quebecers know that.
Sachedina: You could stand up for them today by calling the law discriminatory. Why are you not using that word?
Trudeau: I have said that I disagree with the law and am watching carefully as Quebecers defend their rights in court.
Sachedina: In 2015, you delivered a gender-balanced cabinet 鈥� equal number of men, equal number of women 鈥� and you said at the time it鈥檚 because it鈥檚 2015. Now, it鈥檚 2021. Will you commit to having 50 per cent representation from Black, Indigenous, people of colour, not only in your cabinet, but in your ministerial staff, including your chiefs of staff and also in the prime minister鈥檚 office. Right now, the numbers are only 29 out of 98 people in the prime minister鈥檚 office identify as BIPOC. So would you commit to that 50 per cent target?
Trudeau: I commit to continuing to doing more. What we have done over the past year is bring in far more diversity into the Prime Minister鈥檚 Office than ever before, into cabinet 鈥� We鈥檙e going to continue to make sure that we鈥檙e the party that not just upholds diversity in Canada but embodies it 鈥�
Sachedina: Part of being a good leader is looking back and reflecting on your decisions 鈥� what do you consider to be a political mistake or misstep and what has it taught you?
Trudeau: You know Omar, your job is very much to point out where we鈥檝e made mistakes. Of course you will continue to do that, and I will continue to focus on how we need to be there to serve Canadians moving forward.
Sachedina: So you don鈥檛 have an answer to that?
Trudeau: I鈥檝e talked many times about different things that we learned during the pandemic and different things that we鈥檒l move forward 鈥� we learned from the scramble on PPE that we had to go even more aggressively and we did on vaccinations and now we鈥檙e leading in the world even as Canadians continue to need to get vaccinated to get through this. I鈥檒l be unequivocal on that one, that鈥檚 one of the things we learned to trust science as we move forward, and we鈥檙e doing that.
Sachedina: Mr. Trudeau I appreciate your time, thank you.
Trudeau: Thank you Omar.
