Trudeau's speech to union delegates took aim at Conservatives
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s trip to the United States targeted U.S. lawmakers, but also his political opponents in Canada, as his speech to one of the largest unions in North America attempted to make the case that his party cares more about workers’ rights than Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives.
A senior government source told Â鶹ӰÊÓ drawing that comparison between the Trudeau Liberals and the Conservative party was one of the goals of the prime minister’s 25-minute speech to delegates of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU).
In the worker-focused speech, Trudeau highlighted the importance of unions and cast himself as a true champion of the working class.
"There are politicians who pretend that they’re there for workers, but when you look at their track record, that’s demonstrably false," Trudeau told the crowd of thousands inside the Philadelphia convention centre.
The Liberals, Conservatives and NDP have been trying to position themselves as the only true parties fighting for unions ahead of an election, which could happen in the fall of 2025.
Last month, Poilievre delivered a campaign-style speech to workers from Canada’s Building Trades Unions annual conference in Gatineau, Quebec.
Trudeau and NDP leader Jagmeet Singh also gave speeches at the conference. The Conservative leader has spent the last two years travelling the country as well, painting himself as the only leader who understands the difficulties working-class Canadians have felt during the affordability crisis.
In statement to Â鶹ӰÊÓ Conservative party spokesman Sebastian Skamski said “Pierre Poilievre is the only one listening and speaking to Canadian workers on shop floors and in union halls from coast to coast to coast.â€
In Philadelphia, Trudeau attempted to draw an even more stark comparison between the Liberals and the previous Conservative government pointing out his party lowered eligibility for Old Age Security from age 67 to age 65.
Additionally, Trudeau highlighted his government’s anti-scab legislation, but failed to mention it was part of the Liberal-NDP supply and confidence agreement brokered in 2022 between Singh and Trudeau. The Prime Minister touted another part of the agreement, 10 days of paid sick leave for federally-regulated workers. Each one of the pro-worker policies were applauded by the delegates at the convention.
"My first thought was, we’re going to move to Canada," said Ayanna Vanderbilt, an SEIU delegate from San Jose, California.
Canada’s commitment to reduce child-care fees to $10 per day within two years is another thing Vanderbilt would like to see in the U.S.
"Working with providing child care, because dealing with our elders and dealing with our children, two of our most vulnerable populations, is one of the areas that I think in the United States, we are trying to do and making the most of it with what we have. But the efforts that Canada is putting forth, I think Canada could learn from," said Vanderbilt.
While his pro-union message seemed to resonate with the thousands of delegates in the convention hall, Prime Minster Trudeau is hoping it will also land with Canadian workers in time for the next election.
"It’s quite pathetic that Justin Trudeau has to leave Canada and speak to a foreign audience which is unaware of his disastrous record just to get some applause," added Skamski in the emailed statement to Â鶹ӰÊÓ. “After nine years of Justin Trudeau’s inflationary deficits and punishing taxes, Canadian workers have never been worse off.â€
IN DEPTH
Jagmeet Singh pulls NDP out of deal with Trudeau Liberals, takes aim at Poilievre Conservatives
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has pulled his party out of the supply-and-confidence agreement that had been helping keep Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's minority Liberals in power.
'Not the result we wanted': Trudeau responds after surprise Conservative byelection win in Liberal stronghold
Conservative candidate Don Stewart winning the closely-watched Toronto-St. Paul's federal byelection, and delivering a stunning upset to Justin Trudeau's candidate Leslie Church in the long-time Liberal riding, has sent political shockwaves through both parties.
'We will go with the majority': Liberals slammed by opposition over proposal to delay next election
The federal Liberal government learned Friday it might have to retreat on a proposal within its electoral reform legislation to delay the next vote by one week, after all opposition parties came out to say they can't support it.
Budget 2024 prioritizes housing while taxing highest earners, deficit projected at $39.8B
In an effort to level the playing field for young people, in the 2024 federal budget, the government is targeting Canada's highest earners with new taxes in order to help offset billions in new spending to enhance the country's housing supply and social supports.
'One of the greatest': Former prime minister Brian Mulroney commemorated at state funeral
Prominent Canadians, political leaders, and family members remembered former prime minister and Progressive Conservative titan Brian Mulroney as an ambitious and compassionate nation-builder at his state funeral on Saturday.
Opinion
opinion Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster
A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government’s three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party’s popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?
opinion Don Martin: The doctor Trudeau dumped has a prescription for better health care
Political columnist Don Martin sat down with former federal health minister Jane Philpott, who's on a crusade to help fix Canada's broken health care system, and who declined to take any shots at the prime minister who dumped her from caucus.
opinion Don Martin: Trudeau's seeking shelter from the housing storm he helped create
While Justin Trudeau's recent housing announcements are generally drawing praise from experts, political columnist Don Martin argues there shouldn’t be any standing ovations for a prime minister who helped caused the problem in the first place.
opinion Don Martin: Poilievre has the field to himself as he races across the country to big crowds
It came to pass on Thursday evening that the confidentially predictable failure of the Official Opposition non-confidence motion went down with 204 Liberal, BQ and NDP nays to 116 Conservative yeas. But forcing Canada into a federal election campaign was never the point.
opinion Don Martin: How a beer break may have doomed the carbon tax hike
When the Liberal government chopped a planned beer excise tax hike to two per cent from 4.5 per cent and froze future increases until after the next election, says political columnist Don Martin, it almost guaranteed a similar carbon tax move in the offing.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Conservatives call on Elon Musk to step in after Liberals provide loan to Ottawa-based satellite operator
A $2.14-billion federal loan for an Ottawa-based satellite operator has Canadian politicians arguing about whether American billionaire Elon Musk poses a national security risk.
Myths busted and lessons learned: John Vennavally-Rao on his surgery to reverse his ostomy
Twenty-seven year Â鶹ӰÊÓ reporter and anchor John Vennavally-Rao shares his story of what it was like to have an ostomy bag as part of his health-care battle. 'I’m grateful for what it did to extend my life,' he writes in a personal column for CTVNews.ca.
Unusual flippered feet are making their way into the Saint Lawrence River this weekend. Led by underwater explorer and filmmaker Nathalie Lasselin, volunteer divers are combing the riverbed near Beauharnois in Montérégie to remove hundreds of tires that have been polluting the aquatic environment for decades.
A sea lion swam free after a rescue team disentangled it near Vancouver Island earlier this week.
Kamala Harris accepts CNN debate invitation for Oct. 23, challenging Trump to another showdown
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris on Saturday accepted an invitation from CNN to debate former President Donald Trump on October 23, challenging her rival to another engagement on a public stage in the final weeks of the campaign.
Police have arrested an 18-year-old woman who allegedly stole a Porsche and then ran over its owner in an incident that was captured on video.
How to win the fight with kids over phone use
The end of the day — when school, extracurricular activities and homework are (hopefully) finally done — is the window that many kids have for downtime. It can be a struggle to convince them not to go on their phones.
Kids are inhaling 'Galaxy Gas' to get high. Here’s what parents should know
For some young people, a popular method for getting a quick high is by misusing laughing gas — and lately, that’s in the form of nitrous oxide from products sold by the company Galaxy Gas.
Housing support for adult children with severe autism is 'absolutely absurd,' say parents
Looking after an adult with severe autism can be a full-time job. Ask any parent who has a child severely affected by autism spectrum disorder – it’s a job that can get more difficult as the child becomes an adult.
Local Spotlight
Cole Haas is more than just an avid fan of the F.W. Johnson Wildcats football team. He's a fixture on the sidelines, a source of encouragement, and a beloved member of the team.
Getting a photograph of a rainbow? Common. Getting a photo of a lightning strike? Rare. Getting a photo of both at the same time? Extremely rare, but it happened to a Manitoba photographer this week.
An anonymous business owner paid off the mortgage for a New Brunswick not-for-profit.
They say a dog is a man’s best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.
A growing group of brides and wedding photographers from across the province say they have been taken for tens of thousands of dollars by a Barrie, Ont. wedding photographer.
Paleontologists from the Royal B.C. Museum have uncovered "a trove of extraordinary fossils" high in the mountains of northern B.C., the museum announced Thursday.
The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating an important milestone in the organization's history: 50 years since the first women joined the force.
It's been a whirlwind of joyful events for a northern Ontario couple who just welcomed a baby into their family and won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot last month.