Newly minted Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau was at the helm of his first caucus meeting Wednesday, which also marked the 31st anniversary of one of his father’s most significant accomplishments as prime minister: the patriation of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
Trudeau called it “extraordinarily fitting” that his first caucus meeting as leader occurred on the anniversary of the Charter, which he called “the centre of what it means to be a Liberal.”
After the meeting, he expanded on comments he made to caucus questioning the level of support both the Conservatives and NDP have for the document.
Trudeau accused the Conservatives of being “a little bit offside from where the rest of Canadians are on the foundational document of modern Canada,” which underlies Canadians’ freedoms and responsibilities.
“These Conservatives do an awful lot of talking about freedom, they like to think of it as part of their brand,” Trudeau told reporters.“But we always get the sense that they’re deeply suspicious of any protections for those freedoms or those institutions, like the Charter, that actually guarantee that those freedoms don’t be taken away from Canadians.”
Trudeau also accused the NDP of being “particularly lukewarm” in its approach to the Charter “because of the unfortunate way that Quebec chose to not sign on to the Constitution because of a provincial premier who was a sovereigntist back in the early eighties.”
Trudeau said despite broad support for the Charter, including within Quebec, “there is a political game with hardline sovereigntists and strong nationalists that Mr. Mulcair is continuing to play.”
Mulcair denied Trudeau’s allegations.
"There has never been the slightest hesitation with regard to the importance of the Charter, for the rights that it protects for all Canadians," Mulcair saidin response.
The NDP is committed to creating "winning conditions for Quebec within Canada," he said, calling it unacceptable that "one of the key founding provinces ... should be excluded from the Constitution."
Trudeau led his first meeting after being crowned Liberal leader by a wide margin last Sunday, and welcomed many of his leadership race opponents, including those who do not currently have seats in Parliament.
Trudeau said the meeting was marked by “a lot of enthusiasm, but a real focus on getting to work,” and stressed that “the sense is one of tremendous optimism and unity going forward.”
He also announced some moves in his shadow cabinet. Trudeau said former interim leader Bob Rae will take on the role of foreign affairs critic, while his former leadership adversary Marc Garneau will serve as natural resources critic.
Joyce Murray, who finished second to Trudeau in the leadership contest, will “continue to play the strong role she has on Asia-Pacific files,” as well as small businesses, while Ted Hsu will take over on post-secondary education.
“I get to keep the youth file,” Trudeau said with a smile.
With files from The Canadian Press
