In an interview that touched on everything from marijuana legislation to the inquiry into missing and murdered women, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he was looking forward to strengthening trade ties with China while also “challenging” the nation on human rights and other issues.
Trudeau is set to embark on an eight-day visit to the Asian giant next week, and told CTV’s Your Morning in a wide-ranging interview that China presents an opportunity for Canadian businesses to expand their exports
Here’s a sampling of what he had to say:
On how Canada plans to strengthen trade ties with China
“The rise of middle class in China makes for a tremendous opportunity for Canadian companies to sell to Chinese citizens with disposable income. That’s a huge market right there.”
“…While we do that, though, we also need to recognize that China is facing very real challenges around governance, around corruption, around human rights where Canada can be helpful. And I think that as we engage in robust trade partnerships, we also need to continue to help them by challenging some of the behaviours they have.”
On why the inquiry into missing and murdered Aboriginal women is not looking into police conduct:
“The idea that we would create an inquiry that would dive into individual cases would make it so cumbersome and would take so much time and resources, we wouldn’t be able to have the same kind of impact we need to have to make those changes as quickly as we can.
“…I think people understand that we need to be focused, yes, on recognizing past errors, but mostly on how we move forward in a way that is going to prevent it from happening again and create a much better system. So it’s always about trade-offs and balances but I think we got this one just right.”
On whether Canada has a problem with racially biased policing:
“Yes, there are real challenges in our justice system that we have to address. But a lot of them, when you look at the root causes, have to do with education and opportunities and investment in those communities.”
“…I congratulate those who keep calling and challenging us – whether it’s Black Lives Matter or indigenous activists – saying we need to do more, we need to do better. We agree. I agree. And that’s what we’re very much working on.”
On why the federal government chose not to decriminalize marijuana while it works on legalizing it:
“The reason why legalizing marijuana is the right step for us is because of two things: One, it will be make it harder for young people to access marijuana, because whatever you say about marijuana compared to alcohol or cigarettes, we know that the impact on the developing brain is something we need to prevent. Right now, young people have easy access. Controlling and regulating it will make it more difficult for them.
"Two, we need to remove the criminal element –streets gangs, the organized crime – from the sale of marijuana. Regulating it and controlling it will do that.
"Decriminalizing does absolutely nothing on either of those two things. If you decriminalize it, you make it easier for kids to access it. Decriminalize it, you continue to have organized crime controlling marijuana. That is counter to why we want to do it. That is why decriminalization has never been interesting to us.”
On whether the thought of a Trump presidency keeps him up at night:
“The depth of the relationship (between Canada and the United States) goes far beyond any two individuals. There are so many deeply woven ties between our countries that any president and prime minister are going to be able to work together on the things that matter to our two countries.”
On what Trump has said criticizing both NAFTA and NATO:
“We know there are a lot things that have been said that are not going to pan out into legislation; that’s just the way elections roll. We’re being cautious and we’re making a strong case for trade, but I’m not overly worried about how the long-term relationship of Canada and U.S. is going to go regardless of who wins.”
