Trudeau affirms support for $60M Factory of the Future, Pallister wants it in writing
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 28/03/2017 (2557 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau pledged support for a $60-million aerospace and automotive research hub for Winnipeg during a brief stop in the city Wednesday, but Manitoba’s premier still wants to see a commitment in writing.
Trudeau said Ottawa is “very favourably inclined” to the project and is “working hard to make sure that it happens.”
“I certainly hope that we’re going to have a positive announcement to make in the coming… in the coming times,” he said at an appearance at the South Y Child Care Centre, where he promoted a budget promise to spend $7 billion over 10 years on day care.
Federal funding for the research hub has become a bone of contention between Ottawa and the Manitoba government in recent weeks.
The provincial Progressive Conservatives have accused the federal government of linking support for the project to Manitoba signing the federal-provincial health funding accord. Manitoba is the only province not to have signed the deal, which provides for annual federal funding increases of three per cent plus extra cash for home care and mental-health services.
Premier Brian Pallister said he won’t resume negotiations with Ottawa on the health deal until the threat is officially off the table.
He renewed his demand Wednesday that the federal government commit to the research hub in writing.
Pallister said he was not satisfied with Trudeau’s comments in Winnipeg and accused the prime minister of “equivocating.”
The research hub — dubbed the “factory of the future” — is multi-faceted, he said, involving several projects.
“One can remain committed to “factory of the future” without being committed to a Manitoba arm of “factory of the future,” he said.
The premier listened carefully to a news feed of Trudeau’s Winnipeg news conference. He said what he heard failed to soothe his fears.
“Today’s comments did not take that threat off the table,” Pallister said.
Trudeau chatted and played with pre-schoolers for several minutes before making a brief statement and answering media questions.
The purpose of the visit was to draw attention to his government’s long-term funding commitment to child care. He said the 10-year timeframe will give the provinces the ability to better plan their daycare expansion programs. He said Ottawa would work with each province to provide help that best suits its needs. He did not indicate how much money is earmarked for Manitoba.
More than 14,000 children are on waiting lists for licensed child-care spaces in Manitoba.
Twice during the news conference, a man critical of Ottawa’s carbon-tax policies shouted at Trudeau, calling him “a scumbag” at one point, before being escorted out of the room by police.
The prime minister was asked what assurances he could give Manitoba that Ottawa would adequately fund services for a potential springtime flood of asylum seekers crossing the U.S. border into Canada at Emerson.
“Obviously, we know that it’s extremely important to Canadians that our borders be protected and the integrity of our immigration system continues to be strong and properly protected,” he said, without directly answering the question.
Asked about a new poll that shows Canadians are overwhelmingly unhappy with the Safe Third Country Agreement between Canada and the U.S., Trudeau said, in part: “We know how important it is that Canadians have confidence both in the integrity of our borders and in the integrity of our immigration system. And that’s why we’re going to continue to work very, very carefully and thoughtfully with all partners to ensure that Canadians can continue to have confidence in our system.”
Meanwhile, Trudeau complimented Manitobans for the way they’ve opened their hearts to asylum seekers, singling out the community of Emerson.
“It’s important… to recognize the extraordinary leadership, openness and compassion of communities like Emerson — but also people across Manitoba and across the country who understand that welcoming people looking for a better life is part of what has made this country great and made us who we are,” he said.
larry.kusch@freepress.mb.ca
Larry Kusch
Legislature reporter
Larry Kusch didn’t know what he wanted to do with his life until he attended a high school newspaper editor’s workshop in Regina in the summer of 1969 and listened to a university student speak glowingly about the journalism program at Carleton University in Ottawa.
History
Updated on Wednesday, March 29, 2017 6:07 PM CDT: Writethrough