Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was in Sudbury on Wednesday afternoon to participate in an Ontario caucus meeting at the Holiday Inn.
Trudeau’s local visit did not include media availability.
Our sister site Sudbury.com connected with Nickel Belt Liberal MP Marc Serré at approximately 5 p.m., by which time Serré said Trudeau had already left town.
Approximately 50 Liberal MPs were in attendance to tell Trudeau what they’ve been hearing from constituents, Serré said, describing it as a “positive” day of meetings in the midst of a four-day gathering of the province’s federal Liberals.
“That was a good session this afternoon,” he said of their meeting with Trudeau.
“We’ve got a lot of legislation we’ve got to pass and a lot of work ahead of us, and a lot of the items we’ve focused on — the affordability and cost of living ... and I raised home-heating, and we’re trying to figure out a way of how we move forward. We’re being hit hard by the Conservatives, obviously, and they’re not proposing any solutions, they’re just building upon people's fears and bringing that kind of American-style politics.”
This coming fall session is “going to be tough,” Serré added.
In the midst of a broader housing affordability crisis which has seen homelessness skyrocket in various communities, including Greater Sudbury, the Conservative Party of Canada has been gaining traction in the polls with their messaging around making life more affordable, and have surpassed Liberals when it comes to voter support.
Although Serré said he takes polls with a grain of salt, there’s no denying that the Conservatives’ messaging has been well-shared through what he describes as “a very well-defined social media campaign to tarnish our PM and tarnish what we’re doing.”
“I’m hearing from a lot of people in my constituency,” he added. “Sure, they have some concerns about the Prime Minister's leadership because he’s been there nine years, but there are a lot of people who are also concerned with the American-style politics Poilievre is bringing into Canada.”
The housing crisis has been one of the main topics of discussion during this week’s meetings, Serré added.
“We have to figure out a way to address the housing crisis,” he said. “That is a big issue on rental and affordability, so how do we work with the municipalities?”
The question is how to see federal government priorities on affordability reflected in provincial priorities, he said.
Although Serré added that nobody wants to hear politicians play the blame game by pointing their fingers at other levels of government, “jurisdictions in Canada are real. Health care, education, housing was all a provincial responsibility.”
Having the Liberal Party of Canada’s Ontario caucus in Sudbury this week has been a boon to local messaging, Serré said, pointing to a special showcase on critical minerals, tourism, and a health-care system in which many people report not having a family doctor.
Trudeau’s previous appearance in Greater Sudbury which Sudbury.com reported on took place on March 1, when he pledged to get tough on those provinces which are pushing for private health care, and to modernize the health-care system.
Tyler Clarke covers city hall and political affairs for Sudbury.com.