Five key takeaways from CBC's interview with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
PM discussed foreign interference, capital gains tax changes and his political future
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the ongoing public inquiry into foreign interference is "a very clear way" to inform Canadians on how alarmed they should be about an explosive report that alleges some parliamentarians are helping foreign governments.
Trudeau made the comments as his government resists calls to release the names of MPs and other parliamentarians cited in the report, which was released in early June by a cross-party committee of MPs and senators with top security clearances.
The prime minister sat down on Monday for a wide-ranging interview with Power & Politics host David Cochrane, which included other topics like Canada's relationship with India, the planned changes to capital gains tax and the future of his leadership.
Here are the five key takeaways from their sit-down:
Foreign interference
Ever since the heavily redacted report was released by the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians (NSICOP), the House of Commons has been embroiled in a fiery debate over whether, and how, the names of accused parliamentarians should be released.
During the interview, Trudeau said that disclosing classified information comes with risks, including putting the people who collected the information in danger and alerting hostile actors of suspicions.
"There's always, when it comes to national security, a need to balance what we can say publicly with what we can do to keep Canadians safe," Trudeau said.
Trudeau repeatedly said the ongoing public inquiry into foreign interference, which was set up to investigate allegations of election interference, is the best way to get clarity on NSICOP's claims.
He also said the inquiry "will do the work that is necessary to ensure our democracy is kept safe, and that the right processes are followed."
Last week, the government agreed to support a Bloc Québécois motion to have Commissioner Marie-Josée Hogue and her public inquiry team review and report on NSICOP's information.
That said, Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc has suggested Hogue would be legally prevented from revealing names.
Some party leaders, including Green Party Leader Elizabeth May and NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, have read the committee's unredacted report.
After reading the unredacted version, Singh suggested to reporters that he does not need to worry about members of his caucus.
When Trudeau was asked whether he could say the same thing about his caucus, he paused, then said that he "would be wary of any party leader drawing any sort of conclusion like that."
Canada's relationship with India
Just days ago, Trudeau and India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi met for the first time since Trudeau publicly accused India's government of involvement in the assassination of Canadian Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
The Modi government has denied ordering killings in Canada, and the public accusation severely strained relations between the two countries.
When questioned about the interaction, Trudeau said there is "alignment on a number of big issues that we need to work on as democracies" and as a global community.
"But now that [Modi] is through his election, I think there is an opportunity for us to engage, including on some very serious issues around national security and keeping Canadians safe," Trudeau added.
Four Indian nationals — Karan Brar, Kamalpreet Singh, Karanpreet Singh and Amandeep Singh — were arrested last month and charged in connection with Nijjar's killing.
Capital gains changes
The federal government is currently pushing through changes to the capital gains tax. Its plan is to increase the "inclusion rate" from one-half to two-thirds on capital gains above $250,000 for individuals.
The federal budget also proposes to tax all capital gains earned by corporations and trusts at the two-thirds rate.
Canadian doctors and entrepreneurs have criticized the move and have called on the federal government to reconsider the changes.
Trudeau defended the proposed changes and said the intent is to make things fairer for young Canadians who are struggling to afford a home.
"I understand that people who've made very, very well in their life don't want to get a little less in the way of profits, but this is a fundamental choice around a fairer society and a fairer community and a fairer economy," Trudeau said.
The prime minister also said the federal government will use the money from the proposed capital gains tax changes and invest in young Canadians.
"We're trying to make sure that it's fair for every generation," Trudeau said.
Trudeau's political future
For months now, the governing Liberals have struggled to cut down the Conservatives' lead in the polls. A recent Abacus survey gave the Conservatives a 20-point lead over the Liberals.
The same polls shows 59 per cent of respondents have a negative impression of Prime Minister Trudeau.
When questioned as to whether he is causing the Liberals to sink in the polls, Trudeau said that "Canadians are not in a decision mode right now."
"What you tell a pollster, if they ever manage to reach you, is very different from the choice Canadians end up making in an election campaign," Trudeau added.
If the Liberals are elected again, Trudeau would lead the party through a fourth term in power.
He criticized the Conservatives and said the opposition party's political vision consists of "just making people more angry and saying everything is broken."
"I know Canadians are pragmatic people who focus on solutions, and that's exactly what we're going to be doing," Trudeau said.
Upcoming byelection
Voters in the riding of Toronto-St. Paul's are already going to the polls for a federal byelection in a Liberal stronghold that could be up for grabs.
The Liberals have held the seat since 1997, represented by former cabinet minister Carolyn Bennett, who resigned in January to become Canada's ambassador to Denmark.
But polling expert Philippe Fournier of 338Canada previously told CBC's Power & Politics that the riding is a "toss-up." He said polling data suggests a slim Liberal victory by a margin of four to eight points.
When questioned whether the byelection is a must-win for the party, Trudeau said every electoral contest is a must-win for any political party.
"We don't take any corner of the country for granted, no matter what our lead in the polls is," Trudeau said. "And we're going to work through the finish line on this one."
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With files from Darren Major, Evan Dyer and Catharine Tunney