Canada prepared to 'push back' against anti-trade sentiment
Canada is prepared to play the long game when it comes to crafting an economic partnership with China.
"Any economic strategy that ignores China, or treats that valuable relationship as anything less than critically important, is not just shortsighted, it's irresponsible," Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said during his state visit to China this week.
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So while Canada looks ahead in pursuing a closer relationship with China, how will the Trudeau government manage the risks involved?
"It's absolutely the case that doing business with China is hard," International Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland tells Chris Hall on The House.
"But doing business with China is something many, many Canadian companies are finding is really worthwhile. It's about risk mitigation and relationship building."
That's where the federal government can come in, she added.
"What we the government can do to help is build our own strong government-to-government relationship, which can support the work by Canadian companies in China."
Listen to the interview for more on pursuing a free trade deal with China and why Freeland says it's important to "push back" against a growing anti-trade wave in the U.S. and Europe.
Opposition MPs weigh in on the economy
The Liberals were confronted with ugly economic numbers this week.
Statistics Canada announced on Wednesday that Canada's economy shrank 1.6 percent in the second quarter as it dealt with fallout from weak exports and the wildfires in northern Alberta.
"While we've had a difficult second quarter (...) we do see the economy turning around and getting better in the third and fourth quarter," Finance Minister Bill Morneau told reporters on Friday in Shanghai.
NDP Finance Critic Guy Caron and Karen Vecchio, Conservative Critic for Families, Children and Social Development, join Chris to analyze the numbers, and discuss what's needed for economic growth — and what the Parliamentary Budget Officer's recent report on the child benefits mean for Canadian families.
The report noted that families will see their payments erode over time as the fund is not indexed to inflation.
The long-term planning was not there, says Vecchio. The Liberals are "giving with one hand and taking back with the other in taxes."
"This was a cornerstone of their campaign, but they haven't looked at the long-term," agrees Caron. "They wanted something that would basically be a big flash during the campaign and in the end, if it's not indexed, people will be worse off."
'I have a big investment in this inquiry,' MMIW commissioner says
As the national inquiry into murdered and missing Indigenous women begins, Chief Commissioner Marion Buller joins Chris to discuss the hard road ahead.
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"From a personal perspective, this work is very important to me because over time, I've lost friends, my friends have lost family members," Buller says.
"Personally, I have a big investment in this inquiry."
But Buller says she feels no trepidation as she embarks on the inquiry, which will take place over the next two years and wrap up in December 2018.
"I wouldn't say trepidation — I would say commitment, I would say openness, I would say a willingness to work very, very hard."
Michael Chong
Conservative MP Michael Chong is running for leadership of his party. He joins Chris to share his vision for the Conservative Party and previews some of his policies, to be released later this fall.
"Conservatives want us to focus on pocketbook issues," he says. "There's a sense that we have strength on the economy, but that we lost our way because we started focusing on divisive social issues."
Listen to the interview for more on Chong's support for a revenue-neutral carbon tax, income tax reform, pursuing a closer relationship with the U.S., and why he won't be running on a social conservative platform.
In House panel
Our In House panelists, CBC's host of Power & Politics Rosemary Barton, and the Globe and Mail's Campbell Clark, debate the big stories of the week, rate Trudeau's performance in China, and weigh in on the reputation of the National Energy Board following pipeline protests in Montreal.
