Accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland and Labour Minister Filomena Tassi, Justin Trudeau made a campaign stop in the battleground riding of Hamilton Centre on Friday to discuss the Liberals’ job recovery plan.
“In terms of recovering our economy, the most important thing is to put an end to this pandemic once and for all,” Trudeau said.
“The labour force numbers are very good, lots of full-time jobs. We’re now at 95 percent recovered of all the jobs that were lost during this pandemic, which compares very favourably to 76 percent recovery in the United States for contrast, but there is much more to do.”
According to Statistics Canada, employment rose by 90,000 in August—the third consecutive monthly increase—while unemployment fell by 0.4 percentage points to 7.1 percent.
The Liberal leader said his party will continue to support small businesses, workers, families, and those who wish to work but are unable to do so because certain sectors have yet to recover.
The Liberals plan to increase spending on child care, health care, climate change, and housing if Trudeau is re-elected.
Margaret Bennett, the Liberal candidate for Hamilton Centre, also attended the event.
The riding, currently held by NDP MP Matthew Green, is part of the “905” region that is a key battleground between the Liberals and Conservatives, with the NDP eating into the progressive votes that would otherwise go to the Liberals.
The Liberals are also vying to retain or grow their territory in open ridings such as Hamilton Mountain, Hamilton East-Stoney Creek, and Flamborough-Glanbrook. Scott Duvall from the NDP, Bob Bratina from the Liberals, and David Sweet from the Conservatives decided not to run again in these ridings, respectively.
