Trudeau says he wants young people to be 'confident the world’s not going to be on fire'

Justin Trudeau has said one of his priorities is to make young people feel “confident that the world’s not going to be on fire when they’re adults.”

The prime minister made the comment while speaking to CBC News.

He was questioned by The Current’s Matt Galloway about why the tax has proved so unpopular, with seven premiers voicing opposition to the recent increase in the levy.

He said – as he often has in recent weeks – that the tax gives most people more cash than it takes from them, that conservative politicians are playing politics on the issue and that premiers are free to devise their own tax on carbon (so long as it’s as “ambitious” as the federal government’s.)

When asked about the struggles of younger people in Canada, and whether his government is responsible for their plight, he said he recognized their hardship.

“Particularly since the pandemic, we’ve seen things get so much more difficult for so many people, particularly the young people, who’ve been my motivation since I got into politics 15 years ago,” he said.

“So investing in them, supporting them as renters, making sure there’s a pathway for them to buy a home, making sure they’re confident the world’s not going to be on fire when they’re adults and raising their own kids… so we fight climate change. These things matter.”

The prime minister announced another housing measure this morning during a visit to Winnipeg, this time a $1.5 billion fund designed to help non-profits acquire more rental units.

He said the “Canada Rental Protection Fund” would help keep rentals affordable.

Trudeau has made a series of funding announcements in recent weeks on daycare and housing.

He has repeatedly mentioned generational unfairness and referred to Millennials and Generation Z as uniquely disadvantaged.

It comes as polls suggest young people, once central to his voter coalition, now prefer the Conservative Party.

Later in the CBC interview, the prime minister repeated his claim that a spike in migration to Canada is putting pressure on housing and other necessities.

Trudeau was also repeatedly asked about his personal reputation among Canadian voters, with Galloway asking: "Why do you think people don't like you?"

The prime minister giggled before responding: "I think there is a lot of frustration with the way the world is unfolding, and that frustration is being taken out on people in positions of power."

Galloway then asked, "But what about you?" and stressed that he's "never seen" a prime minister face as much animosity as Trudeau.

"There is a level of polarization and toxicity that we see in a very visible way on social media, and also in real life," he said. "But most Canadians remain thoughtful and open and decent and, yes, frustrated and worried about their future, but I also know Canadians are good people who are willing to work together to build their future – and I'm part of that."

When asked whether he regretted branding some of his opponents "anti-vaxxer mobs" with a "racist and misogynist agenda."

Last year, the prime minister said he regretted referring to protestors against COVID-19 measures as a "fringe minority of people" with "unacceptable views." But he did not say he regretted the "racist and misogynistic" comments.

"I regret that when I was talking about specific groups of racist, intolerant protestors – not everyone in the protest, but the ones who were shouting racist epithets and misogynistic slurs at my security detail and others – I'm gonna call out intolerance and hateful language wherever it has... it is unfortunate that what I said was able to be... made a number of people feel I was talking about them," the prime minister said.

"I have always been very, very careful to note... people can be... make [their] own decisions about whether they get vaccinated or not, that there's normal vaccine hesitancy out there in every population, and our job as a government is to try and encourage people to do the right things for public health. The fact that the polarization and the toxicity was so amplified deliberately with misinformation and disinformation is something that is a larger question than just, you know, what I said on what particular day that was taken out of context."