PM Trudeau on Child Care, Wildfires, Housing – August 21, 2023

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Premier Dennis King make a child-care announcement in Cornwall, Prince Edward Island. They announce that the province will create more than 300 new spaces in early-years centres (EYCs) over the next 18 months, increase wages for staff in EYCs, and launch a defined contribution pension plan for early childhood educators. Jenna Sudds (federal minister of families, children and social development), Natalie Jameson (P.E.I. minister of education), Jennifer Nangreaves (executive director of the Early Childhood Development Association of PEI), and Heath MacDonald (MP for Malpeque) make remarks as well.

The prime minister also discusses the federal response to ongoing wildfires in the Northwest Territories and British Columbia, and Meta's decision to block Canadian news from its platforms as wildfires continue to burn across the country. He faces questions from reporters on the terms of reference for a possible public inquiry into foreign interference, housing, and his recent separation from his wife Sophie Grégoire Trudeau. The news conference comes as Trudeau heads to Charlottetown to kick off a three-day meeting of the federal cabinet.