The retreat, according to the PM, will be an important opportunity to build on the Liberal government’s efforts to “make life more affordable” for Canadians – something local Conservative MP Dan Muys finds ironic, given how Trudeau’s policies have only helped contribute to the unaffordability issue. Pictured is Trudeau the last time he was in Hamilton in October 2022. Photo credit: PMO/Adam Scotti
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his Cabinet will be in Hamilton next week for a three-day Cabinet retreat. From Monday, January 23 to Wednesday, January 25, the 39-member group of Canada’s highest-profile politicians will be meeting to discuss various issues and strategize for the upcoming 2023 political year.
Alongside Trudeau will be Minister of Finance and Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, Minister of Foreign Affairs Melanie Joly, and others.
The exact location of the retreat has not been released to the public, however, The Sheraton Hamilton Hotel in downtown is largely considered to be Hamilton’s most prominent hotel and event space.
The location secrecy is presumably for security reasons, although Hamiltonians will likely know where the retreat is being held once the Ministers and RCMP security detail roll into Hamilton in their black SUVs.
Trudeau said in a press release that “this Cabinet retreat will be an important opportunity to build on our continued efforts to make life more affordable for the middle class and people working hard to join it, as well as seize new opportunities for Canadian workers and businesses. In 2023, we will keep working relentlessly to build a better future and a strong economy for all Canadians.”
Hamilton has become an interesting political battleground over the last couple of years with tight races provincially and federally. On a federal level, Hamilton is somewhat unique in that it has elected Members of Parliament from all three major political parties.
For the Liberals, Filomena Tassi, Lisa Hepfner, and Chad Collins represent Hamilton West-Ancaster-Dundas, Hamilton Mountain, and Hamilton East-Stoney Creek, respectively.
For the NDP, Matthew Green represents Hamilton Centre. And Dan Muys represents Flambourough-Glanbrook as part of the Conservative Party of Canada’s Official Opposition.
While Trudeau says that the Liberal Ministers will be discussing how to “make like more affordable,” Muys finds the statement somewhat ironic.
“It’s the Trudeau government’s policies that are making life less affordable, causing 40-year high inflation and leading to the mortgage and interest rate hikes that Canadians are struggling with,” Muys told The Hamilton Independent.
He says that a Conservative government would introduce “sensible and compassionate” proposals that would turn “hurt into hope.”
Tassi is the only Hamilton-area Member of Parliament who will be at the Cabinet retreat since she is both part of the governing Liberal Party and serves at the Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario. Hepfner and Collins are part of the Liberal Government, but do not have Cabinet portfolios.
The last Liberal cabinet retreat was held in September 2022 in Vancouver and the last time Trudeau visited Hamilton was in October 2022 for a $400-million federal funding investment that will be used to help produce “greener steel” at ArcelorMittal Dofasco.
Based in Hamilton, he reaches hundreds of thousands of people monthly on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter. He has been published in The Hamilton Spectator, Stoney Creek News, and Bay Observer. He has also been a segment host with Cable 14 Hamilton. In 2017, he received the Chancellor Full Tuition Scholarship from the University of Ottawa (BA, 2022). He has also received the Governor General’s Academic Medal. He formerly worked in a non-partisan role on Parliament Hill in Ottawa.
