Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will visit Calgary to meet with the Mayor and Premier of Alberta

CALGARY –

Justin Trudeau is in Calgary for the first time since 2019, where he is expected to make a transit announcement, but Premier Jason Kenney and Mayor Nahid Nenshi have more pressing matters on their minds.

Trudeau began his work by visiting AAA Doors Ltd. in northeast Calgary, a business that has received pandemic support from the federal government.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on July 7 that Calgary-based AAA Doors Ltd., which has received federal support under the government. talking to company employees.

Trudeau met separately with Prime Minister Jason Kenney and Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi at the downtown Palliser Hotel on Wednesday morning.

“It's great to be back in Alberta, a great opportunity to talk to Jason,” Trudeau said ahead of his meeting with Kenney. “Premiere and I have received many, many, many, many calls over the last year and a half related to the pandemic, but (also) on a larger scale. (It was) really about time. We have worked together as a federation with, I think, excellent results.

“I know you feel great about the Stampede, and Albertans feel great about it. That's why we're here to work together to make sure people are safe in the recovery, with lots of investment and lots of opportunities to make our economy even stronger in the years to come.”

Kenny welcomed Trudeau back to Alberta and was quick to talk about the current state of the local tourism and travel sector.

“I'm glad to welcome you back to Alberta as we begin some more inland travel,” Kenny said. “I look forward to talking to you about how we can help the 800,000 workers in the travel and tourism industries get back to work.”

Before praising Alberta's response to the pandemic, Kenney praised the various levels of government for putting policy on hold and focusing on public health during the crisis.

“Premier, I can tell you that Albertans have really pushed through. We're beating COVID here, so we're fully open and we're looking forward to celebrating all of that here with the Calgary Stampede starting later this week,” he said. .

“We see Alberta leading Canada through the pandemic, but we also hope to see economic growth this year. Yeah, you know, we've had five tough years and we've been hit harder than any other province. As you are well aware of last year's drop in energy prices, many forecasts suggest that we will lead the country and growth, and I look forward to talking with you about how we can do that. I hope that if I am out of work or part-time for a few years, I can get back to work and we can find common ground on the growth agenda.”

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Alberta Premier Jason Kenney exchange elbows instead of handshakes ahead of their July 7 meeting in Calgary.

KENNY IS MORE IN THE GAME

A spokeswoman for the prime minister's office said Kenney wanted to discuss reopening pipelines and international borders closed due to COVID-19.

Spokeswoman Jerrika Goodwin said the premier plans to negotiate a fair deal for Alberta in the federation, among other issues.

Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau address the media ahead of a July 7 meeting in Calgary.

Before meeting with the Calgary mayor, Trudeau took a moment to praise Nenshi for his commitment to Calgarians despite not seeking a fourth term.

“Your ambitions for the city and your concern for the people of Calgary continued to the last minute. It's always a pleasure working with you and connecting how we can work together for Calgarians.”

According to Nenshi, there is much to be done in the last three months as mayor.

“There's a lot of pressure on you,” Nenshi told the prime minister ahead of the meeting. “We're in a good place with the pandemic and I think we're in a position of real optimism where we can think about what the new community will look like.

“You said better recovery, and I said I don't want to go back to normal. I want to go back to better than normal. So I think we're in a real moment of creation right now. And I'm very happy about that.”

Before Trudeau's arrival, a small group of protesters gathered across the street from the hotel.

A small group of protesters gathered in front of the Palliser Hotel in downtown Calgary on July 7 during Prime Minister Trudeau's visit to the city.

The Prime Minister will make a transit announcement Wednesday afternoon at the Calgary Transit Oliver Bowen maintenance yard.

Trudeau was in Saskatchewan on Tuesday to sign an agreement to protect children in the Cowessess First Nation, worth tens of millions of dollars.

With Canadian Press files