President of the Federal Republic of Germany Frank-Walter Steinmeier, left, and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau participate in a discussion with students at the University of Ottawa in Ottawa on Monday, April 24, 2023. Trudeau says Canada can be a leader in things like lithium mining if global companies make their imports contingent on being environmentally responsible and barring slave labour.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang
By Dylan Robertson in Ottawa
Democracies like Canada can be “reliable suppliers” of goods that espouse both environmental sustainability and the rule of law, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Monday.
Trudeau spent the day at various events with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who was in Canada for an official visit.
If global companies make their imports contingent on environmental responsibility and barring slave labour, they will turn to goods produced in countries like Canada, Trudeau said. That would also allow Canada to become a global leader in industries like lithium mining.
“Democracies can also be those reliable suppliers of what actually matters,” Trudeau said.
His comments come as Canada and its allies seek to establish more reliable supply chains with each other and reduce dependence on countries like Russia and China, who may seek to exploit that dependence to influence foreign politics.
Trudeau said investors like the stability of countries with strong social safety nets, and he argued Canadian-made goods are also more appealing than what he referred to as “cheap lithium batteries from China.”
He suggested that instead of ruling out goods made in China, global companies should opt for materials and products that come from countries that make efforts to fight climate change and pay workers a decent wage.
“We’re not going to let you use slave labour? Okay, well, we weren’t going to anyway, but now it becomes competitive, because there are places where there are terrible labour standards around the world where they can get it cheaper. So we just have to be consequential with our values,” Trudeau said.
“That’s the strength and the might that the Chinas and the Russias of the world cannot compete with.”
Steinmeier’s visit is heavily focused on the importance of democratic values but Trudeau said there is work to do to uphold those.
“If our system of democracy is so great … how come for so many years we’ve had to rely on inputs and resources from autocracies around the world that don’t enjoy our freedoms?” Trudeau asked. “If we are truly to be that model to the world, we must be consequential in our entire approaches.
“We certainly shouldn’t be vulnerable to decisions that countries like Russia or China could make to endanger our prosperity and our futures because they don’t agree with our politics or our direction.”
At a reception held by the German ambassador in Ottawa Monday, Steinmeier said a growing global desire for autocratic rule and a decline in multilateral co-operation put at risk the liberal values of inclusion and the rule of law.
“The years ahead will demand a huge effort. Our societies are facing major changes,” he said, arguing that liberal democracies have taken their freedoms for granted.
“We must prevent ourselves from being politically and economically vulnerable. Our democracy too is part of our critical infrastructure. We must secure and protect it against attacks.”
The two also warned about misinformation and spoke about the need for citizens to have a shared set of facts in order for democracy to function.
“There is more than just a taking-for-granted of democracy. There is a devaluing of those principles of democracy that have been fought for so hard, over decades and generations, that we need to reignite,” Trudeau said.
“Citizens have a responsibility and have an impact on the community around them. Being open, being engaged, open to differences — including that brother-in-law who’s an anti-vaxxer — listen to them; engage with them.”
Steinmeier said COVID-19 showed the importance of electing governments that respond to crises the best way they can with limited information, especially in such a turbulent world.
“We have to expect to find ourselves in a similar situation, where things aren’t all that clear and the government nevertheless must make a decision for the well-being of the population,” he said in German.
“This is part and parcel of responsible government.”
He also added that China poses a challenge to liberal democracies in a number of ways.
“The temporary detention of the two Canadian nationals, as well as the indications of Chinese interference in Canadian elections, show what that means for our liberal democracies,” he said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 24, 2023.
- 0075 Fast Trucking OutlaW Buckers 010075 Fast Trucking OutlaW Buckers 01
- 0074 General Well Servicing Outlaw Buckers0074 General Well Servicing Outlaw Buckers
- 0073 SaskWorks-Pipeline Online0073 SaskWorks-Pipeline Online
- 0072 Outlaw Buckers and Oil Kings 20240072 Outlaw Buckers and Oil Kings 2024
- 0069 Sask Oil Show 2024 banquet tickets0069 Sask Oil Show 2024 banquet tickets
- 0071 Pride Upkeep 2024 Packages0071 Pride Upkeep 2024 Packages
- 0070 Sask Oil Show 2024 pre-register0070 Sask Oil Show 2024 pre-register
- 0068 Sask Oil Show 2024 booth0068 Sask Oil Show 2024 booth
- 0067 PFM SaskWorks Payroll Investment Plan0067 PFM SaskWorks Payroll Investment Plan
- 0066 WBPC Promo video 30 seconds0066 WBPC Promo video 30 seconds
- 0064 Estevan OTS0064 Estevan OTS
- 0063 Turnbull Excavating hiring crusher0063 Turnbull Excavating hiring crusher
- 0062 TED_EPAC_Technology_300062 TED_EPAC_Technology_30
- 0061 SIMSA 2024 For Sask Buy Sask0061 SIMSA 2024 For Sask Buy Sask
- 0058 Royal Helium Steveville opens anonymous rocket0058 Royal Helium Steveville opens anonymous rocket
- 0055 Smart Power Be Smart with your Power office0055 Smart Power Be Smart with your Power office
- 0052 Predator Inspections0052 Predator Inspections
- 0051 JML Hiring Pumpjack assembly0051 JML Hiring Pumpjack assembly
- 0049 Scotsburn Dental soft guitar0049 Scotsburn Dental soft guitar
- 0046 City of Estevan This is Estevan0046 City of Estevan This is Estevan
- 0041 DEEP Since 2018 now we are going to build0041 DEEP Since 2018 now we are going to build
- 0032 IWS Summer hiring rock trailer music
- 0022 Grimes winter hiring
- 0021 OSY Rentals S8 Promo
- 0018 IWS Hiring Royal Summer
- 0015 Latus Viro0015 Latus Viro
- 0013 Panther Drilling PO ad 03 top drive rigs
- 0011
- 0006 JK Junior
- 0002 gilliss casing services0002 gilliss casing services
- 9002 Pipeline Online 30 sec EBEX9002 Pipeline Online 30 sec EBEX
- 9001