The project is expected to cost 5.5 billion Canadian dollars and was originally scheduled to start this summer, but it was postponed because the province carefully studied Calgary’s plan before signing it. It requires changes-including the way the project is divided into multiple parts.

When completed, the first phase will transport passengers from the southeastern suburbs of the city to downtown Calgary, while the second phase will transport them to the Bow River and into the downtown community in the north.

The province and the federal government have each pledged $1.5 billion for this route.

On Wednesday, all obstacles were cleared. The province said it had approved Ottawa’s approval at the end of June, and Trudeau made the final decision today.

Trudeau said this afternoon: “This fall, the first phase of the LRT Green Line project will start in Calgary’s Beltline and downtown.”

The Mayor of Calgary, Naheed Nenshi, expressed his gratitude to his colleagues in the City Council. He pointed out that it has been a year since the city council voted to approve the final route of the Green Line, and said he thinks the provincial capital will approve it soon.

“Supporting this is not easy, especially when you are attacked from many different corners because of it, especially when some partners may not always be good partners,” he said. “The council’s support for this has been unwavering.”

Nenshi said he was surprised by the province’s sudden approval of its green line pledge before today’s press conference, but added that despite the political struggle, the approval represented a “historic funding pledge” by the three levels of government.

It was the end of the day of celebration. The prime minister shot his political opponents in the heart of the Conservative Party, but incorporated a larger story of advancing the green initiative.

Climate change and the new economy

Earlier in the day, Trudeau answered questions about Alberta’s climate change and economic opportunities on Calgary Red FM, saying that his government has taken steps to help the country prepare for the future, such as the national carbon price.

Trudeau said: “This is a huge opportunity. Some politicians in Alberta have even been opposed to admitting that climate change is real. This fact has slowed Alberta’s preparation for the economic future and future work. ability.”

On the eve of the Prime Minister’s visit, Federal Minister of the Environment Jonathan Wilkinson (Jonathan Wilkinson) also took the offensive, naming Alberta Governor Jason Kenney on Twitter to oppose Ottawa’s labeling of all plastics as poisonous. The decision to label.

“Only 9% of plastics are recycled and it is time for the governor to understand the environmental hazards caused by discarding more than 3 million tons of plastic worth US$7.9B each year. We will continue to play a leading role in climate and economics and will always welcome The Prime Minister joins,” he wrote.

The Kenny government has seen the petrochemical industry, including plastics, as a growth opportunity for the province. It launched a new grant program to help encourage industries that can pay billions of dollars.

The plan replaces the royalty credit program for petrochemical companies established by the previous New Democratic Party government.

Veil ban

Trudeau also seized the opportunity this morning to tout his government’s work against racism and attack the former Conservative government where Kenny was a cabinet minister.

“I acknowledge systemic racism and discrimination and have opposed it from the very beginning of my election as prime minister, protecting the rights of the people and protecting minorities from Stephen Harper’s Conservative Party. They are talking about prohibiting the veil,” he said— -A direct reference to a policy advocated by Kenny that prohibits masking in citizenship ceremonies.

Later in the morning, the prime minister met with Kenny. It is not clear what the two leaders discussed. The two held a photo opportunity after the meeting, but did not raise any questions.

A spokesperson for the governor’s office said Kenny is planning to discuss pipelines and reopen international borders that were closed due to COVID-19.

Spokesperson Jerica Goodwin said that the Prime Minister intends to discuss with Trudeau the fair deal offered to Alberta in the Federation.

She said he also plans to argue that Ottawa should wait until Alberta’s October nomination election to fill any vacancies in the Senate.

“Many predictions indicate that we will lead the country in terms of growth. I look forward to discussing with you how to achieve this goal so that Albertans who are unemployed or employed for less than two years can start working again. I certainly hope that we will be on the growth agenda. To find common ground,” Kenny said while taking the photo.

The Conservative Party’s popularity in Alberta has fallen

Since his first election in 2019, Kenny’s popularity has plummeted. Several opinion polls in the past few months have shown that he is one of the most unpopular governors of the country.Other investigations show that his The United Conservative Party lags behind the opposition New Democratic Party.

Similarly, Federal Conservative Party leader Erin O’Toole has been struggling, even in the Conservative Alberta.

A kind Recent surveys conducted by Janet Brown Opinion ResearchOn behalf of CBC News, only 11% of Albertans are “impressed” by O’Toole, which is slightly lower than Trudeau (17%) and New Democratic Party leader Jagmit Singh (16%). )Favorability.

Watch: Trudeau avoids questions about election calls

On Wednesday, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke with reporters during the transit announcement in Calgary. 2:14

Throughout the press conference, Trudeau rejected the question of whether the federal election was coming. He did say on Red FM that it is important for Alberta to express opinions within the government.

“Having a strong Liberal voice around our core group or cabinet table is the key to accomplishing great things for Alberta. Buying the Trans-Mountain Pipeline and building it happened because we have Amarjeet Sohi at our cabinet table Fight for this,” he said.

The Liberal Party currently has no members from Alberta.