PM discusses a range of topics during stop in Charlottetown
Trudeau talked about EI, electoral reform, pot legislation and more
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was in Charlottetown to receive the Symons Medal at a ceremony at the Confederation Centre on Thursday.
He stopped by CBC P.E.I. to discuss an array of topics with CBC News: Compass host Louise Martin.
Employment Insurance
There are no current plans to change Prince Edward Island back to a single employment insurance zone, Trudeau said.
"We're always open to making changes but I don't think there's any changes on the books right now."
The split of the Island into two zones was an election issue in 2015.
The change was made by the previous Conservative government. With the change, people in the Charlottetown area have to work more hours to qualify for benefits than workers in the east and west of the province.
Earlier this month, a Charlottetown MLA went to Ottawa to ask why the change was taking so long.
Proportional representation
P.E.I. is planning a referendum on proportional representation as part of the 2019 provincial election.
Trudeau reaffirmed his belief on electoral reform saying "I think proportional representation would be bad for Canada."
"The discussion was demonstrating there was no forward path on an issue that was very important to a small number of people and not particularly important to a whole bunch of people and my mandate is to pull people together," he said.
"I wasn't going to pick a divisive fight."
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As far as the provincial election system goes, he said that was up to the province.
"I'm not going to weigh in on that," he said.
Protecting supply management
Trudeau also reiterated his government's support for supply management systems in place for some farm products as trade negotiations continue with the U.S. and Mexico.
"We are very much focused on the fact that it's a system that works," he said.
"We're not going to accept a bad deal for Canada."
Marijuana legalization
Trudeau said he was pleased with the progress the provinces were making towards regulating legalized marijuana, which is coming in the first half of next year.
The prime minister said his government has two clear goals in legalizing marijuana, the first is doing a better job of keeping the drug away from children.
"We have the highest rate of underage use in the world of marijuana, and that's not good," he said.
He also wants to take the profits from selling marijuana away from organized crime.
"We need to get that into a regularized system so that we can ensure that any profits from it, instead of going to fund more violence, are funding addiction, mental health supports, community supports, homeless supports, these kinds of things," he said.
Phoenix pay system
Trudeau said problems with the Phoenix pay system are likely to continue for some time.
"Obviously this is a terrible situation. No one should ever go without be paid appropriately," he said.
The difficulties of a fix were compounded recently by the implementation of some new collective agreements, he said.
"We're making significant headway," he added, although acknowledging that "it's going to continue to be a real difficulty."
Favourite P.E.I. experiences
"One of our favourite beaches in the country is out at Greenwich," Trudeau said.
"The restaurant and the food at The Dunes is one that I am a huge fan of."
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With files from Louise Martin