Prime Minister Trudeau talks to Winnipeggers during town hall

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau finished his trip to Winnipeg with a town hall Wednesday evening at the University of Winnipeg, answering questions from those in attendance.

Trudeau took questions on a variety of topics from dealing with addictions and mental health supports throughout the country to how people will be supported as the price of goods rise.

The prime minister started off the event noting there are a lot of reasons to be anxious and worried about what is happening in the world right now. From climate change, to the war happening in Ukraine, to housing prices, to the cost of living, Trudeau said there are many complex issues that need to be tackled.

"No wonder people are worried about where we're going, about how we are going to get through it," said Trudeau.

He said the solutions are not simple, noting if they were, they would have already happened.

"Complex problems, complex challenges, have complex solutions and require us all to step up, require us to work hard together to solve them. The good thing is, that is what Canadians have always been great at."

He encouraged Canadians to stay clear eyed and optimistic about the future and said the country will get through the tough times together.

MENTAL HEALTH, ADDICTIONS and HOMELESSNESS

Topics focused on mental health, addictions and homelessness were brought up throughout the evening.

When talking about addictions, Trudeau said the most vulnerable in our population are being hit the hardest, but noted no one in Canada is left untouched by the problem.

He said it is a complex issue and there is no one solution to deal with addiction issues across the country.

"If we are going to get down to the actual challenge of addictions, it is time we stop treating addictions as a criminal justice issue and start treating it as a health issue."

While that is one answer, he said people are still worried and addictions can be intertwined with other problems such as mental health and homelessness. He said a multi-faceted approach is needed to make the fight against addictions successful.

"Being an addict shouldn't be a death sentence," he said.

Looking to mental health, he was asked about how supports will be provided to students and people in university and also about ensuring supports are available to all people.

He said it is important that supports are available for younger people and that if issues are dealt with at a younger age, it will benefit them when they are older.

"If you can support someone in the 15 to 25-year-old range as they begin, in some cases, their first struggles with mental health, then you give them the tools to be more successful, more achieving their potential, more able to deal with those challenges throughout the course of their life."

He said this is why the government has put a focus on helping university students and the younger generation.

Trudeau also pointed out there needs to be more work with the provinces, as provincial governments are the ones that determine health-care and the federal government helps with funding.

When trying to make supports more available for everyone, he said systems need to be put in place to make sure Canadians are accessing the right mental health supports. He said different people need different levels of support and the country needs to be better at addressing mental health in a more efficient way.

When asked about homeless, he said a lot of the positive changes that the government was making were interrupted during the pandemic and progress was lost.

"It is heartbreaking to see the increasing challenges of homelessness across the country."

Like addiction, he said this isn’t something that has a simple solution. He noted this is a problem that needs all three levels of government support to find answers.

RECONCILIATION, LGBTQ2S+ CONCERNS

The topic of reconciliation was brought during the town hall, with one person asking if Trudeau's government will address what happened to Indigenous people at residential schools as genocide, during Truth and Reconciliation Day this year.

Trudeau said this is the kind of language he continues to use when talking about what happened in Canada's past.

He added it is important that all Canadians understand reconciliation and that the actions years ago are still impactful today.

"The important question is, what do we do about it now?" said Trudeau.

He said reconciliation is about each and every single Canadian. To heal, he said it will take time but it is also an urgent matter that everyone needs to be part of.

Trudeau was also asked if his government has a plan to protect all Canadians and not leave out those in the LGBTQ2S+ community.

He said seeing what is happening around the world is scary and his government will do everything to protect the rights of marginalized groups.

"Something is happening and Canada is not immune to that…but what is happening in the United States is bleeding into political discourse in Canada."

He said his government will always stand up for the rights of women, LGBTQ2S+ and other groups who are at risk of having their rights attacked.

Earlier in the day, Trudeau met with Indigenous students in Winnipeg at The Forks and also announced the city will be the site of the Canada Water Agency headquarters.