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UPDATE: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau takes son Hadrien on campaign-style stop to P.E.I.

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CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. - Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made a campaign-style stop to Charlottetown on Monday, stressing the importance of his government’s record on senior’s issues.

Trudeau began his visit with a drop-in to a senior’s social at the Milton Community Hall, with his four-year old son, Hadrien, in tow. The prime minister later visited Red Shores Casino and Racetrack taking some time for a visit to the super slide with Hadrien at the Old Home Week midway. The day capped off with a visit to a strawberry social at Connaught Square in Charlottetown.

The prime minister said he considered it important for his son to see some of the work he did on a daily basis.

"One of the things I learned from my dad was that if I just do this job and don't bring my kids along with me every now and then, I don't see them enough," Trudeau told the gathering of seniors in the morning.

“Being able to bring this guy along with me on this particular trip not only lets him see a little of what daddy does when I'm away as often as I am, it also gives me some quality one-on-one time with him."

During the morning meeting, Trudeau spoke about his government’s record on seniors issues. Trudeau said the Liberal government had made improvements to the Canada Pension and lowered the minimum age for Old Age Security. He also mentioned federal support for the $12.1 million rebuild of the Riverview Manor in Montague and the new manor in Tyne Valley.

Trudeau was accompanied by his new minister of seniors, Filomena Tassi. The Ontario MP was appointed to the newly created post last month.

Three days after the shooting in Fredericton that killed four individuals – police constables Lawrence Robert Costello and Sara Mae Helen Burns, as well as Donald Adam Robichaud and Bobbie Lee Wright – Trudeau addressed the issue of gun control in Canada during his P.E.I. stop.

He said the federal government was moving forward with what he called “common sense gun legislation.” Bill C-71 will enhance background checks and limit the transportation of some firearms, Trudeau said.

But Trudeau stopped short of saying that the new gun control legislation would require sellers of unrestricted firearms to share information about the identity of the buyers with police.

“We will not be bringing back a long gun registry,” Trudeau said.

Trudeau also addressed the issue of federal carbon taxes. The governments of both Ontario and Saskatchewan have pledged to mount a constitutional challenge to the imposition of federal carbon taxes across Canada. The tax is aimed at imposing a cost on carbon emissions, although some provinces plan on establishing tax breaks in conjunction with the tax.

The Prince Edward Island government of Liberal Premier Wade MacLauchlan has also presented a climate change plan to the federal government that does not include a carbon tax.

“If there are provinces that don’t want to move forward, we will move forward at the federal level,” Trudeau said.

Trudeau took aim at Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer over his criticisms of a federal carbon tax.

“What we’ve seen from Conservative politicians across the country is criticism of our plan but absolutely no pretence given that they have a plan of their own,” Trudeau said.

“Right now we’re the only ones with a plan.”

Scheer has said he will unveil a plan to meet Canada’s emissions reduction targets under the Paris Climate Agreement without a carbon tax.

At the afternoon strawberry social, Trudeau was flanked by all four Liberal MPs on P.E.I., Sean Casey, Lawrence MacAulay, Wayne Easter and Bobby Morrissey.

A large crowd turned out for the event, with many stopping to snap selfies with the prime minister and his son.

However, not everyone was there for selfies.

As Trudeau spoke on stage, two activists unfurled a banner behind the prime minister that read ‘stop pipeline bail-out.’

Anna Keenan, dressed in an eagle costume and standing on stilts, said she showed up with the banner because she opposed Trudeau’s decision to purchase the Kinder Morgan pipeline, which is slated to transport bitumen from Alberta to Burnaby, B.C.

“Knowing what we know about climate change, this is no time to be investing billions of dollars into expanding the fossil fuel industry,” Keenan said.

Twitter.com/stu_neatby

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