Trudeau pledges $420M to phase out coal at Algoma Steel in campaign-style visit

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is back on the road doling out hundreds of millions of dollars in climate spending from his Liberal government.

Seeing the prime minister behind a podium not talking about COVID-19 is a marked shift from what millions of Canadians have grown used to over the past year.

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Trudeau’s announcement from Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., to give a steel plant up to $420 million to phase out coal-fired steelmaking fanned expectations that his government is preparing to send Canadians to the polls.

He says the groundwork for the announcement was laid out in the Liberals’ spring budget.

Trudeau also took a swing at the Conservatives, arguing the party is not serious about fighting climate change while growing the economy — a core refrain of his party over the past six years.

Trudeau holds power in a minority government and in recent weeks has criticized opposition parties for obstructing legislation important to his party.

2:08Country artist Corb Lund and ranchers want Canadians to see what’s under threat of coal exploration