When asked to define who he sees as being in the middle class, Justin Trudeau said that “Canadians know” and that there are “actual issues” to focus on.
“Canadians know who’s in the middle class and know what their families are facing and we focus more on the actual issues,” said Trudeau on Breakfast Television.
Trudeau’s answer echoed an equally unclear response by his newly appointed Minister of Middle Class Prosperity, Mona Fortier.
In November, Fortier struggled to provide a definition for the middle class and her cabinet role during an interview on the CBC Radio program, The Current with Laura Lynch. After repeated questions regarding who she considers to be included in the term, Fortier defined it as people who “have quality of life” and “can send their kids to play hockey.”
“I define the middle class where people feel they can afford their way of life, they have quality of life and they can send their kids to play hockey or even have different activities,” said Fortier.
A mandate letter released earlier this month also left Canadians wondering what exactly Fortier’s new position would entail. Most of the tasks assigned to Fortier by Trudeau related to her role as the Associate Minister of Finance and not to the new ministerial position.
Shortly after the cabinet position was revealed, commentators and Canadians criticized the lack of clarity and questionable need for such a new minister.
