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.

READ MORE: All new light-duty vehicles sold in Canada will be zero-emission by 2035, feds say

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.

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

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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.

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