BREAKING: Trudeau slams high-profile politicians calling for trade of Huawei CFO for Canadian prisoners in China

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau addressed media on Thursday, providing updates on the federal government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the situation surrounding the two Canadian prisoners in China.

A recent letter by 19 high-profile Canadians to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau calls for Canada to use their legal right to intervene "to free Meng and end the extradition trial that could send her to the US," which would then, in turn, return Canada's two prisoners in China back home.

The pair—Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor—were detained and have been imprisoned since shortly after Canada's arrest of Meng Wanzhou in Vancouver.

Trudeau dismissed the calls, and criticized those who were calling for the trade.

“If countries around the world, including China, realize that by arbitrarily arresting random Canadians they can get what they want out of Canada politically... that makes an awful lot more Canadians who travel around the world vulnerable to that kind of pressure,” said Trudeau.

"I respect these individuals, but they're wrong in their approach,” he continued.

More funding for students

The prime minister also provided updates on the federal student service grant, which would provide eligible students grants of $1,000 to $5,000 for post-secondary school.

"We're launching the new Canada student service grant, which will allow post-secondary students and recent grads to gain valuable experience while also contributing to their communities," he said.

Trudeau said that the amount would be determined by how many hours of volunteer work would be completed. The Liberal government will also invest $40 million to create 5,000 "My Tax internships" to help students during the crisis.