New Trudeau finance minister says Canada's economic restart must be 'green'

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's new Finance Minister has said that the "restart" of Canada's economy should be focused on green energy.

Speaking to reporters at a press conference, Chrystia Freeland–who took over from Bill Morneau on Monday–said that "the restart of our economy needs to be green."

Freeland continued, saying the economy "also needs to be equitable, it needs to be inclusive and we need to focus very much on jobs and growth."

"This is a once in a lifetime challenge for our whole country, and our commitment as a government is to do whatever it takes to support Canadians as we get through this challenge," she concluded.

The Trudeau government has often attempted to combine economic growth with environmental responsibility to mixed results. Earlier this year, for instance, the prime minister said that businesses who do not fight climate will change will receive no government support.

The government's inaction over the construction of pipelines has also been used as evidence of this economic theory.

Freeland took over Morneau's position after he "resigned" to take up a position in France. In reality, Morneau had been briefed against by the prime minister's office after his involvement in the WE fiasco.