Trudeau cites programs such as Canada Child Benefit as ways to help Islanders deal with inflation

An increase in the Canada Child Benefit and an agreement with P.E.I. signed a year ago to reduce child-care fees are examples of how the federal government is helping Islanders struggling with rising inflation, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Friday.

However, he would not explicitly commit to funding or partnering with the province on a basic income pilot.

Trudeau was on P.E.I. as part of a tour of the region. He took a few questions from media before heading to Summerside to meet with fishermen.

With inflation on P.E.I. being the highest in Canada, Trudeau said he has heard from Islanders about struggles with the rising costs of food, gas and housing.

"The approach this government has taken has been to give support to people who need it most," he said, while also saying, "The most important thing is to make sure we continue to grow the economy in real meaningful ways."

I hear it from teachers across the country how kids are showing up with, you know, new clothes and full bellies where they didn't before.— Prime Minister Justin Trudeau

Trudeau said programs like the Canada Child Benefit, which provides money directly to families with children under 18, has lifted hundreds of thousands of children out of poverty.

"I hear it from teachers across the country how kids are showing up with, you know, new clothes and full bellies where they didn't before. This is something that is making a concrete impact."

He also noted, in response to a question about partnering with the province on a basic income pilot, that Ottawa is increasing the Old Age Security by 10 per cent for seniors over 75 beginning next week.

As for housing, he said the federal government needs to "step up."

"We're moving forward to ban foreign buyers, to crack down on predatory practices in the real estate industry that are taking advantage of people and we're also working directly with municipalities to increase their tools to accelerate building of homes."