Jobs were on the agenda for Prime Minister Stephen Harper on Friday when he met with workers at a Burlington, Ont., adhesives plant.  

The prime minister got a hands-on demonstration of the EcoSynthetix ingredients, and then sat down among the bags of product for a wide-ranging, one-on-one interview with CityNews anchor Gord Martineau.

“It reminds us that we are in a very fragile global economy.… There is some positive news but overall it just reminds us that we need to keep focused on jobs and growth,” Harper said, reacting to news that Canada’s unemployment rate jumped to 7.4 per cent in November.

“That will remain the No. 1 priority of our government.”

Toronto was also a hot topic with Harper touching on Mayor Rob Ford’s budget woes and what the Conservatives have planned for Toronto in 2012. Harper explained that since taking office, his government has made significant investments in public transit and post-secondary education across the GTA.

“We’ll continue to work with municipalities in this area and across the country to make these investments – but do so in a way that the country can afford.”

Watch the full interview, attached to this story.