Justin Trudeau cooks s'mores on Nova Scotia working vacation

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau brought his family to Nova Scotia on a working vacation that included cooking s'mores as a midday lunch with a group of about a dozen kids attending a day camp.

In bright sunshine and temperatures hovering in the 30 C range, Trudeau, his wife Sophie and their three children gathered with the campers around a campfire to roast marshmallows and assemble s'mores at The Islands Provincial Park near Shelburne.

The two-day trip is designed as a way to mark the first anniversary of his government's changes to the Canada Child Benefit, which he described as fairer and more generous than the tax credit it replaced.

Whale deaths 'extremely concerning'

After speaking about the benefit in a four-minute prepared statement, Trudeau took questions from reporters. He said it's "extremely concerning" the number of right whales that have been found dead off the Gulf of St. Lawrence this summer.

"We take this issue very, very seriously," he said. "We have asked the Department of Fisheries and Oceans and others to look into this issue and what is causing these whales to die."

After a hike with his wife at Kejimkujik National Park Seaside, the two took a stroll along the beach.

Parade, fundraiser on agenda

The prime minister is also the guest of honour at a Liberal Party fundraiser at the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia in Halifax on Friday night.

Facing criticism for previous closed-door events, which the opposition has dubbed cash-for-access fundraisers, the party has arranged limited access to the event for members of the media.

The Nova Scotia visit will include walking in Saturday's Pride parade through the streets of downtown Halifax.

Trudeau became the first sitting prime minister to march in a Pride parade when he did so in Toronto in 2016. He then attended the same event last month.