Recalling that last week he said there was “light at the end of the tunnel,” Quebec Premier François Legault said Tuesday that he now believes the province is coming out of that tunnel — and so will ease more pandemic restrictions as of Jan. 31.
But he said the easing will happen slowly. As of Monday, people can resume private indoor gatherings, but with a maximum of four people from two bubbles, Legault said.
The same rules will apply to dining. Restaurants may reopen to indoor dining as of Monday, with a capacity of 50 per cent. Tables must be limited to four people, again from only two bubbles, and vaccine passports will be required.
Kids under 18 will also be able to resume extra-curricular and non-school related sports, but there will be no games or competitions — only practices permitted with a gathering maximum of 25 people.
Restaurants at ski lodges will be able to open at 50 per cent capacity, as will other tourist attractions such as the Biodome.
WATCH | Vaccine mandate for stores could help:
Requiring vaccine passport for big-box stores may contribute to ‘sense of security,’ professor says
15 hours ago
Duration 0:52
Emily McDonald, a specialist in internal medicine at McGill University Health Centre, says requiring that shoppers at big-box stores be vaccinated may not lessen COVID-19 transmission, but might encourage a small percentage unvaccinated residents to get their first dose. 0:52
A second phase of reopening will begin Feb. 7 and focus on cultural venues, such as concert halls and cinemas, which will be able to reopen at 50 per cent capacity to a maximum of 500 people. Places of worship will also be allowed to reopen at 50 per cent to a maximum of 250 people. Vaccine passports will be required for all.
Legault said in his briefing that the Quebec health system is beaten down, with still 12,000 health-care workers absent from the system. He made an appeal to young people to choose a career in nursing.
Quebec currently has 3,278 patients in hospital, with 263 in ICU. The province has 2,977 newly confirmed cases and 85 new deaths.
– From CBC News, last updated at 2:30 p.m. ET
What’s happening across Canada
WATCH | Alberta prepares field hospitals:
Alberta prepares field hospitals amid expected COVID-19 patient surge
21 hours ago
Duration 1:50
Alberta is preparing field hospitals in Calgary and Edmonton ahead of an expected COVID-19 patient surge, but health-care workers are concerned about not having enough staff for additional beds. 1:50
With lab-based testing capacity deeply strained and increasingly restricted, experts say true case counts are likely far higher than reported. Hospitalization data at the regional level is also evolving, with several provinces saying they will report figures that separate the number of people in hospital because of COVID-19 from those in hospital for another medical issue who also test positive for COVID-19.
For more information on what is happening in your community — including details on outbreaks, testing capacity and local restrictions — click through to the regional coverage below.
The National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) has upgraded its initial advice that kids aged five to 11 “may” get two doses of a mRNA COVID-19 vaccine.
It recommends a four- to eight-week interval between doses, but says a longer interval will likely lead to longer-lasting protection.
NACI also recommends immunocompromised kids between those ages be offered a third dose.
WATCH | Stronger vaccine advice for kids:
NACI strengthens COVID vaccine advice for kids 5-11
3 hours ago
Duration 4:13
NACI is now strongly recommending children aged five to 11 be vaccinated against COVID-19, with an interval of at least eight weeks between the two doses. Dr. Noah Ivers, a family physician from Women’s College Hospital says, ‘The most important decision is to go ahead and get your children vaccinated. The secondary consideration is the intervals.’ 4:13
In Central Canada Tuesday, 4,008 people were in hospital in Ontario with COVID-19, including 626 in intensive care. The province reported 64 deaths, which it says reflects data from the past 20 days. There were also 3,424 newly confirmed cases.
In Atlantic Canada, most students in Newfoundland and Labrador headed back to classrooms Tuesday, making it the second Atlantic province to return to in-person education this year.
The return to class plan posted by the government includes screening guidelines, mask rules and cohorts aimed at reducing the number of close interactions. Students were also asked to take two rapid tests, including one Tuesday morning, prior to their return.
Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Janice Fitzgerald has said that at this time in Newfoundland and Labrador, ‘the benefits of being in school for children outweigh the risks of COVID-19.’ (Government of Newfoundland and Labrador)
There were 20 people in hospital with COVID-19 Tuesday. Five remain in the ICU. The province also reported 296 new lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19.
Students in Nova Scotia were the first to return to school in the winter term in Atlantic Canada, heading back to classrooms on Jan. 17.
In Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick, students are set to stay remote until Jan. 31 at the earliest.
New Brunswick reported another seven people were in hospital Tuesday for a total of 138 patients being treated for COVID-19. Eleven were in the ICU. The province also confirmed another 350 cases, as well as three deaths.
As of Tuesday, Prince Edward Island had 10 people in hospital with COVID-19, including two in ICU. There have been 275 newly confirmed cases and one more death from the virus.
Nova Scotia on Tuesday said there were still 92 people in hospital with COVID-19, with one more patient in the ICU, bringing the total there to 15. The province also reported an additional 492 lab-confirmed cases and five additional deaths.
WATCH | Scientists are watching a new sub-variant of Omicron:
Sub-variant of Omicron not yet a concern, says epidemiologist
24 hours ago
Duration 3:41
A new sub-variant of Omicron has not yet led to enough of an increase in COVID-19 cases to be troubling, but Dr. Prabhat Jha, an epidemiologist at Toronto’s St. Michael’s Hospital, explains that how a variant behaves cannot be predicted. 3:41
In the Prairie provinces, Saskatchewan hospitals reported an additional 29 people in hospital with COVID-19, for a total of 291, including 33 in the ICU. There have been 1,048 new cases confirmed along with two new deaths. The province currently has a 7-day positivity rate of 33.7 per cent, the second highest in the country after Yukon, which has a daily positivity rate of 38 per cent. .
Manitoba on Tuesdayreported an additional 13 patients in hospital for COVID-19. for a total of 729. There were no new patients in the ICU, Tuesday, where 49 patients are still being treated. There have been 637 new cases of the virus confirmed along with six additional deaths.
Alberta reported 1,377 people in the hospital with COVID-19 on Tuesday,, an increase of 73 since yesterday. There were 111 people in intensive care. There have been 2,722 newly confirmed cases and 13 additional deaths.
Across the North, Nunavut on Tuesday reported 52 additional cases of COVID-19. There were no patients being treated in hospital for COVID-19. The Baffin Island community of Iglookik was under a strict lockdown as COVID-19 spread rapidly among households. All offices and schools were closed and travel is restricted. Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Michael Patterson said there were 17 active COVID-19 cases listed in the community Tuesday, but noted the numbers were much higher because of a lag in testing.
Health officials in Yukon reported 22 new cases of COVID-19 Tuesday, with one in hospital with the virus.
The Northwest Territories reported 282 new cases on Monday, as well as one additional death. There were no patients with COVID-19 in hospital.
British Columbia health officials on Monday reported 4,997 new cases of COVID-19 covering the three-day period since Friday. There were 24 additional deaths over the same period. There were 987 COVID-positive individuals in hospital, including 129 in the ICU.
-From CBC News and The Canadian Press, last updated at 5:45 p.m. ET
What’s happening around the world
Syringes and vials of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine are seen on a work surface. The companies say they will begin clinical trials on a vaccine specifically to target the Omicron variant. (Lars Hagberg/The Canadian Press)
As of Tuesday afternoon, more than 357.2 million cases of COVID-19 had been reported worldwide, according to Johns Hopkins University’s case-tracking tool. The reported global death toll stood at more than 5.6 million.
In the Americas, Pfizer and BioNTech said on Tuesday they started a clinical trial to test a new version of their vaccine specifically designed to target the COVID-19 Omicron variant, which has eluded some of the protection provided by the original two-dose vaccine regimen.
Chile, which already boasts one of the world’s highest COVID-19 vaccination rates, has agreed to purchase two million vaccine doses from Moderna, Chilean interim health minister Maria Teresa Valenzuela said.
In Europe, Russian health authorities have shortened the required isolation period for those who come in contact with COVID-19 patients from 14 days to seven, a move that comes as an unprecedented surge of coronavirus infections, driven by the highly contagious Omicron variant, rips through the vast country.
Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin announced the shift Tuesday. It only changes the rules for those who had close contact with someone who has COVID-19, not for those with a confirmed infection. Those who test positive were still required to isolate for 14 days, with a mandatory test on day 10 or 11.
A woman wearing a face mask walks in Moscow on Monday as Russia reported a substantial increase in COVID-19 cases. (Dimitar Dilkoff/AFP/Getty Images)
In the Asia-Pacific region, Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam defended herself for not wearing a mask at news conferences, saying it was so people could see how “solemn” she was when talking about COVID-19.
South Korea’s daily count of new coronavirus cases topped 8,000 for the first time, as the Omicron variant spreads rapidly despite the recent extension of strict physical-distancing rules to slow infection.
Japan is set to more than double the number of regions under enhanced coronavirus curbs on Tuesday, even as it sought to modify strategies to contend with the infectious Omicron variant that has fuelled record numbers of cases.
In the Middle East, an Israeli government advisory panel has recommended offering a fourth vaccine dose to all adults, on condition that at least five months have passed since they received the third or recovered from the illness.
On Monday, Israel’s health minister said he did not think Israel would offer a fourth COVID-19 vaccine dose to most people after the government made it available to those older than 60 and other high-risk groups.
In Africa, the Health Ministry in South Africa reported 1,332 cases of COVID-19 on Monday, and 88 additional deaths.
-From Reuters, The Associated Press and CBC News, last updated at 3:40 p.m. ET
OTTAWA – The New Democrats confirmed Thursday they won’t help Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives topple the government next week, and intend to join the Bloc Québécois in blocking the Tories’ non-confidence motion.
The planned votes from the Bloc and the New Democrats eliminate the possibility of a snap election, buying the Liberals more time to govern after a raucous start to the fall sitting of Parliament.
Poilievre issued a challenge to NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh earlier this week when he announced he will put forward a motion that simply states that the House has no confidence in the government or the prime minister.
If it were to pass, it would likely mean Canadians would be heading to the polls, but Singh said Thursday he’s not going to let Poilievre tell him what to do.
Voting against the Conservative motion doesn’t mean the NDP support the Liberals, said Singh, who pulled out of his political pact with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau a few weeks ago.
“I stand by my words, Trudeau has let you down,” Singh said in the foyer outside of the House of Commons Thursday.
“Trudeau has let you down and does not deserve another chance.”
Canadians will have to make that choice at the ballot box, Singh said, but he will make a decision about whether to help trigger that election on a vote-by-vote basis in the House.
The Conservatives mocked the NDP during Question Period for saying they had “ripped up” the deal to support the Liberals, despite plans to vote to keep them in power.
Poilievre accused Singh of pretending to pull out of the deal to sway voters in a federal byelection in Winnipeg, where the NDP was defending its long-held seat against the Conservatives.
“Once the votes were counted, he betrayed them again. He’s a fake, a phoney and fraud. How can anyone ever believe what the sellout NDP leader says in the future?” Poilievre said during Question Period Thursday afternoon.
At some point after those comments, Singh stepped out from behind his desk in the House and a two-minute shouting match ensued between the two leaders and their MPs before the Speaker intervened.
Outside the House, Poilievre said he plans to put forward another non-confidence motion at the next opportunity.
“We want a carbon-tax election as soon as possible, so that we can axe Trudeau’s tax before he quadruples it to 61 cents a litre,” he said.
Liberal House leader Karina Gould says there is much work the government still needs to do, and that Singh has realized the consequences of potentially bringing down the government. She refused to take questions about whether her government will negotiate with opposition parties to ensure their support in future confidence motions.
Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet hasn’t ruled out voting no-confidence in the government the next time a motion is tabled.
“I never support Liberals. Help me God, I go against the Conservatives on a vote that is only about Pierre Poilievre and his huge ambition for himself,” Blanchet said Thursday.
“I support the interests of Quebecers, if those interests are also good for Canadians.”
A Bloc bill to increase pension cheques for seniors aged 65 to 74 is now at “the very centre of the survival of this government,” he said.
The Bloc needs a recommendation from a government minister to OK the cost and get the bill through the House.
The Bloc also wants to see more protections for supply management in the food sector in Canada and Quebec.
If the Liberals can’t deliver on those two things, they will fall, Blanchet said.
“This is what we call power,” he said.
Treasury Board President Anita Anand wouldn’t say whether the government would be willing to swallow the financial implications of the Bloc’s demands.
“We are focused at Treasury Board on ensuring prudent fiscal management,” she said Thursday.
“And at this time, our immediate focus is implementing the measures in budget 2024 that were announced earlier this year.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
OTTAWA – Treasury Board President Anita Anand has been sworn in as federal transport minister at a ceremony at Rideau Hall, taking over a portfolio left vacant after Pablo Rodriguez resigned from cabinet and the Liberal caucus on Thursday.
Anand thanked Rodriguez for his contributions to the government and the country, saying she’s grateful for his guidance and friendship.
She sidestepped a question about the message it sends to have him leave the federal Liberal fold.
“That is a decision that he made independently, and I wish him well,” she said.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was not present for the swearing-in ceremony, nor were any other members of the Liberal government.
The shakeup in cabinet comes just days after the Liberals lost a key seat in a Montreal byelection to the Bloc Québécois and amid renewed calls for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to step down and make way for a new leader.
Anand said she is not actively seeking leadership of the party, saying she is focused on her roles as minister and as MP.
“My view is that we are a team, and we are a team that has to keep delivering for our country,” she said.
The minority Liberal government is in a more challenging position in the House of Commons after the NDP ended a supply-and-confidence deal that provided parliamentary stability for more than two years.
Non-confidence votes are guaranteed to come from the Opposition Conservatives, who are eager to bring the government down.
On Thursday morning, Rodriguez made a symbolic walk over the Alexandra Bridge from Parliament Hill to Gatineau, Que., where he formally announced his plans to run for the Quebec Liberal party leadership.
He said he will now sit as an Independent member of Parliament, which will allow him to focus on his own priorities.
“I was defending the priorities of the government, and I did it in a very loyal way,” he said.
“It’s normal and it’s what I had to do. But now it’s more about my vision, the vision of the team that I’m building.”
Rodriguez said he will stay on as an MP until the Quebec Liberal leadership campaign officially launches in January.
He said that will “avoid a costly byelection a few weeks, or months, before a general election.”
The next federal election must be held by October 2025.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said he will try to topple the government sooner than that, beginning with a non-confidence motion that is set to be debated Sept. 24 and voted on Sept. 25.
Poilievre has called on the NDP and the Bloc Québécois to support him, but both Jagmeet Singh and Yves-François Blanchet have said they will not support the Conservatives.
Rodriguez said he doesn’t want a federal election right away and will vote against the non-confidence motion.
As for how he would vote on other matters before the House of Commons, “it would depend on the votes.”
Public Services and Procurement Minister Jean-Yves Duclos will become the government’s new Quebec lieutenant, a non-cabinet role Rodriguez held since 2019.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
— With files from Nojoud Al Mallees and Dylan Robertson
