The Canadian government is launching a $1-billion response fund to fuel the domestic and global fight to contain the novel coronavirus disease known as COVID-19.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the support package in a press conference in Ottawa on Wednesday, saying the federal funding aims to help provincial health-care systems cope with the increasing number of new coronavirus cases and to help Canadian workers who are forced to isolate themselves.
“The reality is that the number of people affected by the virus around the globe keeps climbing. Canada has been fortunate so far … I know that people across the country are worried,” Trudeau said.
“We’re pulling out all the stops to make sure Canadians are safe and protected.”
The plan includes $500 million for the provinces and territories, including money for things like buying medical gear such as face masks.
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That also includes money for public education, surveillance and monitoring, and access to testing.
2:16 Coronavirus outbreak: Trudeau outlines response funding, includes support for workers affected by virus
Coronavirus outbreak: Trudeau outlines response funding, includes support for workers affected by virus
Another $275 million will go to medical research, including funding for a finding a vaccine and launching clinical trials.
That’s on top of the $27 million in research funding announced earlier in the week.
As part of the program, the one-week waiting period to apply for employment insurance will be waived.
It will also adjust the rules in the Service Canada work-sharing program, which Trudeau said aims to help companies deal with employees who have to stay home.
There will also be $50 million in international aid to help other countries fight the spread of the virus.
1:02 Coronavirus outbreak: Trudeau addresses travel, says ‘strongest recommendation’ is for individuals to protect themselves and families
Coronavirus outbreak: Trudeau addresses travel, says ‘strongest recommendation’ is for individuals to protect themselves and families
Trudeau was asked by reporters what safeguards would be put in place to ensure people do not abuse the program.
He did not give a clear answer.
“We have confidence in Canadians. We know that what is extremely important right now is every Canadian does their part to arrest the rate of this virus,” he said.
“We need to make sure everyone is given the tools they need.”
Business and labour groups have called on the federal government to loosen restrictions on employment insurance payments for people who are off work due to illness, arguing that would also make it easier for people with more precarious jobs to stay home and avoid infecting others.
There are few confirmed instances of community transmission of the virus that causes COVID-19 in Canada, but the number of cases continues to grow.
As of March 10, there have been 93 confirmed cases of the illness in Canada.
The first death in Canada as a result of the new coronavirus was announced on Monday.
That individual had been living at a care home in B.C.
Trudeau said the most important factor in how the virus spreads comes down to the behaviour of Canadians, adding that things like increased handwashing, social distancing and staying home from work when sick will be the biggest determinants in how it spreads going forward.
“We have been able to restrict the spread of the virus in Canada over the last few weeks because we had the appropriate measures in place,” he said, before being asked what further measures he could consider if the situation gets worse.
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“We’re not closing the door to any decisions at this point, but any decision we make will be based on the recommendations of experts and the best scientific evidence that we have.”
The announcement comes on the heels of the decision by two members of the Liberal caucus to self-isolate after coming into contact with two separate individuals at two separate conferences who both tested positive for the new coronavirus.
2:08 Coronavirus outbreak: Top health official outlines measures to prevent ‘rapid rise’ in cases
Coronavirus outbreak: Top health official outlines measures to prevent ‘rapid rise’ in cases
Montreal Liberal MP Anthony Housefather said on Monday he was in self-isolation after attending the American Israel Public Affairs Committee conference in Washington, D.C., earlier in the month. Two people who attended that conference, including one person from Toronto, have tested positive for COVID-19.
Natural Resources Minister Seamus O’Regan is also in self-isolation due to what he called a “persistent” head cold.
He said he has taken a test for the new coronavirus and is waiting to hear the results.
O’Regan said on Tuesday evening that he wasn’t aware of coming into contact with anyone who has the virus.
But on Wednesday morning, attendees who took part in a global mining industry conference in Toronto last week were advised to monitor themselves for symptoms after a man from the Sudbury area who attended that conference tested positive.
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Both O’Regan and Trudeau were at the conference.
Trudeau was asked about that on Wednesday and about whether he is changing his own behaviour to reduce the risk.
“I haven’t had a test,” he said. “I am following Dr. Tam’s recommendations in order to keep myself safe and my family as well.”
Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada’s chief public health officer, said everyone who was there is being monitored.
Anyone who develops even small symptoms should stay home and call a doctor or local health agency immediately, she said.
VANCOUVER – Contract negotiations resume today in Vancouver in a labour dispute that has paralyzed container cargo shipping at British Columbia’s ports since Monday.
The BC Maritime Employers Association and International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 514 are scheduled to meet for the next three days in mediated talks to try to break a deadlock in negotiations.
The union, which represents more than 700 longshore supervisors at ports, including Vancouver, Prince Rupert and Nanaimo, has been without a contract since March last year.
The latest talks come after employers locked out workers in response to what it said was “strike activity” by union members.
The start of the lockout was then followed by several days of no engagement between the two parties, prompting federal Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon to speak with leaders on both sides, asking them to restart talks.
MacKinnon had said that the talks were “progressing at an insufficient pace, indicating a concerning absence of urgency from the parties involved” — a sentiment echoed by several business groups across Canada.
In a joint letter, more than 100 organizations, including the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, Business Council of Canada and associations representing industries from automotive and fertilizer to retail and mining, urged the government to do whatever it takes to end the work stoppage.
“While we acknowledge efforts to continue with mediation, parties have not been able to come to a negotiated agreement,” the letter says. “So, the federal government must take decisive action, using every tool at its disposal to resolve this dispute and limit the damage caused by this disruption.
“We simply cannot afford to once again put Canadian businesses at risk, which in turn puts Canadian livelihoods at risk.”
In the meantime, the union says it has filed a complaint to the Canada Industrial Relations Board against the employers, alleging the association threatened to pull existing conditions out of the last contract in direct contact with its members.
“The BCMEA is trying to undermine the union by attempting to turn members against its democratically elected leadership and bargaining committee — despite the fact that the BCMEA knows full well we received a 96 per cent mandate to take job action if needed,” union president Frank Morena said in a statement.
The employers have responded by calling the complaint “another meritless claim,” adding the final offer to the union that includes a 19.2 per cent wage increase over a four-year term remains on the table.
“The final offer has been on the table for over a week and represents a fair and balanced proposal for employees, and if accepted would end this dispute,” the employers’ statement says. “The offer does not require any concessions from the union.”
The union says the offer does not address the key issue of staffing requirement at the terminals as the port introduces more automation to cargo loading and unloading, which could potentially require fewer workers to operate than older systems.
The Port of Vancouver is the largest in Canada and has seen a number of labour disruptions, including two instances involving the rail and grain storage sectors earlier this year.
A 13-day strike by another group of workers at the port last year resulted in the disruption of a significant amount of shipping and trade.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 9, 2024.
The Royal Canadian Legion says a new partnership with e-commerce giant Amazon is helping boost its veterans’ fund, and will hopefully expand its donor base in the digital world.
Since the Oct. 25 launch of its Amazon.ca storefront, the legion says it has received nearly 10,000 orders for poppies.
Online shoppers can order lapel poppies on Amazon in exchange for donations or buy items such as “We Remember” lawn signs, Remembrance Day pins and other accessories, with all proceeds going to the legion’s Poppy Trust Fund for Canadian veterans and their families.
Nujma Bond, the legion’s national spokesperson, said the organization sees this move as keeping up with modern purchasing habits.
“As the world around us evolves we have been looking at different ways to distribute poppies and to make it easier for people to access them,” she said in an interview.
“This is definitely a way to reach a wider number of Canadians of all ages. And certainly younger Canadians are much more active on the web, on social media in general, so we’re also engaging in that way.”
Al Plume, a member of a legion branch in Trenton, Ont., said the online store can also help with outreach to veterans who are far from home.
“For veterans that are overseas and are away, (or) can’t get to a store they can order them online, it’s Amazon.” Plume said.
Plume spent 35 years in the military with the Royal Engineers, and retired eight years ago. He said making sure veterans are looked after is his passion.
“I’ve seen the struggles that our veterans have had with Veterans Affairs … and that’s why I got involved, with making sure that the people get to them and help the veterans with their paperwork.”
But the message about the Amazon storefront didn’t appear to reach all of the legion’s locations, with volunteers at Branch 179 on Vancouver’s Commercial Drive saying they hadn’t heard about the online push.
Holly Paddon, the branch’s poppy campaign co-ordinator and bartender, said the Amazon partnership never came up in meetings with other legion volunteers and officials.
“I work at the legion, I work with the Vancouver poppy office and I go to the meetings for the Vancouver poppy campaign — which includes all the legions in Vancouver — and not once has this been mentioned,” she said.
Paddon said the initiative is a great idea, but she would like to have known more about it.
The legion also sells a larger collection of items at poppystore.ca.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 9, 2024.
