While he hasn’t claimed to possess “total authority” when it comes to reopening the economy or to loosening public health restrictions, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has indeed implied that he’s very much in the driver’s seat on such matters.
On Friday, Trudeau spoke about what he sees as the need for co-ordination at the national level and announced that his government would be working on “guidelines” and “principles” for the provinces to follow in safely transitioning out of our current lockdown measures.
The prime minister is certainly entitled to share his views on how Canada is faring in its battle against the virus. Moreover, there is clearly some national interest at stake here, as a province acting recklessly in handling its COVID-19 outbreak could obviously mean repercussions for other parts of the country.
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Ultimately, though, it does not appear as though the prime minister is the final word on the matter — and that’s okay.
With both Saskatchewan and New Brunswick now having laid out their plans for a phased removal of their respective public health restrictions, it’s apparent that provincial governments are the ones in the driver’s seat here. And that’s how it should be.
As much as Trudeau has stressed the need for a national approach to this question — and even Conservative leader Andrew Scheer this week lamented the possibility of a “patchwork” of provincial approaches — it makes sense that provincial governments would be making these decisions.
These are provincially declared public health emergencies that are in effect at the moment and apply to areas of provincial jurisdiction. And while there are some obvious similarities in those restrictions, there are also some key differences in the sorts of measures that the provinces have imposed.
Moreover, though, the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic varies greatly across the country, so it’s certainly reasonable that provinces make decisions based on their own situations. Why should the situation in Quebec, for example, have any bearing on whether golf courses or dentist offices can open in Saskatchewan?
None of that necessarily erodes our national identity or the idea of confederation. Quite the opposite, in fact — this is very much in keeping with the notion ofCanadian federalism. Furthermore, there’s an opportunity for provinces to learn from one another and get a clearer sense of which policies and which approaches make the most sense.
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While provincial governments might be the ones in charge when it comes to lifting their own public health restrictions, it in no way makes the federal government irrelevant. As we’ve seen already, the feds have a huge role to play in providing an economic safety net to try and get individuals and businesses through this period.
The federal government certainly has a role to play in ensuring that we have sufficient quantities of media and personal protection equipment. And clearly Ottawa is in charge when it comes to our borders and those coming and going from our country.
It’s possible that we could have a constitutional showdown of sorts if a province decides it wants to proceed in a manner or at a pace that the federal government deems to be irresponsible or dangerous. But nothing we’ve seen so far would indicate that such a scenario is at all likely.
Opinion polls have shown that Canadians overwhelmingly support an approach that relies on progress on the public health side, and Canada’s premiers have demonstrated a willingness to be cautious and prudent when it comes to any talk of reopening the economy.
The provinces made the decision about when and how best to implement public health measures. They should also be the ones to decide when and how to lift them.
TORONTO – Canada’s main stock index was up more than 200 points in late-morning trading, while U.S. stock markets were also headed higher.
The S&P/TSX composite index was up 205.86 points at 24,508.12.
In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 336.62 points at 42,790.74. The S&P 500 index was up 34.19 points at 5,814.24, while the Nasdaq composite was up 60.27 points at 18.342.32.
The Canadian dollar traded for 72.61 cents US compared with 72.71 cents US on Thursday.
The November crude oil contract was down 15 cents at US$75.70 per barrel and the November natural gas contract was down two cents at US$2.65 per mmBTU.
The December gold contract was down US$29.60 at US$2,668.90 an ounce and the December copper contract was up four cents at US$4.47 a pound.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 11, 2024.
OTTAWA – The economy added 47,000 jobs in September, while the unemployment rate declined for the first time since January to 6.5 per cent, Statistics Canada reported on Friday.
The agency says youth and women aged 25 to 54 drove employment gains last month, while full-time employment saw its largest gain since May 2022.
The overall job gains followed four consecutive months of little change, the agency said.
The unemployment rate has been steadily climbing over the past year and a half, hitting 6.6 per cent in August.
Inflation that month was two per cent, the lowest level in more than three years as lower gas prices helped it hit the Bank of Canada’s inflation target.
The central bank has cut its key interest rate three times this year, and is widely expected to keep cutting as inflation has subsided and the broader trend points to a weakening in the labour market.
Despite the job gains in September, the employment rate was lower in the month, reflecting continued growth in Canada’s population.
Statistics Canada said since the employment rate saw its most recent peak at 62.4 per cent in January and February 2023, it’s been following a downward trend as population growth has outpaced employment growth.
On a year-over-year basis, employment was up by 1.5 per cent in September, while the population aged 15 and older in the Labour Force Survey grew 3.6 per cent.
The information, culture and recreation industry saw employment rise 2.6 per cent between August and September, after seven months of little change, Statistics Canada said, with the increase concentrated in Quebec.
The wholesale and retail trade industry saw its first increase since January at 0.8 per cent, while employment in professional, scientific and technical services was up 1.1 per cent.
Average hourly wages among employees rose 4.6 per cent year-over-year to $35.59, a slowdown from the five-per-cent increase in August.
The unemployment rate among Black and South Asian Canadians between 25 and 54 rose year-over-year in September and was significantly higher than the unemployment rate for people who were not racialized and not Indigenous.
Black Canadians in that age group saw their unemployment rate rise to 11 per cent last month while for South Asian Canadians it was 7.3 per cent. For non-racialized, non-Indigenous people, it rose to 4.4 per cent.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 11, 2024.
TORONTO – Canada’s main stock index was little changed in late-morning trading as the financial sector fell, but energy and base metal stocks moved higher.
The S&P/TSX composite index was up 0.05 of a point at 24,224.95.
In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was down 94.31 points at 42,417.69. The S&P 500 index was down 10.91 points at 5,781.13, while the Nasdaq composite was down 29.59 points at 18,262.03.
The Canadian dollar traded for 72.71 cents US compared with 73.05 cents US on Wednesday.
The November crude oil contract was up US$1.69 at US$74.93 per barrel and the November natural gas contract was up a penny at US$2.67 per mmBTU.
The December gold contract was up US$14.70 at US$2,640.70 an ounce and the December copper contract was up two cents at US$4.42 a pound.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 10, 2024.
