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Coronavirus: Canada to receive ‘millions’ of masks from China, Trudeau says – Global News

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Canada is set to receive “millions” of medical masks from China, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on Saturday.

Trudeau made the comments from Rideau Cottage, where he is currently self-isolating.

READ MORE: Coronavirus — Trump asks medical supply firm 3M to stop selling N95 respirators to Canada

According to Trudeau, in the next 48 hours Canada will be receiving a shipment of millions of masks by a chartered cargo flight from China.

Trudeau said included in the shipment are items ordered for Quebec, where the most cases of COVID-19 have been reported in Canada.

Trudeau said the federal government is working with provinces in order to transport the medical supplies.






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Coronavirus outbreak: Freeland says Canadian government will ‘pull out all the stops’ on medical equipment distribution


Coronavirus outbreak: Freeland says Canadian government will ‘pull out all the stops’ on medical equipment distribution

He said Canada has also leased a warehouse in China to collect and distribute additional supplies “as quickly as possible.”

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Trudeau said Air Canada and Cargojet are assisting in this effort.

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“I want to take a moment to thank everyone, whether you’re working in a warehouse, flying the plane or part of the ground crew, for your dedication,” he said.

READ MORE: Coronavirus — More than 11M masks recently arrived in Canada, Trudeau says

Trudeau’s comments come a day after U.S. President Donald Trump asked Minnesota-based company 3M not to supply N95 respirators to Canada.

Trump on Friday ordered 3M to produce and sell as many medical-grade masks as the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) says it needs.

He invoked the Defence Production Act in order to speed up the distribution of masks.

But, speaking to reporters on Saturday, Trudeau said Canada is not considering retaliatory measures in response to Trump’s move.






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Coronavirus outbreak: Freeland says Canadian government will ‘pull out all the stops’ on medical equipment distribution


Coronavirus outbreak: Freeland says Canadian government will ‘pull out all the stops’ on medical equipment distribution

“We are continuing to engage in constructive discussions with different levels within the administration to highlight that the U.S. will be hurting itself as much as Canada will be hurting if we see an interruption of essential goods and services flow back and forth across the border,” he said. “We continue to demonstrate that this is a good thing for both of our countries and we look to continue to ensure that essential supplies get across the border.”

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Trudeau said the government has been working “day and night”to source medical supplies for Canadian frontline workers.

“We have shipments coming in in the next 24 hours. We’ve received shipments over the past days,” he said. “We continue to work with suppliers around the world to ensure that we do get the medical equipment that we need and we have more coming in regularly.


READ MORE:
Canada not looking to retaliate after U.S. restricts coronavirus mask exports: Trudeau

Trudeau said the government is also turning to Canadian manufacturers to develop “made in Canada products, PPE, security equipment and medical supplies.”

“That is going to actually not just supply Canada, but be there to supply other countries who need them as we meet our own needs,” he said. “This is part of what Canada is doing to ensure that we are protecting our front line workers and all Canadians every single day.”

Canada’s chief medical health officer echoed Trudeau’s remarks at a press conference on Saturday, saying Canada was “pulling out all the stops” to secure personal protective equipment PPE for frontline workers.

Dr. Theresa Tam said Canada is looking at “multiple streams of supply” including domestic and international.

© 2020 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

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B.C. RCMP arrest man after short standoff along Highway 1

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CHILLIWACK, B.C. – Mounties in Chilliwack, B.C., say a man was arrested after a short standoff with police along Highway 1 over the weekend.

RCMP say officers attended a call for a single-vehicle incident on Sunday evening.

They say a man was making threats and allegedly had a weapon.

There was a brief standoff, but police say the man surrendered and he was taken into custody.

The Mounties say the highway was briefly closed to ensure public safety.

They say police are recommending unspecified charges against the man.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 11, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.



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Employers lock out longshore workers in Montreal after contract offer rejected

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MONTREAL – Operations at the Port of Montreal were greatly reduced Monday as the Maritime Employers Association made good on a threat to lock out nearly 1,200 longshore workers if they didn’t accept what it called a final contract offer.

The lockout took effect at 9 p.m. on Sunday, and the employers’ association is asking federal Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon to intervene. MacKinnon’s office issued a statement Monday calling on both sides at the country’s second largest port to get back to the negotiating table.

“The parties must understand the urgency of the situation and do the work necessary to reach an agreement,” his office said. “Canadians are counting on them.”

The union told a news conference on Monday it is ready to return to the table as early as Tuesday. But Michel Murray, an adviser with the Canadian Union of Public Employees, which represents the dock workers, said union overtures have received no response from the employer.

Murray told a news conference simultaneous lockouts in Montreal and Vancouver seem designed to force the federal government’s hand. Port workers in British Columbia are locked out amid a labour dispute involving more than 700 longshore supervisors, resulting in a paralysis of container cargo traffic at terminals across Canada’s west coast.

“We hope that the employer side will emerge from its silence of the past three weeks,” Murray said. “But clearly, when we look at what is happening, the lockout in Vancouver, the lockout in Montreal, we feel that it is a co-ordinated, planned attempt to increase the pressure on the federal government so that it intervenes in our file.”

Julie Gascon, CEO of the Montreal Port Authority, warned of “catastrophic” economic consequences of a prolonged conflict.

“This lockout affects not only the 1,200 longshoremen directly impacted by the work stoppage, but it also impacts over 10,000 workers in the logistics sector, from trucking and railway employees to maritime agents and pilots,” she said in a statement.

“Logistics jobs are the first to be affected, which inevitably sets off a domino effect throughout the entire economy in the markets we serve.”

Gascon told reporters in an early morning news conference effects will trickle down to other parts of the economy. “Today the conflict is impacting the supply chain, but tomorrow the conflict will impact factories as well, after that, it will be retailers,” she said.

The Port of Montreal, which moves nearly $400 million in goods every day, said essential services will continue, with liquid bulk terminals and the grain terminal among those remaining open.

The employers association in Montreal said it initiated the lockout after the unionized workers voted almost unanimously to reject a contract offer tabled last week. The workers have been without a collective agreement since Dec. 31 and had rejected two previous offers.

The employer said last week its latest offer included a three-per-cent salary increase each year for four years and a 3.5 per cent increase for the two subsequent years. The employer said the increases offered would bring a longshore worker’s total average compensation to more than $200,000 per year at the end of the six-year contract.

The union, the Syndicat des débardeurs du port de Montréal, called the figure exaggerated. It said the employer is focused on salaries, but what members want are improvements in scheduling and work-life balance. Members who are parents do not want to have stretches where they work 19 out of 21 days, it said.

Murray said it’s time to put those previous offers — which clearly cannot be the basis of any agreement — in the “shredder” and discuss what it will take for both sides to enter into a long-term agreement.

The Conseil du patronat, which represents Quebec employers, said it is very concerned about the latest work stoppage. It and a group representing manufacturers called on the federal government to intervene.

“Businesses and citizens can no longer bear the cost of this situation, which is repeated too often,” the Conseil du patronat said in a statement.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 11, 2024.

— With files from Lia Lévesque



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S&P/TSX rises Monday, U.S. markets also trade higher as post-election wave continues

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TORONTO – Canada’s main stock index moved higher Monday, as strength in technology and financial stocks helped outweigh weakness in other parts of the market, while U.S. markets also rose.

The Dow Jones outperformed the major U.S. indexes Monday, rising 0.7 per cent, while some large tech companies weighed other parts of the market down.

“That’s just a continuation of certain sectors that rallied post-election,” said Stephen Duench, vice-president and portfolio manager at AGF Investments Inc.

The continued strength was led by so-called “Trump trades” that could benefit from the soon-to-be president Donald Trump’s promised policies. These include financial stocks and domestic industrials, as well as Bitcoin and the U.S. dollar, said Duench.

In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 304.14 points at 44,293.13. The S&P 500 index was up 5.81 points at 6,001.35,while the Nasdaq composite was up 11.99 points at 19,298.76.

The S&P/TSX composite index closed up 29.88 points at 24,789.28.

Bitcoin rose above US$87,000 for the first time, riding the post-election wave as Trump has pledged to make the U.S. the crypto capital of the world.

Overall, investors have been in a risk-taking mood since the election results came out, Duench said, with commodities showing more weakness as investors move out of their safe havens.

“While gold is kind of getting hurt since the election, Bitcoin is benefiting just because of a little bit more risk-on behaviour,” he said.

The Russell 2000 — an index made up of small-cap stocks in the U.S. — has also had a great run since the election, noted Duench.

This week will bring the latest inflation report in the U.S., after the U.S. Federal Reserve cut its key interest rate again last week.

Investors are also still working their way through earnings season, which is close to done in the U.S. but still in swing in Canada.

This season has been characterized by dramatic reactions to companies that miss expectations, said Duench.

“Misses on revenues or earnings were punished more than they usually are,” he said.

This has been even more pronounced in Canada, he added.

It’s likely a symptom of markets being at record highs, said Duench.

“Investors like momentum,” he said.

The Canadian dollar traded for 71.82 cents US, according to XE.com,compared with 71.88 cents US on Friday.

The December crude oil contract was down US$2.34 at US$68.04 per barrel and the December natural gas contract was up 25 cents at US$2.92 per mmBTU.

The December gold contract was down US$77.10 at US$2,617.70 an ounce and the December copper contract was down eight cents at US$4.23 a pound.

— With files from The Associated Press

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 11, 2024.

Companies in this story: (TSX:GSPTSE, TSX:CADUSD)

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.



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