Conservatives in the House are calling for the country to immediately reopen, raising concerns that the closure of nonessential businesses due to COVID-19 infringes on individuals’ rights and could have detrimental long-term effects on the economy.
That would require being strategic in isolating vulnerable populations, testing health care workers and maintaining social distancing and hygiene practices, he said.
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“What you did is, you basically took a sledgehammer to the whole economy. And we now have a huge structural deficit, we’ve really exacerbated our national debt issue and we’ve put 22 million-plus people out of work. I mean, come on, it’s time to open this thing up and trust the American people. I trust the American people, I think that they will get it they will I think they will try everything they can to avoid passing this disease on and I think I think what’ll happen is, is you’ll see that, that we are a much more mature people than some of the draconian authoritarian leaders think we are,” he told The Hill in an interview.
“We all want to take care of those who are vulnerable, and we want to protect them but we also want to be able to live our lives. I think everybody’s important. The people that are huddled up there, they’re not being treated as if they have rights, so not being treated as if they’re important.”
Biggs questioned why certain businesses have been deemed essential while others have had to shut their doors amid the pandemic, adding that he believes some state and local governments have mishandled the response.
“I’m still trying to understand where some of these governors and mayors think that they have the power to close down businesses. Explain to me why the marijuana dispensary, the liquor store drive-through, the big box stores, why are those essential, and folks who have put their life savings into maybe building a small restaurant or a furniture store or a florist or bike repair shop, why aren’t those allowed to be opened up?” he continued.
He added he’s concerned about the effects of keeping people sheltered in place long-term on people’s mental health.
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“Nobody’s even talking about the other issues that come up: increased suicide, domestic violence, child abuse, alcohol and drug abuse. You know, all kinds of things happen when you are isolated.”
“It is impossible for us to sustain this, the only way we get over this is to open the economy and let free enterprise to this job, let people get back to work. And we’ve got to do that as rapidly as possible,” he told The Hill, adding that they can’t take a “one shoe fits approach.”
The Georgia Republican said he also has concerns over the stimulus bills passed by Congress, as lawmakers look at passing the fourth measure to provide an additional $250 billion for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), which provides forgivable loans to small businesses struggling amid the pandemic.
“The last bill was that was $2.3 trillion, and in that was $350 billion for small businesses. We are told that there are some 30 million small businesses, at this point about one and a half million have participated in PPP, and we’ve already used up $350 billion. And so we’re being asked for another $250 billion,” he said. “But if there are 30 million small businesses, I mean, this could end up costing trillions and trillions of dollars.”
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Biggs spearheaded efforts on a letter sent to the president on Friday — signed by 11 Freedom Caucus members including Hice — expressing their desire to move swiftly to reopen the country.
“The American people are resilient, but they have suffered tremendously under the weight of this closed economy,” they wrote.
“Measures enacted by Congress have provided limited relief. More government is not the answer to these economic woes—reopening the economy is the answer. We are a free people with a free and fair market. The sooner we return to it, the sooner our economy will again thrive.”
The lawmakers’ comments come as the United States has seen an uptick in protests against shelter-in-place policies across the country, with some states — including Florida which recently reopened its beaches — easing its policies.
OTTAWA – Canada’s unemployment rate held steady at 6.5 per cent last month as hiring remained weak across the economy.
Statistics Canada’s labour force survey on Friday said employment rose by a modest 15,000 jobs in October.
Business, building and support services saw the largest gain in employment.
Meanwhile, finance, insurance, real estate, rental and leasing experienced the largest decline.
Many economists see weakness in the job market continuing in the short term, before the Bank of Canada’s interest rate cuts spark a rebound in economic growth next year.
Despite ongoing softness in the labour market, however, strong wage growth has raged on in Canada. Average hourly wages in October grew 4.9 per cent from a year ago, reaching $35.76.
Friday’s report also shed some light on the financial health of households.
According to the agency, 28.8 per cent of Canadians aged 15 or older were living in a household that had difficulty meeting financial needs – like food and housing – in the previous four weeks.
That was down from 33.1 per cent in October 2023 and 35.5 per cent in October 2022, but still above the 20.4 per cent figure recorded in October 2020.
People living in a rented home were more likely to report difficulty meeting financial needs, with nearly four in 10 reporting that was the case.
That compares with just under a quarter of those living in an owned home by a household member.
Immigrants were also more likely to report facing financial strain last month, with about four out of 10 immigrants who landed in the last year doing so.
That compares with about three in 10 more established immigrants and one in four of people born in Canada.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.
The Canadian Institute for Health Information says health-care spending in Canada is projected to reach a new high in 2024.
The annual report released Thursday says total health spending is expected to hit $372 billion, or $9,054 per Canadian.
CIHI’s national analysis predicts expenditures will rise by 5.7 per cent in 2024, compared to 4.5 per cent in 2023 and 1.7 per cent in 2022.
This year’s health spending is estimated to represent 12.4 per cent of Canada’s gross domestic product. Excluding two years of the pandemic, it would be the highest ratio in the country’s history.
While it’s not unusual for health expenditures to outpace economic growth, the report says this could be the case for the next several years due to Canada’s growing population and its aging demographic.
Canada’s per capita spending on health care in 2022 was among the highest in the world, but still less than countries such as the United States and Sweden.
The report notes that the Canadian dental and pharmacare plans could push health-care spending even further as more people who previously couldn’t afford these services start using them.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 7, 2024.
Canadian Press health coverage receives support through a partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. CP is solely responsible for this content.
As Canadians wake up to news that Donald Trump will return to the White House, the president-elect’s protectionist stance is casting a spotlight on what effect his second term will have on Canada-U.S. economic ties.
Some Canadian business leaders have expressed worry over Trump’s promise to introduce a universal 10 per cent tariff on all American imports.
A Canadian Chamber of Commerce report released last month suggested those tariffs would shrink the Canadian economy, resulting in around $30 billion per year in economic costs.
More than 77 per cent of Canadian exports go to the U.S.
Canada’s manufacturing sector faces the biggest risk should Trump push forward on imposing broad tariffs, said Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters president and CEO Dennis Darby. He said the sector is the “most trade-exposed” within Canada.
“It’s in the U.S.’s best interest, it’s in our best interest, but most importantly for consumers across North America, that we’re able to trade goods, materials, ingredients, as we have under the trade agreements,” Darby said in an interview.
“It’s a more complex or complicated outcome than it would have been with the Democrats, but we’ve had to deal with this before and we’re going to do our best to deal with it again.”
American economists have also warned Trump’s plan could cause inflation and possibly a recession, which could have ripple effects in Canada.
It’s consumers who will ultimately feel the burden of any inflationary effect caused by broad tariffs, said Darby.
“A tariff tends to raise costs, and it ultimately raises prices, so that’s something that we have to be prepared for,” he said.
“It could tilt production mandates. A tariff makes goods more expensive, but on the same token, it also will make inputs for the U.S. more expensive.”
A report last month by TD economist Marc Ercolao said research shows a full-scale implementation of Trump’s tariff plan could lead to a near-five per cent reduction in Canadian export volumes to the U.S. by early-2027, relative to current baseline forecasts.
Retaliation by Canada would also increase costs for domestic producers, and push import volumes lower in the process.
“Slowing import activity mitigates some of the negative net trade impact on total GDP enough to avoid a technical recession, but still produces a period of extended stagnation through 2025 and 2026,” Ercolao said.
Since the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement came into effect in 2020, trade between Canada and the U.S. has surged by 46 per cent, according to the Toronto Region Board of Trade.
With that deal is up for review in 2026, Canadian Chamber of Commerce president and CEO Candace Laing said the Canadian government “must collaborate effectively with the Trump administration to preserve and strengthen our bilateral economic partnership.”
“With an impressive $3.6 billion in daily trade, Canada and the United States are each other’s closest international partners. The secure and efficient flow of goods and people across our border … remains essential for the economies of both countries,” she said in a statement.
“By resisting tariffs and trade barriers that will only raise prices and hurt consumers in both countries, Canada and the United States can strengthen resilient cross-border supply chains that enhance our shared economic security.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 6, 2024.
