U.S. President Donald Trump announced plans on Thursday to put troops near the U.S.-Canada border amid the new coronavirus pandemic, prompting a new hashtag on Twitter.
Though few people cross from Canada into the United States at an unofficial point each year, the goal of the policy would be to help U.S. border guards detect irregular crossers, sources told Global News.
But social media users, using the #NoCanadian hashtag, say they don’t really believe this would be a problem, especially during the novel coronavirus outbreak.
Many are taking the opportunity to say that very few — if not, zero — Canadians would choose to illegally cross into the U.S., given the current pandemic. After all, the U.S. does not have a universal health-care system and currently has a greater number of COVID-19 cases than Canada.
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“‘I think I’ll slip across the border illegally where the healthcare is worse and the President thinks people’s lives are dispensable,’ said no Canadian ever,” one Twitter user tweeted.
“I think I’ll slip across the border illegally where the healthcare is worse and the President thinks people’s lives are dispensable,” said no Canadian ever! ?? #noCanadian
— Canadian Resistance ?? (@CanadensisMax) March 26, 2020
Another Twitter user shared a GIF of a tumbleweed crossing an empty road, writing: “Live feed shows the number of Canadians trying to enter the US.”
— Station Manager Arthur J. Carlson (@artcarlson) March 26, 2020
“First of all, no Canadian wants to be near a country that has coronavirus spreading like bullet trains due to their inadequate and poorly managed health care system,” another tweeted.
First of all no Canadian wants to be near a country that has coronavirus spreading like bullet trains due to their inadequate and poorly managed health care system #nocanadian#border
On Thursday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau confirmed the news, acknowledging that conversations around the topic are taking place.
“Canada and the United States have the longest unmilitarized border in the world, and it is very much in both of our interests for it to remain that way,” he said.
Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland also weighed in during a briefing shortly afterwards with reporters, saying Canadian cabinet ministers and diplomats have been working to try to make it clear to the Americans that this is not a plan Canada supports.
“Canada is strongly opposed to this U.S. proposal, and we’ve made that very clear to our U.S. counterparts,” she said, noting Canadian officials first learned of the proposal “a couple of days ago.”
As of Friday, there are more than 85,000 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in the U.S., compared to around 4,000 in Canada.
2:13 Coronavirus outbreak: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson tests positive for COVID-19
Coronavirus outbreak: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson tests positive for COVID-19
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Questions about COVID-19? Here are some things you need to know:
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Health officials caution against all international travel. Returning travellers are legally obligated to self-isolate for 14 days, beginning March 26, in case they develop symptoms and to prevent spreading the virus to others. Some provinces and territories have also implemented additional recommendations or enforcement measures to ensure those returning to the area self-isolate.
Symptoms can include fever, cough and difficulty breathing — very similar to a cold or flu. Some people can develop a more severe illness. People most at risk of this include older adults and people with severe chronic medical conditions like heart, lung or kidney disease. If you develop symptoms, contact public health authorities.
To prevent the virus from spreading, experts recommend frequent handwashing and coughing into your sleeve. They also recommend minimizing contact with others, staying home as much as possible and maintaining a distance of two metres from other people if you go out.
For full COVID-19 coverage from Global News, click here.
— With files from Global News’ Mercedes Stephenson, James Armstrong and Amanda Connolly
WINNIPEG – Police in Winnipeg say one person has died and three more were injured after a pickup truck smashed into a bus shelter on Portage Avenue during the morning commute.
Police say those injured are in stable condition in hospital.
It began after a Ford F150 truck hit a pedestrian and bus shelter on Portage Avenue near Bedson Street before 8 a.m.
Another vehicle, a power pole and a gas station were also damaged before the truck came to a stop.
The crash forced commuters to be rerouted and knocked out power in the area for more than a thousand Manitoba Hydro customers.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
KAMLOOPS, B.C. – A 35-year-old man has been charged with second-degree murder after his mother’s body was found near her Kamloops, B.C., home a year ago.
Mounties say 57-year-old Jo-Anne Donovan was found dead about a week after she had been reported missing.
RCMP says its serious crime unit launched an investigation after the body was found.
Police say they arrested Brandon Donovan on Friday after the BC Prosecution Service approved the charge.
TORONTO – Strength in the base metal and technology sectors helped Canada’s main stock index gain almost 100 points on Friday, while U.S. stock markets climbed to their best week of the year.
“It’s been almost a complete opposite or retracement of what we saw last week,” said Philip Petursson, chief investment strategist at IG Wealth Management.
In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 297.01 points at 41,393.78. The S&P 500 index was up 30.26 points at 5,626.02, while the Nasdaq composite was up 114.30 points at 17,683.98.
The S&P/TSX composite index closed up 93.51 points at 23,568.65.
While last week saw a “healthy” pullback on weaker economic data, this week investors appeared to be buying the dip and hoping the central bank “comes to the rescue,” said Petursson.
Next week, the U.S. Federal Reserve is widely expected to cut its key interest rate for the first time in several years after it significantly hiked it to fight inflation.
But the magnitude of that first cut has been the subject of debate, and the market appears split on whether the cut will be a quarter of a percentage point or a larger half-point reduction.
Petursson thinks it’s clear the smaller cut is coming. Economic data recently hasn’t been great, but it hasn’t been that bad either, he said — and inflation may have come down significantly, but it’s not defeated just yet.
“I think they’re going to be very steady,” he said, with one small cut at each of their three decisions scheduled for the rest of 2024, and more into 2025.
“I don’t think there’s a sense of urgency on the part of the Fed that they have to do something immediately.
A larger cut could also send the wrong message to the markets, added Petursson: that the Fed made a mistake in waiting this long to cut, or that it’s seeing concerning signs in the economy.
It would also be “counter to what they’ve signaled,” he said.
More important than the cut — other than the new tone it sets — will be what Fed chair Jerome Powell has to say, according to Petursson.
“That’s going to be more important than the size of the cut itself,” he said.
In Canada, where the central bank has already cut three times, Petursson expects two more before the year is through.
“Here, the labour situation is worse than what we see in the United States,” he said.
The Canadian dollar traded for 73.61 cents US compared with 73.58 cents US on Thursday.
The October crude oil contract was down 32 cents at US$68.65 per barrel and the October natural gas contract was down five cents at US$2.31 per mmBTU.
The December gold contract was up US$30.10 at US$2,610.70 an ounce and the December copper contract was up four cents US$4.24 a pound.
— With files from The Associated Press
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
