Canada is reimposing its requirement that Canadians and permanent residents who travel abroad for less than 72 hours obtain a negative COVID-19 test before returning home.
Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos made the announcement at a news conference in Ottawa Friday morning. Travellers will be required to take the test in a country other than Canada. The rule will take effect on Dec. 21. The requirement was just dropped in November after criticism from business, tourism and travel groups.
Mr. Duclos also said Canada is lifting its widely criticized travel ban on 10 African countries, effective Dec. 18 at 11:59 p.m. ET. The 10-country ban was introduced when the Omicron variant was first detected but kept in place after community spread was under way in Canada.
Canada first imposed the restriction on travellers from seven African countries on Nov. 26 and then expanded it to 10 countries on Nov. 30: South Africa, Mozambique, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Eswatini, Namibia, Nigeria, Malawi and Egypt. Parliamentary reporter, Marieke Walsh, has more details on the announcements here.
At the provincial level, Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s cabinet is set to meet Friday afternoon to discuss potential new COVID-19 measures, followed by a news conference at 3:30 p.m. B.C.’s top doctor, Bonnie Henry, and Health Minister Adrian Dix will also provide an update at 1 p.m.
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TODAY’S HEADLINES
CALL FOR AFGHAN AID – The founder and managing partner of a Kabul law firm that spent years working for Canada’s embassy in Afghanistan says many of his colleagues were left behind and are in hiding, so he is urging the federal government to quickly bring them to Canada. Story here.
SENATE APPROVES PANDEMIC AID – The Senate gave quick approval Thursday to a new round of pandemic aid after Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland made a pre-Christmas plea to rubber-stamp the help and promised that benefits would flow quickly to businesses and workers in need. Story here.
TRUDEAU ON MILITARY SEXUAL MISCONDUCT – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he wishes he “could have done more” when it came to the sexual misconduct crisis in the Canadian Armed Forces. In a year-end interview, Mr. Trudeau suggested the “top levels of the military” insisted there was no problem in the military. Story here from Global News.
QUEBEC MINISTER HAS COVID-19 – Quebec’s Education Minister has tested positive for COVID-19, according to a social-media post that he will “obviously” be in isolation until Dec. 25 based on recommendations from public health. Story here from CTV.
MANITOBA MINISTER DEFENDS VACCINATION PRIVACY – A Manitoba cabinet minister says his decision to keep his vaccination status private is a civil liberty that must be protected. Story here from CBC.
VANCOUVER MAYOR STARTING A PARTY – Vancouver Mayor Kennedy Stewart, a former NDP MP, has decided to form a new civic party after being elected as the city’s first independent mayor in a generation. Mr. Stewart is seeking a second term next year. Story here from The Vancouver Sun.
THIS AND THAT
DOMINIC BARTON IN RUNNING TO LEAD RIO TINTO – Canada’s departing Ambassador to China, Dominic Barton, is a front-runner to be the next chair of global mining company Rio Tinto, according to a story from the Financial Post. Mr. Barton was named Canada’s envoy to China in 2019 and helped secure the release of Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor from Chinese prison.
CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT TABLED IN SENATE – Independent Senator Brent Cotter tabled a motion in the Senate Thursday proposing an end to 140-year-old tax exemptions for the Canadian Pacific Railway Company. The exemption was put in place as a subsidy to help the CPR build its mainline across Western Canada in the 1880s. However, Mr. Cotter says the continuation of the tax exemption 140 years later is unfair to Saskatchewan taxpayers. The Saskatchewan Legislature passed a similar motion in November.
PARENTAL BEREAVEMENT LEAVE LEGISLATION – Parliament passed legislation Thursday extending unpaid bereavement leave to eight weeks for parents who have experienced a stillbirth, the death of a child under the age of 18 or the death of a disabled child. The private member’s bill was tabled by Conservative MP Tom Kmiec, whose daughter, Lucy-Rose, died in August, 2018, just 39 days after birth. “This legislation is a positive change for these families and is a compassionate bill that supports parents during unexpected times when they need help the most,” Mr. Kmiec said in a statement.
PC PARTY CAMPAIGN DIRECTOR SLAPS LAWSUIT AGAINST FORD ALLY – Kory Teneycke, Ontario Progressive Conservative Party campaign director, has launched a lawsuit against Premier Doug Ford’s former ally Charles McVety. A report from Politics Today said Mr. Teneycke and his lobbying firm, Rubicon Strategy, are suing Mr. McVety for defamation, alleging the outspoken conservative activist has tried to impugn his integrity, embarrass him and lower his professional and personal reputation.
DURHAM PC CANDIDATE DECLARED – Whitby, Ont. lawyer Todd McCarthy will run as the Progressive Conservative candidate for Durham in next year’s Ontario election. He takes the spot of former MPP Lindsey Park, who quit the PC caucus over being unvaccinated. You can read the news release on his candidacy here.
BERNIER PRESS CONFERENCE – People’s Party Leader Maxime Bernier will hold a year-end news conference today at party headquarters in Ottawa.
JOURNALIST LINA DIB LEAVING THE HILL – Veteran reporter Lina Dib of La Press Canadienne is leaving Parliament Hill after 25 years. In an e-mail to the Parliamentary Press Gallery members, Ms. Dib said it was a privilege and a “blast” to witness history being made every day on the Hill. “This French lady is going home,” she wrote.
COMMONS ON A BREAK – The House of Commons has adjourned until Monday, Jan. 31, 2022, at 11 am ET.
THE DECIBEL – In today’s edition of the Globe and Mail podcast, Arts editor Judith Pereira and Western Arts Correspondent Marsha Lederman discuss the book trends this year, the silver lining of the pandemic’s effect on independent booksellers, and what you should cozy up and read. You can turn the page, and find the Decibel here.
PRIME MINISTER’S DAY
Private meetings in Montreal.
DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER
No schedule released for the Deputy Prime Minister.
Quebec legislature member Youri Chassin has announced he’s leaving the Coalition Avenir Québec government to sit as an Independent.
He announced the decision shortly after writing an open letter criticizing Premier François Legault’s government for abandoning its principles of smaller government.
In the letter published in Le Journal de Montréal and Le Journal de Québec, Chassin accused the party of falling back on what he called the old formula of throwing money at problems instead of looking to do things differently.
Chassin says public services are more fragile than ever, despite rising spending that pushed the province to a record $11-billion deficit projected in the last budget.
He is the second CAQ member to leave the party in a little more than one week, after economy and energy minister Pierre Fitzgibbon announced Sept. 4 he would leave because he lost motivation to do his job.
Chassin says he has no intention of joining another party and will instead sit as an Independent until the end of his term.
He has represented the Saint-Jérôme riding since the CAQ rose to power in 2018, but has not served in cabinet.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
MONTREAL – NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says he will not be taking advice from Pierre Poilievre after the Conservative leader challenged him to bring down government.
“I say directly to Pierre Poilievre: I’m not going to listen to you,” said Singh on Wednesday, accusing Poilievre of wanting to take away dental-care coverage from Canadians, among other things.
“I’m not going to listen to your advice. You want to destroy people’s lives, I want to build up a brighter future.”
Earlier in the day, Poilievre challenged Singh to commit to voting non-confidence in the government, saying his party will force a vote in the House of Commons “at the earliest possibly opportunity.”
“I’m asking Jagmeet Singh and the NDP to commit unequivocally before Monday’s byelections: will they vote non-confidence to bring down the costly coalition and trigger a carbon tax election, or will Jagmeet Singh sell out Canadians again?” Poilievre said.
“It’s put up or shut up time for the NDP.”
While Singh rejected the idea he would ever listen to Poilievre, he did not say how the NDP would vote on a non-confidence motion.
“I’ve said on any vote, we’re going to look at the vote and we’ll make our decision. I’m not going to say our decision ahead of time,” he said.
Singh’s top adviser said on Tuesday the NDP leader is not particularly eager to trigger an election, even as the Conservatives challenge him to do just that.
Anne McGrath, Singh’s principal secretary, says there will be more volatility in Parliament and the odds of an early election have risen.
“I don’t think he is anxious to launch one, or chomping at the bit to have one, but it can happen,” she said in an interview.
New Democrat MPs are in a second day of meetings in Montreal as they nail down a plan for how to navigate the minority Parliament this fall.
The caucus retreat comes one week after Singh announced the party has left the supply-and-confidence agreement with the governing Liberals.
It’s also taking place in the very city where New Democrats are hoping to pick up a seat on Monday, when voters go to the polls in Montreal’s LaSalle—Émard—Verdun. A second byelection is being held that day in the Winnipeg riding of Elmwood—Transcona, where the NDP is hoping to hold onto a seat the Conservatives are also vying for.
While New Democrats are seeking to distance themselves from the Liberals, they don’t appear ready to trigger a general election.
Singh signalled on Tuesday that he will have more to say Wednesday about the party’s strategy for the upcoming sitting.
He is hoping to convince Canadians that his party can defeat the federal Conservatives, who have been riding high in the polls over the last year.
Singh has attacked Poilievre as someone who would bring back Harper-style cuts to programs that Canadians rely on, including the national dental-care program that was part of the supply-and-confidence agreement.
The Canadian Press has asked Poilievre’s office whether the Conservative leader intends to keep the program in place, if he forms government after the next election.
With the return of Parliament just days away, the NDP is also keeping in mind how other parties will look to capitalize on the new makeup of the House of Commons.
The Bloc Québécois has already indicated that it’s written up a list of demands for the Liberals in exchange for support on votes.
The next federal election must take place by October 2025 at the latest.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2024.
Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante is defending her decision to turn off comments on her social media accounts — with an announcement on social media.
She posted screenshots to X this morning of vulgar names she’s been called on the platform, and says comments on her posts for months have been dominated by insults, to the point that she decided to block them.
Montreal’s Opposition leader and the Canadian Civil Liberties Association have criticized Plante for limiting freedom of expression by restricting comments on her X and Instagram accounts.
They say elected officials who use social media should be willing to hear from constituents on those platforms.
However, Plante says some people may believe there is a fundamental right to call someone offensive names and to normalize violence online, but she disagrees.
Her statement on X is closed to comments.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2024.
