The federal government has announced a $1-billion package of aid to help Canadians, businesses and hospitals deal with the novel coronavirus.
The package includes money for provinces to help with higher health-care costs, funds for vaccine research and changes to employment insurance rules for those self-quarantining.
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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the funds mere hours before the World Health Organization officially declared the virus a pandemic.
The illness could hit close to home for Mr. Trudeau: Natural Resources Minister Seamus O’Regan, a close friend of the PM, says he is self-isolating because there’s a chance he could have gotten the coronavirus.
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TODAY’S HEADLINES
The federal government is preparing to list plastic as a toxic substance through regulation, partly to avoid a messy legislative debate.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford said he’s going to get tough on the province’s tow-truck industry. A recent Globe and Mail investigation revealed the level of violence and crime hitting tow-truck operators
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The Quebec government introduced a balanced budget yesterday that puts money aside to pay down debt while also increasing infrastructure spending. The budget relies, however, on economic forecasts that could be a bit rosy if coronavirus continues to weigh on the global economy.
Canada’s chief justices are pushing back on a multipartisan proposal to make judges take more training on sexual-assault cases.
Residents of Lower Post, B.C., say they hope the federal government will replace a building that formerly housed a residential school that now houses many important community services.
Long-time Conservative MP Scott Reid is the only person in his 121-member caucus without any kind of leadership role, critic portfolio or committee assignment, the Hill Times reports. Mr. Reid and the party whip declined to explain what happened, but the Ontario MP did reveal in December that the party had previously punished him for voting in favour of the Liberals’ cannabis legalization bill.
Joe Biden is racking up wins in the Democratic presidential primaries, but Bernie Sanders say he will remain in the race.
And disgraced Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein has been sentenced to 23 years in prison.
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Kelly Cryderman (The Globe and Mail) on the magnitude of the problems facing Alberta: “The oil-price crash this week is uncharted. Yes, there have been oil demand slowdowns, and global fear about the spread of a previously unknown, deadly disease. There have been past battles between global oil giants, completely out of Canada’s or Alberta’s control, that have hit oil prices and hurt the economy here. But at this scale, all at once, and coming off a five-year period when the province was already crawling out of a hole? That hasn’t happened before.”
Gary Mason (The Globe and Mail) on the low-oil-price-shaped-hole in the Alberta budget: “At some point, the compassion one has for a province down on its luck has limits. If Alberta does not want to do anything to help itself out of these messes when they invariably arrive, then you can’t feel too badly for them. It’s like a child that won’t listen. Eventually, you have to let them sort out these problems for themselves. That’s the only way they will learn.”
Konrad Yakabuski (The Globe and Mail) on the Quebec budget: “How Quebec’s public finances stand up during a crisis could have a profound impact on the fate of the Legault government. It came to office promising sound fiscal management and robust economic growth. But a shrinking working-age population and lower immigration levels were already hampering its plans before the threat of a recession emerged.”
Andrew Coyne (The Globe and Mail) on the finances of Newfoundland and Labrador: “Thanks in large part to its oil wealth, Newfoundland and Labrador’s economy generates much more in revenues than any other province – about a third more than the national average. The problem is that it spends even more – in excess of $8-billion annually, against roughly $6-billion in taxes and other revenues. It gets about a billion dollars from the feds, and borrows the rest.”
Lawrence Martin (The Globe and Mail) on how U.S. President Donald Trump is dealing with coronavirus: “There is still time for Mr. Trump to reverse course and gain some control of the situation. National crises provide presidents with enhanced emergency powers. In many ways, COVID-19 plays to Mr. Trump’s nationalist agenda of stricter border controls. For the economy he will take extraordinary measures of stimulus for those most affected. He had been talking about another tax cut before the fall election. With so many businesses taking a hit from the virus, he will now likely be able to get one passed.”
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FREDERICTON – A look at David Coon, leader of the Green Party of New Brunswick:
Born: Oct. 28, 1956.
Early years: Born in Toronto and raised in Montreal, he spent about three decades as an environmental advocate.
Education: A trained biologist, he graduated with a bachelor of science from McGill University in Montreal in 1978.
Family: He and his wife Janice Harvey have two daughters, Caroline and Laura.
Before politics: Worked as an environmental educator, organizer, activist and manager for 33 years, mainly with the Conservation Council of New Brunswick.
Politics: Joined the Green Party of Canada in May 2006 and was elected leader of the New Brunswick Green Party in September 2012. Won a seat in the legislature in 2014 — a first for the province’s Greens.
Quote: “It was despicable. He’s clearly decided to take the low road in this campaign, to adopt some Trump-lite fearmongering.” — David Coon on Sept. 12, 2024, reacting to Blaine Higgs’s claim that the federal government had decided to send 4,600 asylum seekers to New Brunswick.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
FREDERICTON – A look at Blaine Higgs, leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of New Brunswick.
Born: March 1, 1954.
Early years: The son of a customs officer, he grew up in Forest City, N.B., near the Canada-U.S. border.
Education: Graduated from the University of New Brunswick with a degree in mechanical engineering in 1977.
Family: Married his high-school sweetheart, Marcia, and settled in Saint John, N.B., where they had four daughters: Lindsey, Laura, Sarah and Rachel.
Before politics: Hired by Irving Oil a week after he graduated from university and was eventually promoted to director of distribution. Worked for 33 years at the company.
Politics: Elected to the legislature in 2010 and later served as finance minister under former Progressive Conservative Premier David Alward. Elected Tory leader in 2016 and has been premier since 2018.
Quote: “I’ve always felt parents should play the main role in raising children. No one is denying gender diversity is real. But we need to figure out how to manage it.” — Blaine Higgs in a year-end interview in 2023, explaining changes to school policies about gender identity.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
OTTAWA – The pressing issues of climate change and food security join more familiar ones like violent extremism and espionage on a new list of Canada’s intelligence priorities.
The federal government says publishing the list of priorities for the first time is an important step toward greater transparency.
The government revises the priorities every two years, based on recommendations from the national security adviser and the intelligence community.
Once the priorities are reviewed and approved by the federal cabinet, key ministers issue directives to federal agencies that produce intelligence.
Among the priorities are the security of global health, food, water and biodiversity, as well as the issues of climate change and global sustainability.
The new list also includes foreign interference and malign influence, cyberthreats, infrastructure security, Arctic sovereignty, border integrity and transnational organized crime.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
