Politics Briefing: Feds announce mandatory self-isolation for travellers, financial relief for affected workers - The Globe and Mail | Canada News Media
The federal government said Wednesday that it will use powers under the Quarantine Act to ensure that travellers returning from other countries are subject to a mandatory 14-day self-isolation upon their arrival. Health Minister Patty Hajdu made the announcement while speaking to the Senate, saying the measures came into place at midnight Wednesday.
Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said at a separate news conference that it will be a “legal obligation” for those returning to Canada to self-isolate, adding that essential workers will be excluded.
Earlier Wednesday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the government will provide workers affected by the COVID-19 pandemic with $2,000 per month for the next four months to help them pay their rent and buy groceries.
Story continues below advertisement
This is the daily Politics Briefing newsletter, usually written by Chris Hannay. Michelle Carbert is taking over for a couple of weeks while Chris helps with other important duties at The Globe. The newsletter is available exclusively to our digital subscribers. If you’re reading this on the web, subscribers can sign up for the Politics newsletter and more than 20 others on our newsletter signup page. Have any feedback? Let us know what you think.
TODAY’S HEADLINES
News is currently dominated by the COVID-19 outbreak. For a full rundown, you can subscribe to our Coronavirus Update newsletter (sign up here). Here are some stories that speak to the political and governmental response.
Following a late night of talks between parties, the House of Commonsapproved emergency legislation in the early hours of Wednesday morning authorizing billions in new spending for workers and businesses affected by the COVID-19 outbreak. The bill’s passage came after the Liberal government abandoned controversial plans to give cabinet special powers through to 2022.
The Senatepassed the government’s emergency aid legislation Wednesday afternoon. The bill now awaits royal assent.
The need for government support is growing, as nearly one million Canadians applied for unemployment benefits since the beginning of last week. A source familiar with the data confirmed that the government received an estimated 929,000 Employment Insurance claims from March 16 to 22. The Globe and Mail is not identifying the source because they were not authorized to share the information.
Assembly of First Nations National Chief Perry Bellegarde told The Globe his organization has declared a state of emergency to ensure there is a heightened level of awareness from all governments about concerns over the coronavirus in First Nations communities.
Story continues below advertisement
The government’s emergency coronavirus legislation includes measures that could help auto parts makers retool their factories to produce life-saving ventilators for desperately ill COVID-19 patients. The legislation would amend Canada’s Patent Act to grant the federal Health Minister new powers to authorize the manufacture of patented inventions “to respond to the public health emergency” and provides an additional $500-million for the provinces that could be used to purchase medical equipment.
Canadians desperate to return home from abroad are hiding their symptoms from officials so they can board flights back to Canada, according to a report by CBC News.
Campbell Clark (The Globe and Mail) on the government’s panicky legislative power grab: “It seems likely that finance officials wanted all those extra powers because they’re not only worried about the unpredictability of the future, they’re uncertain about the adequacy of what they have already done. The economic package in the legislation going before Parliament doesn’t put Canada firmly ahead of the curve.”
Andrew Coyne (The Globe and Mail) on a wartime economy: “Good policy ideas that are, for one reason or another, politically impractical at most times often become possible in crises, when the risks and rewards of experimentation are seen rather differently. The baby bonus came out of the Second World War. Perhaps some form of basic income will be the legacy of ‘World War C.’”
John Ibbitson (The Globe and Mail) on the end of Open Canada: “Logically, there should be no change in attitudes toward immigration as a result of the pandemic. But logic doesn’t always guide public policy. Sometimes, policies are governed by fear. Politicians in all parties need to fight that fear by supporting a return to wide-open immigration once this pandemic has passed.”
Lawrence Martin (The Globe and Mail) on a method in Trump’s madness: “In trying to save the economy while limiting the impact of the virus he is trying to have the best – or least worse – of both worlds. If carried out with great care, expertise and efficiency his plan could work. Given that his administration is more noted for dysfunction and malfunction, fears that it could grievously backfire on both counts are well placed.”
Story continues below advertisement
John Ivison (The National Post) on the Liberals’ opportunistic approach to coronavirus bill: “Could it be that the Liberals saw in the current health crisis the means of saving themselves the exasperation of having to horse-trade with their opponents? Was it as simple as them not being able to resist the temptation to bypass the country’s principal democratic institution, which they appear to see as little more than an inconvenience?”
Got a news tip that you’d like us to look into? E-mail us at tips@globeandmail.com. Need to share documents securely? Reach out via SecureDrop
OTTAWA – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the NDP is caving to political pressure from Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre when it comes to their stance on the consumer carbon price.
Trudeau says he believes Jagmeet Singh and the NDP care about the environment, but it’s “increasingly obvious” that they have “no idea” what to do about climate change.
On Thursday, Singh said the NDP is working on a plan that wouldn’t put the burden of fighting climate change on the backs of workers, but wouldn’t say if that plan would include a consumer carbon price.
Singh’s noncommittal position comes as the NDP tries to frame itself as a credible alternative to the Conservatives in the next federal election.
Poilievre responded to that by releasing a video, pointing out that the NDP has voted time and again in favour of the Liberals’ carbon price.
British Columbia Premier David Eby also changed his tune on Thursday, promising that a re-elected NDP government would scrap the long-standing carbon tax and shift the burden to “big polluters,” if the federal government dropped its requirements.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
Simon Jolin-Barrette, minister responsible for consumer protection, has tabled a bill to force merchants to calculate tips based on the price before tax.
That means on a restaurant bill of $100, suggested tips would be calculated based on $100, not on $114.98 after provincial and federal sales taxes are added.
The bill would also increase the rebate offered to consumers when the price of an item at the cash register is higher than the shelf price, to $15 from $10.
And it would force grocery stores offering a discounted price for several items to clearly list the unit price as well.
Businesses would also have to indicate whether taxes will be added to the price of food products.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
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.
