In today’s COVID-19 vaccine news, Prime Minster Justin Trudeau said Canada has signed a contract so that it could begin to receive thousands of doses of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine by the end of the month.
The Moderna drug has not yet been approved by Health Canada, though that could come soon. Mr. Trudeau said Canada could begin receiving shipments of the Moderna vaccine within 48 hours of the health regulator’s approval.
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The vaccine created by Pfizer and BioNTech was approved last week and is being given to hospital and long-term-care-home staff starting Monday.
Both vaccines use similar mRNA technology, but differ in some ways, such as how they are stored. The Pfizer drug poses more logistical challenges because it must be kept at super-cold temperatures, whereas the Moderna drug can be stored in regular refrigerators and so could be distributed more widely.
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TODAY’S HEADLINES
The commissioners of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission have gathered for the first time since the landmark report came out five years ago to warn non-Indigenous Canadians not to forget their commitments to reconciliation with Indigenous peoples. Governments have moved too slowly on the report’s calls to actions, the commissioner said. “We cannot afford to backslide, much less not move forward,” Marie Wilson said.
Canada’s ambassador to China, Dominic Barton, used to be global managing partner of McKinsey – and neither the company nor the man will say what he knew about the firm’s efforts to boost the sales of opioids while he worked there.
The RCMP is committing to changing how it collects information about protestors after concerns were raised by the police force’s civilian watchdog.
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The Liberal government is drafting new French-language rules for Quebeckers who work in federally regulated industries, CBC reports.
Peter MacKay, now (again) out of politics, has a new job as a senior adviser to Deloitte and McInnes Cooper.
U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell has congratulated Joe Biden as “president-elect” for the first time.
And the Canadian Press news story of the year is…come on, you can probably guess it. “Nothing has had such an impact on the lives of all Canadians since the Second World War,” one editor said.
Tanya Talaga (The Globe and Mail) on a guilty verdict in a Thunder Bay trial about the killing of an Indigenous woman: “There are trials that arise from North America’s deep colonial history – trials of race where justice never seems to ever come, because the system itself is born from systems steeped in the policies of extermination and assimilation. The institutions that now govern us all in Canada grew from the theft of our lands and the attempt to break our bodies and our spirits. [Brayden] Bushby’s is one such trial.”
John Ibbitson (The Globe and Mail) on the prospects in the next election: “The pandemic has also made it possible for the Liberals to take the biggest political risk in a generation: offering a credible plan to meet Canada’s carbon-reduction commitment. The Chrétien, Martin, Harper and first Trudeau governments all recoiled from that challenge, because of the financial costs and political risks. But with the deficit approaching $400-billion, what are a few billion more to fight climate change?”
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J. Kelly Nestruck (The Globe and Mail) on the case for making performing artists a priority group for vaccination: “Finance minister Chrystia Freeland recently made a public plea for, as The Globe’s economics reporter Dave Parkinson put it, ‘policy ideas that would encourage consumers to spend their excess cash’ – the estimated extra $150-billion in savings that the most fortunate Canadians have put in their piggy banks since the start of the pandemic. Well, few industries provide as much bang for the buck in their impact on local economies than the performing arts – which, despite all the attempts to stay positive and focus on online pivots, has largely come to a grinding halt for the past nine months.”
Ephraim Mirvis (The Guardian) on the persecution of Uyghur Muslims in China, from his perspective as chief rabbi: “Can it be true that, in our modern, sophisticated world, men and women are still beaten if they refuse to renounce their faith? That women are forced to abort their unborn children and are then sterilized to prevent them from becoming pregnant again? That forced imprisonment, the separation of children from their parents and a culture of intimidation and fear have become the norm? Sadly, the weight of evidence of this persecution of the Uighur Muslim minority in China is overwhelming.”
Beisan Zubi (Ottawa Citizen) on why we should be comfortable letting go of some historical symbols and words: “To say we can’t change things going forward ignores the constant evolution of the builders and destroyers of words and statues: us. Language is one of our most vibrant public spaces, shaped by its users, changing dramatically over time but always reflecting us back: our values, our esthetics, those we respect, those we ignore.”
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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.
GATINEAU, Que. – Treasury Board President Anita Anand will take on the additional role of transport minister this afternoon, after Pablo Rodriguez resigned from cabinet to run for the Quebec Liberal leadership.
A government source who was not authorized to speak publicly says Anand will be sworn in at a small ceremony at Rideau Hall.
Public Services and Procurement Minister Jean-Yves Duclos will become the government’s new Quebec lieutenant, but he is not expected to be at the ceremony because that is not an official role in cabinet.
Rodriguez announced this morning that he’s leaving cabinet and the federal Liberal caucus and will sit as an Independent member of Parliament until January.
That’s when the Quebec Liberal leadership race is set to officially begin.
Rodriguez says sitting as an Independent will allow him to focus on his own vision, but he plans to vote with the Liberals on a non-confidence motion next week.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
