WASHINGTON — Sen. Ted Cruz and Rep. Paul Gosar on Sunday said they would self-quarantine after interacting with a person at a conservative conference who has tested positive for the coronavirus — making the pair the first known members of Congress to have possibly come into contact with the rapidly spreading virus.
Cruz, an outspoken Republican who ran for president in 2016, said the interaction happened at the Conservative Political Action Conference in National Harbor, Maryland. The Texas Republican said in a statement that he shook hands with the individual and had a brief conversation.
“I am not experiencing any symptoms and I feel fine and healthy,” Cruz said, explaining that the interaction lasted “less than a minute” and medical professionals he’s consulted have told him the “odds of transmission from the other individual to me were extremely low.
Gosar, an Arizona Republican, said he was with the “individual for an extended period of time, and we shook hands several times.” He said while he was not experiencing any symptoms, he along with three senior members of his office staff would be self-quarantining themselves.
Gosar said he would also close his Washington office “out of an abundance of caution.”
More: Rep. Paul Gosar, staff to self-quarantine after contact with coronavirus patient
Cruz, in his statement, said physicians have advised that others who he’s interacted with “should not be concerned about potential transmission.” But, Cruz added, he notified Vice President Mike Pence, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and the president’s new Chief of Staff Rep. Mark Meadows, high profile figures who also attended the annual conference.
Cruz said out of an abundance of caution he would also quartine and planned to stay home in Texas until a full 14 days have passed since the interaction. The conference ran from Feb. 26-29.
On Saturday, the American Conservative Union announced in a statement that one of the attendees at CPAC had tested positive for COVID-19. Trump and Pence both spoke at the event.
More: A look at the coronavirus in six states slated to hold Democratic elections on Tuesday
The group said the man, a New Jersey resident, was exposed to the virus before the conference, where he “had no interaction with the President or Vice President.” The White House said Saturday that there was no indication Pence or Trump had been in “close proximity” to the man.
After hearing of the news, Trump on Saturday said he was not worried by the arrival of the coronavirus in the Washington area.
“No, I’m not concerned at all,” Trump told reporters Saturday when asked if he was troubled by the cases around Washington. “No, we’ve done a great job with it.”
The president, speaking at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, insisted that the spreading virus will not stop him from campaigning and vowed to continue to “have tremendous rallies.”
He touted his administration’s response to the virus, which Democrats have sharply criticized, saying, “We’ve done a fantastic job.” The president made the remarks before a dinner at the resort with Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro.
On Sunday, the virus continued its deadly reach across the U.S. as the number of fatalities climbed to 21, with 537 confirmed cases across 34 states and the District of Columbia.
All but three of the deaths have been in Washington state; two were in Florida and one in California. The virus has surged in the U.S. in the last week: The second American died March 1, just hours after the World Health Organization had reported 62 confirmed U.S. cases. There were 117 new cases announced on Saturday alone.
Contributing: William Cummings and John Bacon, USA TODAY
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.
