Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said his government has not yet struck a deal with opposition regarding whether parliamentarians should sit in the House of Commons on Monday.
Trudeau once again doubled-down on his party’s view, saying it would be “irresponsible” for lawmakers to sit amid the COVID-19 outbreak.
“We are in a situation where our public health authorities, our experts and common sense tells us we need to continue to limit our movements,” he told reporters on Sunday. “We need to continue to work from home, we need to continue to do everything we can to ensure that people are kept safe from further spread of this pandemic.”
Without unanimous consent from parties on an alternative arrangement, Parliament is scheduled resume on Monday, meaning up to 338 MPs and their staff would gather in Ottawa.
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0:26 Coronavirus outbreak: Trudeau says Canada-U.S. land border closure extended by 30 days amid COVID-19 pandemic
Coronavirus outbreak: Trudeau says Canada-U.S. land border closure extended by 30 days amid COVID-19 pandemic
Public health officials have advised all Canadians to avoid gathering in groups, and have urged against all non-essential travel.
According to Trudeau, his government has proposed meeting “in some fashion” once a week, and to hold virtual sittings once the technology is available.
“We have proposed and it’s been accepted — largely accepted by the other opposition parties that we should have accountability measures,” Trudeau said. “We should have parliament that functions, but we have to do it responsibly, and that’s why coming back every week for questions and for work on passing new legislation is something that I think is reasonable and is acceptable to most parties.”
Trudeau said he is “perfectly happy” to take questions from media each day, and is “looking forward to taking questions from opposition parties.”
“But it has to be done in a responsible way,” he said. “And right now, the Conservatives are not taking a responsible approach.”
What has the opposition said?
A spokesperson for NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said in a statement to Global News on Saturday that smaller meetings of Parliament — such as the ones held to pass the emergency COVID-19 aid packages — combined with some virtual meetings “likely give us a path forward.”
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The party said there needs to be a way for opposition members to ask questions of the prime minister and cabinet.
“We will keep working with the other parties to get this done and make sure we can deliver for Canadians while respecting the best advice from public health experts,” the statement reads.
What’s more, in a tweet on Saturday Elizabeth May, former Green Party Leader and MP for Saanich-Gulf Islands, said the Greens would not give unanimous consent for calling Parliament together frequently “until Public Health advice says it makes sense.”
“Giving the Conservatives a spotlight in QP is not a reason to reconvene,” she wrote.
Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer told a briefing on Sunday that it is “disingenuous” to suggest all 338 MPs would be present on Monday.
“Only 20 MPs are required for quorum and pretending otherwise to try to force the opposition to accept a bad deal is wrong,” he said. “One sitting each week is unacceptable, even if it is eventually supplemented by a virtual sitting.”
1:34 Coronavirus outbreak: Canadian government to allocate over $306 million to Indigenous businesses
Coronavirus outbreak: Canadian government to allocate over $306 million to Indigenous businesses
The Conservatives say several meetings a week are needed to hold the government to account.
Scheer said during the last two emergency sessions, 32 MPs were in attendance.
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“This allowed us to follow public health advice and still carry out our duties,” he said. “Both times, Conservatives representing ridings from all over the country participated in the debate, and we got better results for Canadians because of it.”
He said his party is proposing that model be implemented three times a week to “ensure Canadians get the real help they need.”
“There must be oversight and accountability,” he said.
Asked by reporters on Sunday if a deal had been reached, Trudeau said no, but that he felt they were “very close.”
“I think it seems very, very reasonable that we can agree that there needs to be a Parliament that is functioning responsibly in this difficult time,” he said. “Most parties have responsible proposals forward, and I certainly hope that the Conservatives will agree to doing the responsible thing here.”
3:00 Coronavirus outbreak: Parliament should be considered an ‘essential service’ Scheer says
Coronavirus outbreak: Parliament should be considered an ‘essential service’ Scheer says
According to the latest numbers released by the Public Health Agency of Canada, as of Sunday at 11 a.m., 33,922 cases of COVID-19 had been confirmed across the country.
The majority of cases have been reported in Quebec and Ontario which have recorded 17,521 and 10,578 infections respectively.
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So far, the virus has claimed 1,506 lives in Canada.
LONGUEUIL, Que. – People in a part of Longueuil, Que., were being asked to stay indoors with their doors and windows closed on Thursday morning after a train derailed, spilling an unknown quantity of hydrogen peroxide.
Police from the city just east of Montreal said it didn’t appear anyone was hurt, although a CN rail official told a news conference that three employees had been taken to hospital as a precautionary measure.
The derailment happened at around 9 a.m. in the LeMoyne area, near the intersection of St-Louis and St-Georges streets. Mathieu Gaudreault, a spokesman for CN rail, said about eight cars derailed at the Southwark rail facility, including four that toppled over.
“As of this morning, the information we have is it’s hydrogen peroxide that was in the rail car and created the fumes we saw,” he said, adding that there was no risk of fire.
François Boucher, a spokesman for the Longueuil police department, said police were asking people in the area, including students at nearby schools, to stay indoors while experts ensure the air is safe to breathe.
“It is as a preventive measure that we encourage people to really avoid exposing themselves unnecessarily,” he told reporters near the scene.
Police and fire officials were on site, as well as CN railworkers, and a large security perimeter was erected.
Officers were asking people to avoid the sector, and the normally busy Highway 116 was closed in the area. The confinement notice includes everyone within 800 metres of the derailment, officials said, who added that it would be lifted once a team with expertise in dangerous materials has given the green light.
In addition to closing doors and windows, people in the area covered by the notice are asked to close heating, ventilation and air exchange systems, and to stay as far from windows as possible.
Gaudreault said it wasn’t yet clear what caused the derailment. The possibilities include a problem with the track, a problem with a manoeuvre, or a mechanical issue, he said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 14, 2024.
HALIFAX – Nova Scotia’s Liberal party is promising to improve cellphone service and invest in major highways if the party is elected to govern on Nov. 26.
Party leader Zach Churchill says a Liberal government would spend $60 million on building 87 new cellphone towers, which would be in addition to the $66 million the previous Progressive Conservative government committed to similar projects last year.
As well, Churchill confirmed the Liberals want to improve the province’s controlled access highways by adding exits along Highway 104 across the top of the mainland, and building a bypass along Highway 101 near Digby.
Churchill says the Liberals would add $40 million to the province’s $500 million capital budget for highways.
Meanwhile, the leaders of the three major political parties were expected to spend much of today preparing for a televised debate that will be broadcast tonight at 6 p.m. local time.
Churchill will face off against Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Houston and NDP Leader Claudia Chender during a 90-minute debate that will be carried live on CBC TV and streamed online.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 14, 2024.
TORONTO – A group of hotel service workers in Toronto is set to hold a rally today outside the Fairmont Royal York to demand salary increases as hotel costs in the city skyrocket during Taylor Swift’s concerts.
Unite Here Local 75, the union representing 8,000 hospitality workers in the Greater Toronto Area, says Royal York employees have not seen a salary increase since 2021, and have been negotiating a new contract with the hotel since 2022.
The rally comes as the megastar begins her series of six sold-out concerts in Toronto, with the last show scheduled for Nov. 23.
During show weekends, some hotel rooms and short-term rentals in Toronto are priced up to 10 times more than other weekends, with some advertised for as much as $2,000 per night.
The union says hotel workers who will be serving Swifties during her Toronto stops are bargaining for raises to keep up with the rising cost of living.
The union represents hospitality workers including food service employees, room attendants and bell persons.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 14, 2024.
