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Feds Looking To Deliver Millions Of Rapid Tests

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The federal government will be distributing 140 million rapid tests to the provinces this month.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says it’s up to the federal government to procure the tests, but the province has to decide how to distribute them.

“Our job is to procure as many as we possibly can, and get them to the provinces free of charge,” states Trudeau.

“They (the provinces) will make determinations around delivering them to people. We have certain stockpiles for vulnerable populations and specific usage, but the vast majority of rapid tests will be sent to provinces and territories to distribute.”

Health Minister Jean Yves Duclos says the number of rapids test are four times as many as the 35 million that was distributed to the provinces in December.

Prime minister Trudeau also weighed in on the fiasco of the Sunwing flight that made the rounds on social media.

In a series of now-deleted videos, passengers were seen drinking alcohol, vaping, and partying without masks in close proximity.

In one video, a large bottle of vodka is being passed around.

Trudeau calls their actions irresponsible.

“It’s a slap in the face to see people putting themselves, putting their fellow citizens, putting airline workers at risk by being completely irresponsible.”

Trudeau says Transport Canada launching an investigation into the flight.

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Justin Trudeau To Unveil His New Cabinet October 26th

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The prime minister will unveil his new cabinet before the end of the month.

Justin Trudeau is set to announce his roster of cabinet ministers on October 26th and recall Parliament on November 22nd.

The ministers will guide his government into a third mandate focused on the battle with COVID-19 and rebuilding the economy.

A news release confirms cabinet will remain gender-balanced.

Chrystia Freeland will continue to serve as the deputy prime minister and the minister of finance.

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Trudeau Calls Federal Election For Sept. 20

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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced a federal election for Sept. 20, despite growing concerns over Canada’s fourth wave of COVID-19.

Trudeau, accompanied by his family, met with recently installed Governor General Mary Simon at Rideau Hall in Ottawa on Sunday morning and asked her to dissolve parliament.

Simon said yes, and thus Canadians are heading to the polls.

“I’m asking you to vote for real progressive leadership, for strong healthcare, for affordable homes, for a clean and protected environment, make your voice heard, have your say, together let’s move forward for everyone,” said Prime Minister Trudeau.

Despite several questions from the media, Trudeau failed to clearly address whether a failure to establish a majority government would result in his resignation.

A minimum of 170 seats is required to secure a majority government.

Fourth Wave of COVID-19

The timing of an election has drawn criticism from opposition parties; however, Trudeau stated Canadians deserve the right to vote on Canada’s pandemic recovery.

“I think it’s right for Canadians to be able to pronounce themselves on where we’re going, how we get through this, and what the next steps are for fighting the pandemic as we face a fourth wave, but also for what the next steps are for rebuilding our community, our society, our country so that it is better and more resilient for years to come,” said Trudeau.

A fourth wave of COVID-19 – driven by the Delta variant – has recently emerged in Canada.

The country is recording an increase in new COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations, said chief public health officer of Canada, Dr. Theresa Tam, on Thursday.

When asked about the safety of holding an election at this time, Tam’s key advice was to continue following public health guidelines.

“You do have to watch the local epidemiology and the local public health advice as well… so that could vary over time. Anyone who is campaigning must observe those best practices.”

“Different rules are being applied in different areas of the country,” Tam added.

What do the polls suggest?

In a recent survey conducted by the Angus Reid Institute, the Liberals remain favoured by Canadians, garnering 36% of the votes. The Tories received 31% of the votes, good for second place, followed by the NDP with 19% and the Bloc Quebecois, who received 7%.

With files from Allan Dearing

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Canada Now In Fourth Wave Of COVID-19 Pandemic

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The country’s top doctor says Canada is now in the fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic and is being driven by the Delta variant.

Dr. Theresa Tam is urging younger Canadians to get vaccinated noting how the majority of new cases are people under 40 who have not received a jab.

Tam’s news conference coincided with reports a federal election could be called for September 20.

When asked about the safety of holding an election at this time, Tam’s key advice would be to continue following public health guidelines.

“You do have to watch the local epidemiology and the local public health advice as well… so that could vary over time. Anyone who is campaigning must observe those best practices.”

“Different rules are being applied in different areas of the country,” Tam added.

At the same media briefing, federal procurement minister Anita Anand reiterated the importance of public health measures in any situation when asked about an election campaign during the pandemic.

Anand urged Canadians to get fully vaccinated if they haven’t done so already.

Anand also announced the federal government will donate another ten million vaccines to other countries noting how Canada now has enough vaccines to vaccinate all Canadians twice.

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FedNor Becomes Stand-Alone Agency

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The Federal Government is making FedNor a stand-alone agency.

Municipal leaders across the north have long called for the move to give them greater independence to funding requests.

Terry Sheehan, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister responsible for FedNor, says the government is responding.

“Stakeholders told us that FedNor needed more independence and local decision making to ensure it could better respond to the region’s economic development needs, and that’s what we’re doing here today.”

Nipissing-Timiskaming MPP Anthony Rota says it will better respond to the needs of the area.

“We do not have to rely on Ottawa to tell us ‘well this is how you’re going to do it’. We have guidelines like the other RDA (regional development agencies) in the country, but we can make those decisions that reflect us.

The switch from a government program to a separate agency also comes with a larger budget.

The regional development program was first created in 1987, operating under various ministries until now.

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Canada Opens Border To Fully Vaccinated U.S. Travellers

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Fully vaccinated travellers from the United States can enter Canada for non-essential reasons without self-isolating.

The new public health measures mark a milestone in the fight against COVID-19.

The last time Canada permitted non-essential travellers to enter the country was March 2020.

Despite the step forward, a series of requirements are in effect to avoid taking two steps back.

U.S. citizens or permanent residents must be fully vaccinated with a vaccine accepted by the Government of Canada. The final dose must have been administered in the last 14 days.

So far, the vaccines approved by Canada are those made by Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, AstraZeneca/COVISHIELD, and Janssen (Johnson & Johnson).

Personal information and proof of vaccination must be uploaded to the ArriveCAN app.

For Children under 12, the 14-day isolation period will not apply as long as their parents or guardians are fully vaccinated.

U.S. travellers will also need to provide a negative COVID-19 PCR test taken prior to arriving in Canada, but also no more than 72 hours before arriving.

A complete list of the new health measures is available here.

While Canada is ready to welcome back U.S. travellers, the welcoming was not reciprocated. Canadians hoping to finish their summer down south are likely out of luck, as the United States continues to keep non-essential travellers out of the country.

Canada could open its welcoming party to the rest of the world if COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are low. Public Health is eyeing September 7th for the reopening, however, travellers would be subject to the same rules that U.S. travellers face.

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CBSA Workers, Federal Government Resume Negotiations

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Negotiations have resumed between unionized Canada Border Services Agency workers and the federal government.

It comes just days after union reps announced that members have voted overwhelmingly in favour of strike action.

Among other things, employees are seeking better protections against what they describe as toxic workplace culture.

They also want greater parity with other law enforcement agencies across Canada and a fair remote working policy for non-uniform members.

The more than 8,500 unionized members can legally take strike action on Aug. 6, just days before the Canadian border is set to reopen to fully vaccinated U.S. travellers.

Union officials have said any sort of labour dispute could cause significant disruptions to the flow of goods, services and people entering Canada.

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Canadian Chamber Wants Detailed Reopening Plan

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The Canadian Chamber of Commerce is pushing for the federal government to release a detailed plan, on lifting border restrictions.

President and CEO Perrin Beatty says businesses in the travel and tourism sector employ 1.8 million Canadians across the country.

He says these workers deserve clarity on what things will look like after the pandemic, “I reiterate our call for the federal government to immediately release a comprehensive national plan to reopen our economy, to release its strategy for reopening the Canada/US border and to put in place a clear vaccination certification process to support the recovery of the industry in the Canadian economy.”

Beatty says addressing these issues cannot wait any longer for fear of long lasting changes and job losses.

“At some point, the government has to decide whether being vaccinated is meaningful and whether it is prepared to adjust government regulations that affect people’s mobility based on whether or not they have been vaccinated,” Beatty says.

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UPDATE: Feds Sign $5.9B Aid Deal With Air Canada

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Ottawa has signed an agreement with Air Canada which will see the airline receive $5.9 billion in federal support.

Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said the money will come in the form of repayable loans and equity investment in the airline.

“This support comes with strict conditions to protect Canadian travellers, Canadians’ tax dollars and Air Canada’s workers,” Freeland, who is also the country’s finance minister, said during a news conference Monday evening.

As part of the deal, Air Canada says eligible customers who bought a non-refundable ticket for travel on or after Feb. 1, 2020, but did not fly can now obtain a refund.

The revised COVID-19 refund policy covers tickets and Air Canada Vacations packages purchased before April 13, 2021, for flights cancelled either by the airline or by the customer for any reason.

The deal also requires Air Canada to resume service at 13 suspended airports no later than June 1, 2021, including:

  • Bathurst
  • Comox
  • Fredericton
  • Gander
  • Goose Bay
  • Kamloops
  • North Bay
  • Penticton
  • Prince Rupert
  • Saint John
  • Sandspit
  • Sydney
  • Yellowknife

For seven airports where Air Canada had permanently cancelled service, the airline will seek interline agreements with other carriers to ensure those Canadians continue to have convenient access to their preferred airports and the flights they need.

As part of the deal, Air Canada must maintain jobs at current levels — the airline currently has 14,859 active Canadian employees — respect collective bargaining agreements and protect workers’ pensions.

Dividends and share buybacks will be restricted, and executive compensation will be capped, said Freeland.

“I’m confident this agreement sets a standard for how such interventions should be designed with the interests of Canadians and workers coming first,” said Freeland.

“This is a good and fair deal for Canada and Canadians.”

Freeland said the federal government is in talks with other airlines to see what help they may need.

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Feds Announce Date For 2021 Budget

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We now know when the Trudeau government will deliver its next federal budget.

Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland announced Tuesday that the 2021 budget will be tabled on April 19.

“Canada entered this global pandemic in a strong fiscal position, which allowed our government to provide unprecedented support to Canadians,” Freeland said during Question Period on Tuesday.

“We will continue to do whatever it takes to support Canadians and Canadian businesses and we have a plan for jobs and robust growth.”

This will be the first official budget from the federal government in more than two years.

The 2020 budget was postponed indefinitely after Parliament was suspended for several weeks due to COVID-19.

Opposition parties have been calling on the Liberal government to bring forward a budget.

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