'It's in the government's interest and in the country's interest to make the management of COVID an important priority, but not to set aside the other priorities,' says former Tory Senator Hugh Segal.

Demand for renewable energy is set to increase in 2020, according to the International Energy Agency. 'We have an amazing chance to do a really large societal rethink,' says Green Party MP Elizabeth May.

'We’re going to hit an economic wall that will probably be the equivalent of the Great Depression,' said pollster Nik Nanos, who predicts historic levels of unemployment, public debt, and disruption in the workplace.

‘What’s impressed me, is the dog that didn’t bark,’ says former clerk Wernick. ‘We haven’t had any major IT failures, bottlenecks or collapses—not everything has been perfect, but generally things have gone quite well.'

Nobody can forecast what shape the industry is going to be in after any kind of return to normal, says The Globe and Mail publisher Phillip Crawley, one of 10 signees of an 'urgent message' to the government.

Treasury Board spokesperson Martin Potvin says the government's goal is to take 'constructive steps to keep meeting and to prepare for negotiations when they resume.'

Conservative MP Stephanie Kusie says the government will need every form of revenue possible to rebuild the national treasury—and that fossil fuels have to be included in that process.

Liberal MP John McKay calls Taiwan ‘the bright and shining exception’ in dealing with the pandemic, while Conservative MP James Bezan says Taiwan’s alarm system ‘should have been alarm bell for the rest of the world.'

In the final minutes of a Senate meeting on Saturday, April 11, 2020, Senator Peter Harder made the case for having a higher tolerance for risk in the federal public sector, especially during this global pandemic.

'The Correctional Service of Canada continues to take a number of preventative measures to restrict the spread of COVID-19 in federal institutions,' according to the office of Public Safety Minister Bill Blair.

'Crises have a life cycle, and this one looks like it will be long and have different phases or chapters,' says Josh Greenberg, a specialist in communications and media coverage of outbreaks and infectious disease.

The 'biggest point of concern right now' is 'making sure that we keep those shipments of fresh vegetables and other commodities rolling in by truck across the border, truck or train,' says John Manley.

'This subsidy will make a real difference in your lives and help everyone affected bridge to better times,' said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday, March 27.

Heritage Minister Steven Guilbeault said he has spoken with representatives from media groups and trade unions representing journalists, and the government is doing 'everything we can to help them make it through this cr

‘People are unsure, people are scared, this is a whole new time, so we have to have some clear messaging from our government letting our people know of what they need to do,’ said CUPW national president Jan Simpson.

‘You need to look at what the facts are in front of you and make decisions quickly,’ says PPG president Jordan Press. ‘Nothing like I’ve ever seen,’ says CBC reporter David Cochrane.

'Our main concern is to make sure they provide a healthy and safe environment for our members that will protect them to be able to do that work that is required for them to do,' says CEIU president Eddy Bourque.

'The government of Canada will be as flexible as possible and will not only allow, but encourage teleworking whenever and wherever possible,' says Treasury Board President Jean-Yves Duclos.

PIPSC president Debi Daviau says she ‘cannot complain at all on openness and transparency’ around process, but PSAC president Chris Aylward says he’s ‘very concerned’ about lack of details, consultation with his union.

The longtime provincial and federal backroom operative talks byelections, advice for Justin Trudeau, leadership races, and her new book Let ‘Em Howl with The Hill Times.

Members of PSAC, Canada’s largest public service union, held rallies and sit-ins across the country to mark the fourth anniversary of Phoenix and the lack of new collective agreements.

The Incident Response Group has met multiple times in recent weeks to discuss the coronavirus outbreak, Iran’s downing of the Ukrainian passenger flight, and ongoing rail blockades across Canada.

Pollster Nik Nanos called the release of the declaration 'a bit of a veiled threat, especially considering no one was given a heads up and it just came right out of the blue.'

A recent government survey found that although just under 92 per cent of public service managers believe that appointees can do the job they were hired for, just under 54 per cent of employees agreed.