Ottawa projects three million Canadians could be vaccinated by March 2021
Ottawa has firmed up five out of seven vaccine agreements it’s negotiated to date, with efforts underway to finalize the other two to make sure vaccines get into Canadian hands, say government officials. In the first of what will become weekly briefings on the vaccine rollout, officials involved in the regulatory and procurement process said […]
Public health is not dependable without independence
Canada’s public health system is failing yet again. Our governments struggled to respond effectively to the 2003 SARS outbreak and 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic, and they still have not controlled the staggering epidemic of fatal street-drug overdoses. Now, far less wealthy jurisdictions are outperforming our response to COVID-19. Our system is floundering because of two […]
Hillier is the right choice to lead Ontario’s COVID-19 vaccine distribution
OTTAWA—Much like General Douglas MacArthur returning to the Philippines during the Second World War when the beleaguered nation needed rescue, Gen. Rick Hillier has returned to the national stage to oversee a key battle against COVID-19. Hillier has been asked by Ontario Premier Doug Ford to run the task force that will manage the distribution […]
Economic, industry concerns top-lobbied issues amid return to Parliament and second COVID wave
Lobbying returned to lower levels, in line with past years, in October—the first full month of regular parliamentary proceedings since the pandemic started—with economic development, industry, health, and the environment the focus of most government relations efforts. Innovation Minister Navdeep Bains (Mississauga-Malton, Ont.) and Economic Development Minister Mélanie Joly (Ahuntsic-Cartierville, Que.) were among the top-lobbied […]
As provinces enlist military’s support in managing COVID-19, experts say it’s pulling the Forces away from training efforts
Requests for aid from provinces during the pandemic has forced the military to make “painful internal tradeoffs” that have forced members to carry out non-traditional duties, members of the House Defence Committee heard Monday. Speaking to the members of the House Defence Committee remotely, Christian Leuprecht, a professor at the Royal Military College of Canada, […]
Diabetes and COVID-19
It was almost ten months ago that Canada had its very first case of COVID-19 on Jan. 25, 2020. Since then, the pandemic has changed many aspects of our daily lives. But for some Canadians, the effects of the pandemic have hit harder than others. Our seniors and those with chronic medical conditions, including health […]
Modernizing the Canadian Environmental Protection Act should be a public health priority
Following the 2019 federal election, the government made two distinct commitments on environmental legislation. First, it committed to introducing legislation to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Second, it promised to strengthen the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA) to adequately protect Canadians from 21st-century toxic pollution and harmful chemicals. The federal government has delivered […]
PMO’s Canada-U.S. relations team gearing up for transition to Biden administration
A slimmed-down Canada-U.S. relations unit first established within the Prime Minister’s Office nearly four years ago following the election of President Donald Trump remains in place heading into president-elect Joe Biden’s administration, with a concentration on the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, trade issues, climate and energy, as well as a renewed focus on international […]
Winter’s coming, I’m in Mexico
I am a snowbird sinner. Notwithstanding government advice, I have travelled south and am currently coviding in 30-degree temperatures on the sunny beaches of Mexico. To be clear, we left home two weeks before the government issued an anti-travel advisory to all seniors last week. The government advice did not mince words: “avoid all non-essential […]
Feds could receive 6 million vaccine doses by March 2021, but details around distribution in works
Federal health officials say it’s “premature” to provide precise figures on how many vaccine doses each jurisdiction could receive, but they confirmed on Friday that Canada could receive six million by the end of March 2021. Speaking to the House Health Committee, Iain Stewart, the newly named president of the Public Health Agency of Canada, […]
