Halting disinformation in a time of pandemic: the need to tread very carefully
OTTAWA—A newish term we have all begun to see much more often these days is that of “disinformation” (a.k.a. “misinformation”). We all read about attempts by the Russians and other nefarious actors to influence the democratic process in the U.S. and France by flooding the internet with made-up stuff. At one point, this was headline […]
McKinnon in talks with WHO’s Aylward to appear before health committee
MPs on the House Health Committee are hoping to have Dr. Bruce Aylward, head of the WHO-China joint mission on COVID-19, testify before committee by Wednesday, April 29. NDP MP Don Davies (Vancouver-Kingsway, B.C.), his party’s health critic and a member of the agenda and procedure subcommittee, said members received an update at the subcommittee […]
‘It’s just been one wave of shock and grief after the other’: Grit MP Zann calls Nova Scotia rampage a ‘living nightmare’
In the days after a gunman killed 22 Nova Scotians along a trail of 16 crime scenes last weekend, Liberal MP Lenore Zann, who represents the Cumberland-Colchester riding where the deadly rampage took place, said her province was going through a “living nightmare.” “It’s just been one wave of shock and grief after the other,” […]
Some Senators play community fixers with country in lockdown
Stuck in their homes like most of us, some of Canada’s Senators are using their time away from Ottawa amid the COVID-19 global pandemic to form virtual policy “working groups,” help researchers collect data on the crisis, or go to bat for businesses and non-profits in danger of slipping through cracks of the government’s response. […]
Fight against COVID-19 hasn’t been easy, and it’s not over yet
The COVID-19 pandemic has created an unprecedented situation around the world, and it has caused challenges here at home as well. Thousands of Canadians have been infected, and tragically, many Canadians have lost their lives due to the virus. I think of the nurses, doctors, caregivers, first-responders, and other Canadians working in essential services who […]
Care aides are the real heroes
There will be many heroes in the coming days, some already rising to the challenge of COVID-19, including nurses, doctors, paramedics, and hospital cleaners, as well as delivery drivers, grocery store workers, and warehouse staff. But there’s one critical occupation that is routinely forgotten when we champion the heroes: nursing home care aides who stayed […]
Pandemic forces feds to hit pause on climate legislation; environmentalists sanguine about net-zero pledge
Environmental groups say they expect green programs to form the backbone of the government’s recovery effort when the COVID-19 crisis abates. The government has been forced to hit pause on its legislative agenda, with Parliamentary sittings disrupted and its attention diverted toward grappling with the pandemic’s ruinous impacts on the economy. That has included delaying […]
Who gets left behind when we are forced to triage scarce health resources?
With rapidly rising infection rates due to COVID19, provincial and territorial health care officials are bracing themselves for situations of extreme shortage of critical care beds, medical equipment and personnel necessary to treat the sickest of the sick in hospital settings. In a pandemic setting, triage is the allocation of treatment and scarce resources to […]
Health Policy Briefing
Ottawa’s relief measures for businesses could soar to more than $9.1-billion, says PBO
One of the federal government’s relief measures to support businesses and enterprises during the COVID-19 pandemic could cost more than $9.1-billion, according to analyses released Friday by the Parliamentary Budget Officer. The PBO estimated that the Canada Emergency Business Account will cost $9.1-billion for fiscal year 2020-21, while the feds’ loan guarantee program for small- […]
