Reliable funding for coronavirus research key in bracing for future outbreaks, say experts, former MPs
As the world races to develop a COVID-19 vaccine, and governments continue to grapple with the fallout of a global pandemic, Canadian researchers, experts, and former Parliamentarians say stable research funding for pandemic preparedness is crucial to respond to the current outbreak and prepare the country for the next one. Dr. Alan Bernstein, president and […]
A lesson in handwashing with little clean water
TORONTO—Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has been criticized in some quarters for failing to adopt an isolationist approach to the COVID-19 crisis. His critics who demand a singular focus on Canada are wrong. In 2010, I taught a lesson on handwashing in rural Lesotho, a poor and tiny landlocked sub-Saharan African country. That year, I finished […]
PROC to hear from House Speaker, clerk next week as it studies plan for virtual sittings
The Procedure and House Affairs Committee is planning to hear from the House Speaker and clerk next week as it fleshes out its study on the feasibility of holding virtual parliamentary sittings. Liberal MP Ruby Sahota (Brampton North, Ont.), chair of the committee also known as PROC, told committee members via teleconference on Thursday that […]
Essential front-line workers to receive temporary wage boost, says Trudeau
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the government is in talks with the premiers to provide a temporary wage boost to essential front-line workers earning less than $2,500 a month. In a move that follows steps taken by the Quebec government, which has added top-ups to the salaries of workers in long-term care facilities, Mr. Trudeau […]
We may not know when, but we can plan for the inevitable return to work
Here is a problem you might not know you have yet: we’re eventually going to return to work. Be it in the office or some version of what we had before. We can’t know exactly when, but we do know for certain it will happen, and it will certainly be different. For those of us […]
‘An added burden’: First Nations under water advisories speak of greater risks with COVID-19
First Nations under boil-water advisories face greater challenges following public health guidelines to prevent and contain the spread of COVID-19, which is also causing construction delays in some communities that have been waiting years for clean drinking water. Many of the measures urged by public health officials to prevent COVID-19 are made more difficult in […]
China may have breached consular agreement by withholding access to detained Canadians since January
With no consular access for two detained Canadians since January in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, China may have breached a bilateral consular agreement with little power for the Canadian government to safeguard communication links with Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor. Global Affairs told The Hill Times in an email that Canadian officials haven’t […]
Public health crisis offers new lens towards nuclear disarmament
That COVID-19 has created a new global reality is clear. If there is any positive aspect to this unfolding situation, it could be a deeper understanding of the fact that the well-being of people throughout the world is inextricably linked. The COVID crisis might also serve as a cautionary tale, helping us to appreciate the […]
MPs to consider new mailing guidelines as some call for shuttered service’s return
When Parliament shut down, Members of Parliament lost the ability to mail their constituents en masse, which some worry is stopping key information from getting to vulnerable residents in the middle of a pandemic. Parliamentary mailing privileges grant MPs the ability to print and send up to four “householders” to every home in their riding […]
New foreign policy may grow out of Canada’s COVID-19 crisis
There seem to be at least two venues for the fight against COVID-19. One COVID-19 war is in the hospitals and their intensive care units. The other is being fought by political leaders to ensure sufficient personal protective equipment (PPE) is available to the health-care front lines. This is the part of the war that […]
