Politics This Morning: Opposition parties outline demands ahead of fiscal update

Good Monday morning, Over the weekend, Canada’s opposition parties laid out their demands ahead of Wednesday’s first fiscal update since the pandemic hit. It’ll come with the new official deficit estimate after four months of unprecedented spending in response to COVID-19, and an idea of how the government sees Canada’s finances and economic health for the rest of the year. The Conservatives are calling for a back-to-work bonus for returning employees and more funding for Canada’s auditor general, according to the CBC, while The Canadian Press reported the NDP is warning against premature cuts to federal aid. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is likely to face more than fiscal accountability questions Wednesday during the first of the House’s four summer sittings. On Friday, Ethics Commissioner Mario Dion announced he would launch his third investigation into Mr. Trudeau, this time for involvement in the government’s choice to tap the WE charity to administer a $900-million student volunteer program. That same day, WE announced it was pulling out of the contract. Opposition parties have panned the contract as smacking of cronyism, given Mr. Trudeau and his wife Sophie Grégoire Trudeau—who has been named a WE “ambassador” and hosts a mental health podcast with the charity—have both been regular speakers at the jam-packed youth events over the years. Monday also marks the start of a cabinet retreat that the Prime Minister’s Office said will focus on “concrete actions” to fight racism in Canada, and prepare for the pandemic’s potential second wave while safely restarting the economy. A poll released Saturday found that two-thirds of Canadians surveyed would support a second round of business closures should the country face another COVID-19 spike, according to Nanos Research for CTV News. In case you missed it, Canada will suspend its extradition treaty with Hong Kong, update travel advisories, and treat exports of sensitive goods in the same manner as it does for mainland China. Mr. Trudeau made the announcement Friday in the days after new national security laws passed by China that remove some of the city's autonomy. And, as communities cry for better race-based data collection, The Hill Times reported that Canada’s national police force and government will likely face an uphill battle to restore trust with Black and Indigenous communities as they begin that work. “The question is, do we need race-based data? Absolutely, because unless you have that data, it’s hard to figure out what needs to be done. But the question to me is, what’s it going to take for the government to do what needs to be done? We already know some of these issues but the government is still not doing what they need to do,” says Anna Banerji, a director of global and Indigenous health at the University of Toronto’s faculty. In scheduled events, Liberal MP Vance Badawey is making a virtual infrastructure announcement in Welland, Ont., for funding aimed at southern Ontario, alongside MPP Sam Oosterhoff. And three committees will be meeting, including the House Health Committee, to continue its study of Canada’s response to the COVID-19, where MPs will hear from the Canadian Generic Pharmaceutical Association, Canadian Center for Vaccinology, and Innovative Medicines Canada. The Procedure and House Affairs Committee will hear from House Speaker Anthony Rota alongside the House clerk as it examines parliamentary duties, and the House Industry Committee will examine front-line grocery store workers, with witnesses including Unifor president Jerry Dias. The Hill Times

Politics This Morning

Politics This Morning: Opposition parties outline demands ahead of fiscal update

Plus, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is convening a virtual cabinet retreat Monday ahead of Wednesday’s first summer hearing where he's likely to face questions on the government’s fiscal plan and yet another ethics investigation.

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Politics This Morning

Politics This Morning: Opposition parties outline demands ahead of fiscal update

Plus, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is convening a virtual cabinet retreat Monday ahead of Wednesday’s first summer hearing where he's likely to face questions on the government’s fiscal plan and yet another ethics investigation.

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