Regular updates and ‘keeping politics out of it’ key to COVID-19 vaccine rollout, say experts, politicians
As both public health experts and politicians express concern over the slow rollout of Canada’s vaccination regime so far, one of the country’s top infectious disease experts says the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the associated push for widespread vaccinations against the virus “is a crisis; it needs a crisis management approach, and [that] includes crisis […]
Opposition MPs raise concerns around procurement policies, security oversight following cancelled $6.8-million standing offer with Chinese company Nuctech
Opposition MPs continue to question why the federal government’s security apparatus did not play a larger role throughout the procurement process following the recent cancellation of a standing offer with partially state-owned Chinese security company Nuctech for the installation and operation of X-ray scanners in Canadian embassies around the world. The $6.8-million standing offer was […]
Trudeau told Liberals’ national board of directors ‘it looks like’ a spring election, according to a Liberal source, but Grits say it will happen based on important conditions
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, whose Liberals are enjoying a comfortable lead in public opinion polls, told members of the party’s national board of directors before Christmas that “it looks like” the next election would happen this spring, said one source, but other sources say a spring election will only happen if the vaccine rollout is […]
Should feds intervene in provincial vaccine rollout? Experts in health, governance and politics weigh in
The federal government should not wrest control of the COVID-19 vaccine rollout from the provinces—or at least not now, say a pandemic policy expert, a former Liberal MP and general, and a former top Ontario public servant. One Toronto physician, Dr. Vincent Lam, however, said the government should step in and use the Emergencies Act […]
‘It seems to have hit a nerve’: no margin of error left for politicians caught in travel controversy over holidays, say MPs and political insiders
Elected politicians who travelled abroad during the Christmas break have no margin of error left for their credibility, and any more mistakes could prove to be fatal for their political careers, say some political players and MPs. “They can put it behind them as long as there are no more breaches of the rules,” said […]
Premiers can ‘ramp up’ vaccination plans in coming months, says official
Federal officials signalled to provinces and territories Friday that more vaccines are coming in February, as premiers decried a looming shortage in stock. Maj. Gen. Dany Fortin, who is overseeing the logistics of vaccine distribution at the Public Health Agency of Canada, said as of this week, Ottawa has already delivered 124,800 doses of the […]
Trump’s incitement of mob hopefully a wake-up call for senior Republicans, but America’s standing as ‘beacon of democracy’ damaged, say Canadian Parliamentarians
Outgoing U.S. President Donald Trump’s incitement of hundreds of his supporters to stymie the certification of the electoral results may leave him somewhat diminished, serving as a wake-up call for Republican leadership, say some Parliamentarians, but the violent attack is likely to scar America’s image as a beacon of democracy. For many, the assault on […]
Advocates welcome vaccine rollout in prisons, say risk for outbreak still high amid second wave
Canada’s prison watchdog and some opposition critics are welcoming a federal effort that will start vaccinating hundreds of high-risk prisoners Friday, and decrying Conservative statements that “no criminal” be vaccinated before other vulnerable populations. Correctional Investigator of Canada Ivan Zinger said he’s “encouraged” to see the government following the advice of health agencies that regard […]
Federal government, MPs watch ‘descent into madness,’ condemn violence in U.S. capital
Canadian MPs joined what were likely scores of people around the world on Wednesday afternoon in watching protests against the certification of election results at the United States capital devolve into scenes of a mob storming the Capitol Building. Speaking to a Vancouver radio station, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (Papineau, Que.) said he was keeping […]
Not yet clear if MPs will pay steeper price for holiday travel abroad, say politicos, but damage could come at polls
It is too early to say if some politicians caught travelling abroad over the holidays will face long-term consequences, say some Hill observers, as timing will play a big role in determining if they lose their jobs in the next vote. Speaking to The Hill Times, former NDP MP David Christopherson said he was “outraged” […]
