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Ottawa is on the hunt for “mission critical” technology to manage its COVID-19 vaccine distribution as the first doses of the inoculation are set to arrive over the next few weeks.

The Public Health Agency of Canada says this system needs to up and running by January and will be used for the “ordering and distribution” of vaccines.

The solicitation documents, which were obtained by The Globe and Mail, say the platform must allow provinces to place orders, track adverse effects from the vaccinations, and ensure the vaccines are distributed before their shelf-life expires.

Also read

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A queue forms outside a COVID-19 testing centre in Toronto as people wait to be tested for the virus on Wednesday, December 9, 2020.Chris Young/The Canadian Press

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Climate analysis: Canada to reveal 2030 plan

Release of 2030 plan will test the seriousness of Liberals’ climate policy, Adam Radwanski writes.

After many months of buildup, Justin Trudeau’s Liberals are expected to release on Friday their promised plan to exceed the country’s commitments to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions by 2030 under the Paris Agreement.

But the Liberals can’t claim to have been fully backing up their climate-change words with actions, so far. Before the rhetoric at the weekend summit, today’s announcement will show how much that’s changing.

Read the latest Globe Climate newsletter to catch up on the issues and about how five years later, the Paris Agreement is not aging well.

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Minister of Environment and Climate Change Jonathan Wilkinson, left to right, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Minister of Infrastructure and Communities Catherine McKenna hold a press conference at the Ornamental Gardens in Ottawa on Thursday, Nov. 19, 2020.Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press


Premiers disappointed by Trudeau’s unclear promise to put more federal cash to health care

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised that Ottawa will raise its share of health care costs, but with no commitment on when that will happen.

Premiers say the federal share of health care costs has been on a steady decline. Yet they left their day-long meeting with the PM with the sense that he was pushing off their call for a substantial increase to the Canada Health Transfer. At his own news conference, Mr. Trudeau said an increase is not an immediate priority.

  • Also, sharpen your opinion with Campbell Clark: “There is a general operating principle for the Canadian federation, and the coronavirus pandemic has reinforced it: The federal government is not much good at doing things, but does pay bills, while the provinces do most things yet complain they can’t afford to.”

Got a news tip that you’d like us to look into? E-mail us at tips@globeandmail.com Need to share documents securely? Reach out via SecureDrop


ALSO ON OUR RADAR

Ottawa urged to set up independent scrutiny of arms exports: Human-rights and arms-control advocates told MPs they fear the department of Global Affairs cannot be relied upon to effectively police exports of military goods and suggested ways to boost or augment scrutiny.

Canada’s envoy to China draws attention of U.S. Senate intelligence committee chair: Marco Rubio has used open letters to query the relationship between Beijing and consulting company McKinsey, where Dominic Barton was global managing partner for nine years.

  • (Editorial) Dear China: Thanks so much for letting us get to know the real you

MP to request that Pornhub executives testify before Commons ethics committee: The calls for accountability emerge as Mastercard said it would ban the use of its credit card on Pornhub because it found “unlawful content” such as child rapes and revenge pornography.

The Globe and Mail’s False Promises investigation wins Michener Award: False Promises, spearheaded by Kathy Tomlinson, revealed that some newcomers to Canada – many of them temporary workers or foreign students – are exploited by corrupt immigration consultants and employers.


MORNING MARKETS

World stocks slide: World shares slipped on Friday as Brexit negotiations and uncertainty over U.S. stimulus talks capped riskier bets even though COVID-19 vaccines made progress. Just before 6 a.m. ET, Britain’s FTSE 100 fell 0.81 per cent. Germany’s DAX and France’s CAC 40 lost 1.57 per cent and 1.23 per cent, respectively. In Asia, Japan’s Nikkei finished down 0.39 per cent. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng rose 0.36 per cent. New York futures were weaker. The Canadian dollar was trading at 78.30 US cents.


WHAT EVERYONE’S TALKING ABOUT

It’s not a civil war that threatens the CBC. It’s complacency

Konrad Yakabuski: “Indeed, Canadians should worry a lot less about a CBC that runs online paid content in connection with a show like Fridge Wars than a CBC that runs a show like Fridge Wars in the first place.”

Will a bylaw really help end street harassment?

Jake Stika: “Toxic masculinity is a performance, not an unshakeable fact or a terminal condition. It’s learned, and it can be unlearned.”


TODAY’S EDITORIAL CARTOON

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Brian Gable/The Globe and Mail


LIVING BETTER

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painting of Toronto entitled Gardens of Light by Keita Morimoto Keita Morimoto Garden of Light, 2019 acrylic and oil on linen 96 x 216 in. Courtesy of Nicholas Metivier GalleryCourtesy of Nicholas Metivier Gallery

Add some inspiration to your day with the top 10 artworks of 2020

Kate Taylor picks the top 10 most beautiful, surprising or impressive things she saw in galleries, museums and online art exhibitions this year – in no particular order.

From Toronto to Vancouver to art from around the world that made its way to Canada, check out the list of reviews from The Globe’s art desk.


MOMENT IN TIME: Dec. 11, 1972

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The O7 December 2002 marks the 30th anniversary of this famous image on the final Apollo mission.NASA via AFP/Getty Images

The last moon landing

Most people can name the first of the 12 astronauts who have walked on the moon, but few likely know the last. Onboard Apollo 17 were Captain Eugene Cernan, command module pilot Ronald Evans and lunar module pilot and geologist Harrison Schmitt, the first professional scientist sent to the moon. The three undertook the final mission of NASA’s Apollo program on Dec. 7, 1972, at 12:33 a.m., the first nighttime launch, owing to technical glitches. An estimated half a million people witnessed the liftoff from Florida’s Kennedy Space Center. About five hours into the mission, the iconic photograph of Earth was shot (pictured above), which NASA dubbed the Blue Marble. It depicts most of the planet from space, with all of Africa down to Antarctica visible. At 2:55 p.m. on this day in 1972, the lunar module landed and Cernan and Schmitt stepped onto the moon’s surface. The mission broke several records: the longest time on the moon, the longest total time in moonwalks and the longest time in lunar orbit. After 12 days, Apollo 17 splashed down in the Pacific Ocean. It remains the most recent time humans have set foot on the moon. Ian Morfitt

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