Hello,
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s cabinet is meeting behind closed doors today and tomorrow to plot strategy for the upcoming parliamentary session.
The immediate concern is the Speech from the Throne, which will be delivered by Governor-General Julie Payette on Sept. 23, and supporting the non-confidence vote that will follow. Longer term, though, the concern is how to plot a economic recovery that can help support Canadians until one or more vaccines can be developed and distributed to end the COVID-19 pandemic.
“So a lot of what we’re going to be doing during this retreat will be talking about how we continue to keep COVID under control, continue to make sure that Canadians are safe, that we’re not overloading our health care system,” Mr. Trudeau told reporters this morning on his way into the meeting.
Opposition parties say they haven’t been consulted on the Liberals' plan, but Mr. Trudeau says the parties will be “engaged.” According to the Canadian Press, the major ask from Liberal MPs outside cabinet is for a guaranteed basic income.
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TODAY’S HEADLINES
The Canadian government is expected to unveil this week aluminum tariffs to retaliate against the recent U.S. trade action against the metal.
Ontario hospitals are warning that rising coronavirus cases could signal a growing second wave that would overwhelm the health-care system.
A Chinese firm is amassing a huge amount of data about politicians, businesspeople and others around the world, including thousands of Canadians.
The CEO of FinDev Canada has left his role, and Export Development Canada won’t explain what was in the internal review into the departed CEO’s business dealings.
And Aline Chrétien, wife of former prime minister Jean Chrétien, passed away this weekend. She was 84. She’s remembered for being a smart and tough influence on Jean, and the person who convinced him to run for a third election as leader in 2000.
Kelly Cryderman (The Globe and Mail) on Albertan anxiety about the Liberals' promised green recovery: “Alberta was struggling before the pandemic. It now has the second highest unemployment rate among the provinces – save for Newfoundland and Labrador, also oil focused. Its prospects for quickly climbing out of the COVID-19-induced economic hole are more limited than other parts of the country.”
Colleen M. Flood and Jane Philpott (The Globe and Mail) on why private health care wouldn’t reduce wait times, but what could: “Successful projects such as e-consult services, the youth mental-health efforts at two Ottawa hospitals, and Dr. Cy Frank’s wait-time initiative for orthopaedic procedures in Alberta show that when specialists come together to share a wait list rather than each keeping separate lists, patients are seen faster. Teams that involve non-physician professionals, such as nurses, pharmacists, physiotherapists and more, can also see people more quickly. Across the country, innovative approaches have been very successful at reducing wait times without sacrificing the value of equity that Canadians hold so dear.”
Zain Chagla, Isaac Bogoch and Sumon Chakrabarti (The Globe and Mail) on why the first vaccines may not be a panacea for the novel coronavirus: “Vaccine efficacy lies on a spectrum at the population and individual level. Some vaccines prevent nearly all individuals from getting infected, whereas others may reduce but not eliminate the risk of getting infected, or may reduce the disease’s severity.”
Joshua Gordon (The Globe and Mail) on what’s really been behind higher housing prices: “Rather than weak supply, then, the issue has been intense demand pressures, including cheap credit, foreign ownership, speculation and high rental demand emanating from a previously strong labour market.”
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Chris Hannay