Hello,
One of the greatest public-policy challenges facing government right now is how to safely reopen schools without igniting further outbreaks of the novel coronavirus.
The federal government announced today it is sending $2-billion to provinces and territories to help them restart schools in the coming days and weeks, along with a $112-million fund to help First Nations schools. The funding announcement follows a call that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had with the premiers yesterday, in which they were told about the new money for the first time.
When asked why the money was only being announced now, with little time left before schools reopen, Mr. Trudeau said his government was initially trying not to “interfere” because education is a provincial responsibility and he didn’t want to infringe on provinces’ rights. He said the government changed its mind when confronted with the anxiety of parents and concerns from Liberal MPs. He said it’s up to each province and territory to spend the money as they see fit.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, who also held a news conference at a Toronto-area school this morning, said the Liberal government needs to back up its word with actions on the schools issue.
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TODAY’S HEADLINES
Foreign Minister François-Philippe Champagne had a 90-minute, impromptu meeting in Rome with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, last night. Mr. Champagne told The Globe there was not a breakthrough in the case of two detained Canadians, Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, in China but that there was some progress in allowing them more access to their families and the Canadian consulate.
The Ontario Human Rights Commission and a federal expert panel are both warning that use of solitary confinement in prisons is not ending as quickly as governments have promised.
The federal government is committing $82.5-million to support mental health support in Indigenous communities.
Mark Carney is headed back to the private sector after all. Mr. Carney has been appointed vice-chair at Brookfield Asset Management, one of the largest money managers in the world, to lead their efforts on aligning investments with social good. Mr. Carney will retain his volunteer role with the United Nations and will continue to advise Canada’s prime minister off and on. He is also writing a book set to be published next year.
And Leslyn Lewis, who entered the Conservative leadership as a virtual unknown and ended with a strong finish, says she will run for the party in the next election. She and fellow leadership contender Peter MacKay said they had phone calls yesterday with Erin O’Toole, who won the race Sunday night. Mr. MacKay has not yet said if he will return to politics, though he did say last night he had finished staining his deck.
Campbell Clark (The Globe and Mail) on Erin O’Toole and the party’s social conservatives: “Like [Andrew] Scheer, Mr. O’Toole campaigned as a conservative who would not criminalize abortion, but who would welcome anti-abortionists in the party. Unlike Mr. Scheer, who acted like he couldn’t admit his own social conservative views, Mr. O’Toole quickly asserted he isn’t one of them.”
Gary Mason (The Globe and Mail) on how O’Toole will sell himself: “Once Canadians get to know Mr. O’Toole and get a better sense of his personality, there will be far more people at least curious about what he’s selling. The MP from Ontario’s Durham region may never win a charisma contest with Mr. Trudeau, but he doesn’t have to. His appeal is a direct, pragmatic approach to tough issues, one rooted in substance over style.”
Licia Corbella (Calgary Herald) on O’Toole’s public debut as leader: “Basically, most Canadians have no clue who he is. Even political junkies knew little about the Ontario corporate lawyer who spent 12 years in the airforce after high school before becoming an MP in 2012 and briefly holding the Veterans Affairs portfolio in Stephen Harper’s government. But if Trudeau and his team have been watching O’Toole’s performances lately — and we know they have — it isn’t surprising that they want an election sooner rather than later.”
Globe and Mail editorial board on Quebec’s struggles to contain the coronavirus: “As of Tuesday, Quebec had recorded 724 confirmed cases of COVID-19 per 100,000 people. The national average is 332 per 100,000. The province with the next highest rate, Alberta, stood at 295 on Tuesday. The same gaps exist in the number of deaths per capita. Quebec has had 67 deaths per 100,000 people – one of the highest death rates in the world, and well above Italy, Spain or the United States. The next highest province, Ontario, is at 19 deaths per 100,000.”
Catherine Cavanagh (Ottawa Citizen) on the natural obstacles to any back-to-school plan: “Rule stretching and breaking is a normal part of human development for teenagers. Good teachers are experts at building on young people’s internal motivation and providing both incentives and consequences to keep students on task. But any teacher who has been on the job for more than a few years will also tell you it’s quite normal for young people to try to find ways and reasons to pursue their own interests at times when they conflict with school rules or classroom expectations.”
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Chris Hannay