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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will be heading back to the office to attend a cabinet meeting “in person” on Wednesday. He has been in isolation since mid-March, after his wife Sophie Grégoire Trudeau contracted COVID-19.
Speaking at his daily news conference Wednesday, Mr. Trudeau also announced the expansion of the Canada Summer Jobs Program to adapt to the new economic reality of the pandemic. He said Ottawa will prolong the program until February, 2021, to reflect the fact many summer jobs will be delayed.
Under the revised program, employers will be able to receive a subsidy worth as much as the minimum wage in their respective province. The government is predicting the creation of up to 70,000 jobs for Canadians between the ages of 15 and 30, at a cost of $263-million.
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TODAY’S HEADLINES
News is currently dominated by the COVID-19 outbreak. For a full rundown, you can subscribe to our Coronavirus Update newsletter (sign up here). Here are some stories that speak to the political and governmental response.
There are currently no public health officials stationed at Canada-U.S. land border crossings to help screen for COVID-19, according to a report by Global News. The union that represents border officers has been asking the government to place health officials at all major border crossings for weeks, but, according to union president Jean-Pierre Fortin, nothing has been done.
Air Canada says it will use a government wage subsidy program to rehire workers laid off amid the pandemic. On March 30, Air Canada said 16,500 employees would be laid off, following thousands of layoffs at domestic rivals WestJet Airlines, Porter Airlines and Air Transat.
Canada’s deputy minister of foreign affairs, Marta Morgan, has tested positive for COVID-19. Foreign Affairs Minister François-Philippe Champagne shared the news on Twitter, wishing Ms. Morgan a speedy recovery and calling her an invaluable part of the foreign-affairs team.
Toronto is recalling more than 60,000 faulty surgical masks, which were made in China and provided to staff at long-term care facilities, and investigating whether caregivers were exposed to the coronavirus while wearing the equipment. The masks were distributed more than a week ago and are being recalled after reports of ripping and tearing, the city said Tuesday.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson spent a second night in intensive care at a London hospital with little change in his condition. Mr. Johnson, 55, remains in “clinically stable” condition and is responding to treatment, 10 Downing Street said a statement released Wednesday. Officials said he was still receiving standard oxygen treatment and was breathing without the assistance of a ventilator.
Robyn Urback (The Globe and Mail) on Dr. Tam’s about-face on face masks: “In a time of crisis, the public’s faith in those calling the shots is absolutely critical. Health authorities are asking a lot of people – to stay home, to avoid seeing friends and family, to eliminate so many simple, easy pleasures. If people can’t trust the individuals issuing the directives, they will be far less inclined to follow their instructions."
Gary Mason (The Globe and Mail) on how Trump has helped unify Canada during the pandemic: “We have no idea how long this public-health emergency will last. And there will undoubtedly come a time when politics will look and sound a lot like it used to. But there is also a good chance that some of the antagonism we are used to seeing will disappear. Because after you’ve been through a war with someone, you’re bonded with them for life.”
Andrew Coyne (The Globe and Mail) on a reason for hope in Canada’s coronavirus data: “Of course, should behaviour change as governments would wish, actual outcomes will be less terrifying than the models had originally forecast. This is not evidence that the policy was unnecessary: Rather, it is evidence that it worked.”
Lawrence Martin (The Globe and Mail) on the rise of Peter Navarro, Canada’s biggest Trumpland enemy: “The wiry, temperamental 70-year-old economist is characterized by Canadian players on the bilateral front as an ultra-protectionist whack-job. But rather than have their wish realized of seeing him banished, Mr. Navarro has gained stature and influence.”
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