Canada In The News

[PlatinumPearl]

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau voted against a motion in the House of Commons calling upon the
government to make a decision on Huawei's access to Canada's 5G network infrastructure within 30 days.

Tweet: Nov 12, 2020 3:28 pm
"Brian Lilley @brianlilley
Moments ago in the House, Prime Minister @JustinTrudeau rose to vote against a motion calling for a decision on Huawei being in Canada’s 5G network and to have a plan to combat China’s foreign agents working to intimidate Canadians who speak against Beijing. Shameful #cdnpoli"


The opposition motion tabled by Conservative MP Michael Chong additionally called upon the government to "develop a robust plan, as Australia has done, to combat China's growing foreign operations here in Canada and its increasing intimidation of Canadians living in Canada."

Opposition leader Erin O'Toole discussed the motion in a press conference on Tuesday. "We call upon the government to finally grow a spine, and make a decision on Huawei's involvement in Canada's critical 5G network within 30 days of the adoption of this motion," O'Toole stated.

O'Toole accused Huawei of engaging in intellectual property theft from the now-defunct Canadian telecom giant Nortel. Such allegations have also been put forward by former Nortel executives, military officials, and cybersecurity experts.

O'Toole also discussed the Chinese government's campaign of intimidation against Chinese expatriates, stating "Canadians of Chinese origin have been threatened by foreign agents in our country." Human rights organizations such as Amnesty International and the Uyghur Congress have documented Chinese intimidation, especially against human rights activists who have spoken out against the crackdown in Hong Kong and China's ongoing genocide of ethnic Uyghurs in East Turkestan.

Despite Liberal Party opposition, the motion passed with 179 votes in favour and 146 votes opposed.



Source: thepostmillennial.com
Website: https://thepostmillennial.com/trudea...weis-5g-access
Date: November 18, 2020

[Cin]

Just what Canada needs our own freaking Donald Trump.
Trump North. Please not here. Bad enough Alberta has a Trump wannabe in Kenney. We don't need a federal version.

The eight ways Erin O’Toole is copying Donald Trump’s playbook

Ever since he became Conservative leader, Erin O’Toole has been working hard to dramatically reshape his party’s public image and to set the stage for the next federal election.

His campaign includes speeches, political ads, press interviews, social media postings and virtual sessions with voters across the country.

His goal is to reposition the Conservatives as a “big-tent” party that appeals to more than just the party’s hard-core base of fiscal and social conservatives, as well as rural and Western voters.

O’Toole is trying to do that by reaching out to union workers, middle-class voters and suburban families, focusing on issues like lost jobs, “income inequality” and “the radical left.”

Some analysts suggest O’Toole is shifting the party so far to the left that at times he sounds like U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders or that he’s trying to steal traditional NDP voters.

In truth, though, what O’Toole is doing is fashioning himself as Canada’s Donald Trump — but without the bombast, lies, bigotry and polarization that mark Trump’s presidency.

Indeed, O’Toole is openly stealing pages straight from Trump’s 2020 election strategy playbook.

In doing so he is trying to duplicate Trump’s successful strategy of building a polarizing populist coalition of traditional Republicans and disaffected voters, reaching out to people who were furious with “cancel culture” and “the radical left,” revved up by “grievance politics” and fed up with “elites” who they believe don’t give a damn about them, their families, their jobs or their very existence.

Here are eight specific ways, from trivial to substantial, that O’Toole is copying Trump:

First, O’Toole’s leadership campaign slogan of “Take Back Canada” is an echo of Trump’s slogan of “Make America Great Again.” Catchy? For sure! But one can easily ask, “Take back from what — or whom?”

Second, O’Toole is pushing a “Canada First” economic strategy, with hints of trade tariffs on imports and action against companies that move jobs out of the country. Asked recently how this differs from Trump’s “America First” strategy, the Tory leader replied: “It’s not different at all.”

Third, Trump made huge headway in reaching disaffected voters by demonizing elites. That’s exactly what O’Toole has started to do with attacks on “elites” in business, politics and the media, although the truth is the Conservatives are the party of business “elites” and many media “elites.”

Fourth, like Trump, O’Toole has openly courted social conservatives with such moves as signalling a willingness to allow his MPs to reopen moral issues, such as abortion. Some pundits dismiss the political influence of social conservatives, but they remain a powerful force, well organized and well financed.

Fifth, O’Toole has adopted Trump’s get-tough approach to China, bashing it for cybertheft, human rights violations and aggressive trade stands. O’Toole doesn’t refer to COVID-19 as the “China virus” as Trump does, but he does echo the U.S. president when he alleges there is “no greater threat to Canada’s interest than the rise of China.”

Sixth, again like Trump, O’Toole is vigorously courting union workers, saying in a recent speech there is “too much power in the hands of corporate and financial elites who have been only too happy to outsources jobs abroad.” He’s also reaching out to suburban voters, saying in the same speech that “middle class Canada has been betrayed by the elites, on every level: political elites, financial elites, cultural elites.”

Seventh, in another Trump-like strategy, O’Toole is stepping up his pro-gun reputation, promising gun lobbyists that he would weaken — not strengthen — firearms laws.

Eighth, mimicking Trump, O’Toole now favours moving Canada’s embassy to Jerusalem, a move calculated to appeal mainly to Jewish voters, but destined to do zero for Middle East peace.

O’Toole has time to fine-tune his Trumpian strategy before the next election. But a recent poll by the Angus Reid Institute indicated that his personal approval, while rising slightly, remains significantly below that of both Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and NDP leader Jagmeet Singh.

Given how much Canadians despise Trump and much of what he stands for, it’s a risky strategy to copy the U.S. president’s playbook. Still, it’s a risk O’Toole seems eager to take.

https://www.thestar.com/opinion/star...-playbook.html

[PlatinumPearl]

Trudeau environment minister wants to BAN gas-powered vehicles with help from Biden administration.

“I think we can collectively come up with mechanisms that will help both countries make progress on climate change," Wilkinson said.

Environment Minister Jonathan Wilkinson said that the Trudeau Liberals and the coming Biden Democrats have agreed that zero emission vehicles need to hit the streets sooner, the minister said in an interview with Reuters.

The minister went so far as to suggest that a ban on new gasoline powered vehicles could come to fruition.

Wilkinson said that he is looking forward to working with the new American administration to do “what the European countries and Quebec and British Columbia have done, which is to put a date at which they will no longer allow the sale of internal combustion engines."

“I think we can collectively come up with mechanisms that will help both countries make progress on climate change," Wilkinson continued.

Wilkinson recently said at a press conference that he was inspired to join politics due to threats to the global climate, along with the future of his two young daughters.

What Wilkinson did not say, however, is that he and his staff took more than $106,000 worth of flights in 2020.

According to Blacklock's Reporter, Wilkinson's flights Wilkinson's flights, including his political aides and department executives amounted to $106,515 with flights to cities across Canada.

In a trip to Madrid last year for an international discussion on climate change, Wilkinson and his team spent $683,278, of which over a quarter ($178,282) was spent on greenhouse-emitting travel expenses such as airfare, taxis, and chauffeured cars.



Source: thepostmillennial.com
Website: https://thepostmillennial.com/trudea...qqeRGIRRltKMm8
Date: December 18, 2020

[PlatinumPearl]

Canada to Prohibit Inbound Flights From U.K. Starting Monday.

Summary:

* Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the move comes into effect at 12:01 a.m. Monday and will last for 72 hours.

* The move doesn't apply to cargo flights or stops where passengers do not disembark

* Several European countries announced earlier that they would close their borders to the U.K.


OTTAWA — The federal government is restricting travel from the U.K. for 72 hours in an effort to keep a contagious new strain of the virus that causes COVID-19 out of Canada.

The travel ban comes into effect first thing Monday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Twitter after an hours-long meeting with members of the Incident Response Group

“We focused on the new variant of COVID-19 identified in the U.K., and we have decided to implement new border restrictions in order to keep you — and people right across the country — safe,” he wrote on Sunday evening.

He added that passengers who arrived in Canada from the U.K. on Sunday will be subject to secondary screening and “enhanced measures.”

Justin Trudeau via Twitter
@JustinTrudeau
"This afternoon, I convened a meeting with the Incident Response Group.
We focused on the new variant of COVID-19 identified in the UK,
and we have decided to implement new border restrictions
in order to keep you - and people right across the country - safe."
8:32 PM · Dec 20, 2020

Those measures include increased scrutiny of quarantine plans, Health Canada said in a statement.

“The Government of Canada is closely monitoring the genetic variant of the virus that causes COVID-19 identified in the United Kingdom and is working with international partners, including the World Health Organization, to better understand this variant and its impacts,” the agency said.

While the early science suggests the new variant is more transmissible than other strains, Health Canada said there’s nothing at this point suggesting that the mutations have any effect on symptom severity, antibody response or vaccine efficacy.

It added that there have been no recorded cases of the new strain in Canada.

The travel ban doesn’t apply to cargo flights or stops where passengers do not disembark, according to a Notice to Airmen issued Sunday evening.

Several European countries announced earlier that they would close their borders to the U.K. as British officials struggle to contain the new strain of the novel coronavirus, which has been blamed on a genetic mutation.

The list includes France, Belgium and the Netherlands, which have expressed concerns about the new strain leading a similar surge in their own countries and overwhelming health-care systems that are already struggling with the pandemic.

Those travel bans follow British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s announcement that Christmas shopping and gatherings in southern England must be cancelled because of rapidly spreading infections blamed on the new coronavirus variant.

The new strain is wreaking havoc on the U.K., accounting for 60 per cent of new infections in London in December. The country recorded 35,928 further confirmed cases on Sunday, around double the number from a week earlier.

Viruses mutate regularly, and scientists have found thousands of different mutations among samples of the virus causing COVID-19. Many of these changes have no effect on how easily the virus spreads or how severe symptoms are.

The British government has said the strain has been circulating since September, but it wasn’t until the last week that there was enough evidence to declare that it has higher transmissibility than other circulating coronaviruses.

Before Trudeau met with his cabinet ministers, Bloc Quebecois Leader Yves-Francois Blanchet called on the government to follow Europe’s lead and impose a travel ban on Britain to prevent the strain from reaching Canada.

“It will be several months before the pandemic is contained, especially with the number of (vaccine) doses available remains far too small,” Blanchet said in a statement released in French.

“If a variant of COVID-19 were to spread with increased speed among vulnerable people, the effects could be devastating on people’s health as well as on the health-care system and staff already under tremendous pressure.”

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh made the same call on Twitter, writing: “With vaccines still very rare, if this new strain gets loose here in vulnerable populations, it will be a disaster.”

Conservative health critic Michelle Rempel Garner demanded the government provide more information about what it knows about the new strain and what it is doing to address it.

“If the Trudeau government is considering a similar travel ban, they need to clearly communicate this to Canadians and their rationale for doing so as soon as possible,” Rempel Garner said in a statement.

“Canadians deserve certainty and clarity from the Trudeau government.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 20, 2020.



Source: toronto.citynews.ca
Website: https://toronto.citynews.ca/2020/12/...vid-19-strain/
Date: December 20, 2020

[Stone-Butch]

I do believe that Trudeau has closed his eyes to what is going on around him. Bringing new people from any country right now is stupid and thoughtless. Those folks could be carrying the virus or could get the virus on arrival. Can't all countries keep their doors closed to in and out traffic until there is some drop in this virus? The gov. of most countries are saying wear the mask, keep your distance, wash your hands and get the needle when it becomes available and yet people are still flying around the world from place to place. I don't understand what is in peoples heads. Visit with friends and family near you and keep safe, we all need to help control this thing. We also need to move our gov. out and get someone who has a little more sense.

[PlatinumPearl]

Justin Trudeau
December 24 @ 3:26 PM
Source: Facebook

"The first doses of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine have arrived in Canada. These are part of the 168,000 doses we’ll be getting before the end of the month, and part of the 40 million doses we’re guaranteed from Moderna overall.

This is another big step in our national vaccine rollout. But it doesn’t mean we can let up just yet. The vaccine won’t help you if you get sick now. So keep wearing your mask, washing your hands, and avoiding gatherings - and download and use COVID Alert: https://bit.ly/38wpkHf"

[PlatinumPearl]

Two Cases of UK COVID-19 Variant Confirmed in Ontario


A model of a coronavirus is displayed next to boxes for COVID-19 vaccines at an exhibit by Chinese pharmaceutical firm Sinopharm at the China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) in Beijing, Saturday, Sept. 5, 2020. China said Friday, Oct. 9, 2020, that it is joining the COVID-19 vaccine alliance known as COVAX.

Health officials in Ontario say two cases of the COVID-19 variant that first showed up in the UK have been confirmed in the province.

The cases are a couple from Durham Region, just east of Toronto, with no known travel history, exposure or high-risk contacts, according to provincial officials. Both individuals have been informed and are now in self-isolation as per public health protocols.

“With inbound international travel, it is not unexpected to have identified the new variant in Ontario,” Ontario’s Associate Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Barbara Yaffe said in a statment. “Ontario is the first province to identify this variant thanks to the proactive work of the Public Health Ontario Laboratory.”

This COVID-19 variant has now been detected in multiple countries beyond the UK, including France, Denmark, Belgium, the Netherlands, Australia and Japan.

Modelling and epidemiological studies suggest that the variant first identified in the UK can spread easier and faster, but there is no evidence that it is more likely to cause severe illness. There is no evidence to suggest that the Health Canada-approved vaccines will be any less effective against the new variant.

“This further reinforces the need for Ontarians to stay home as much as possible and continue to follow all public health advice, including the provincewide shutdown measures beginning today,” said Dr. Yaffe.

Canada has imposed a travel ban on all flights arriving from the UK until January 6, 2021 and Ontario is currently in a province-wide lockdown.

Premier Doug Ford has called on the federal government to urgently partner with the province to implement testing at Pearson International Airport.

Health Canada says less than two per cent of all cases reported to date – or just over 6,000 of the more than 528,000 COVID-19 cases – have been attributed to those who travelled outside of Canada.



Source: toronto.citynews.ca
Website: https://toronto.citynews.ca/2020/12/...ed-in-ontario/
Date: December 26, 2020

[PlatinumPearl]

2021 Canada’s Food Price Report: Expect 5% Increase in Your Grocery Bill

A new report says food prices will be going up in Canada next year.

The 2021 Food Price Report says rising bread, meat and vegetable prices are all expected to push grocery bills up to five per cent higher.

That means an average Canadian family of four that includes will pay as much as $695 more on food next year, for a total grocery bill of nearly $14,000 for the year.

In dollars, that is the highest predicted increase by Canada’s Food Price Report. The food inflation rate in 2021 is likely to outpace the general inflation rate.

Credit: Canada’s Food Price Report 11th Edition 2021

Sylvain Charlebois, a Dalhousie University professor and lead author of the report, says Canadians won’t see a break at the grocery store any time soon.

He says researchers are forecasting the highest increase since the annual report’s inception 11 years ago.

Credit: Canada’s Food Price Report 11th Edition 2021

The report by four Canadian universities says the pandemic, wildfires and changing consumer habits are all to blame for increasing food prices.

Researchers found that meat prices could increase as much as six-and-a-half per cent, with poultry leading the way.

Also, wildfires in California will mean paying more for produce while higher wheat costs are pushing up prices in the bread aisle.

Last year’s report predicted the average Canadian family would spend up to $12,667 on food in 2020. The report says based on the 2020 inflation rate to date, this figure is likely to be closer to $12,508, largely because consumers ate at restaurants less frequently.

Credit: Canada’s Food Price Report 11th Edition 2021

As per the report, 2019 forecasts were accurate except for bakery, dairy and meat, but the report missed the mark for these categories by no more than 0.2%. Price increase predictions for these categories were lower than what was observed.

— With Files From The Canadian Press

Canada's Food Price Report 11th Edition 2021



Source: todocanada.ca
Website: https://www.todocanada.ca/canadas-fo...uch-5-in-2021/
Date: December 8, 2020

[PlatinumPearl]

Canadians Have Just Days Before These Old Bank Notes Lose Their Legal Tender Status

Now is the time to act if you have any of these notes!

If you have any unusual or old Canadian bank notes in your piggy bank, now is the time to get them out!

Ahead of the new year, the Bank of Canada is urging those with older currency to double-check it, as a number of notes will formally lose their legal tender status in just a matter of days.

That means you’ll be unable to use them in day-to-day transactions, starting from January 2021.

Affected notes include $1, $2, $25, $500 and $1,000.

Some of them have been around since as early as 1935, while others were released as recently as 1986.

Images of the specific notes that will lose legal tender status are shown on the Bank of Canada website.

It’s worth noting that the majority of Canadians are unlikely to be affected by this change, as it’s pretty unlikely that you’ll have one of these retro bills in your wallet.

According to the Bank of Canada, most have not been produced in “decades” and therefore aren't commonly found.

If you do have one of the listed notes, the corporation says you can redeem them “at face value” at a financial institution, send them to the Bank of Canada or choose to keep them.

If you do have a collection of old notes, it’s worth double and triple checking what you’ve got as some could be worth as much as $250,000!



Source: narcity.com
Website: https://www.narcity.com/en-ca/money/...8RwTb_rEXYbjdk
Date: December 27, 2020

[Stone-Butch]

B.C. and Ontario have their first variant Covid strain from UK visitors. Trudeau says all flights to be stopped from UK except ongoing flights where noone disembarks or freight flights must continue.

[PlatinumPearl]

Justin Trudeau
December 28, 2020
Source: Facebook

The past nine months have been full of challenges. But in that time, we’ve created a number of benefits to get you, your family, and your business the help you need. And while the year may be coming to an end, these supports are not. They’ll continue to be there for you in the new year - and so will we. Here’s a summary of what’s available:

👉 Canada Recovery Benefit: It’s available if you’re directly affected by COVID-19 but are self-employed or don’t qualify for Employment Insurance. More here: https://bit.ly/2JfdecW

👉 Canada Recovery Sickness Benefit: It’s available if you can’t work because you’re sick or need to self-isolated due to COVID-19. More here: https://bit.ly/37gvqeg

👉 Canada Recovery Caregiving Benefit: It’s available if you can’t work because you have to take care of a loved one. More here: https://bit.ly/2Vda3ES

👉 Canada Emergency Rent Subsidy: It’s available if you’re a small business owner whose business has been affected by COVID-19. It would cover up to 65% of your rent. If your community is in lockdown, the new Lockdown Support could boost your rent subsidy up to 90%. More here: https://bit.ly/3fLw4Eu

👉 Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy: It’s available if you’re an employer who’s looking to keep your workers on the payroll, and it’s been extended until June of next year. More here: https://bit.ly/37cendj

[PlatinumPearl]

Manitoba Introduces First COVID-19 Vaccine Immunization Card in Canada

Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister announced on Tuesday that the province is introducing a secure immunization card that can be obtained two weeks after receiving both COVID-19 vaccine doses.

Pallister said Manitobans will "receive certain benefits" with the card including not having to self-isolate when travelling inter-provincially as well as being able to enjoy expanded visits at hospitals and personal care homes.

The cards, which will be available in both a physical and digital format, will include the person’s first and last name as well as a QR code, which when scanned, will confirm vaccination status. The cards will include no personal health information, Pallister said.

Manitobans can apply for the cards through the province’s website or by calling the insured benefits branch of Manitoba Health and Seniors Care at 204-786-7101 or 1-800-392-1207.

For more info. go to: https://globalnews.ca/news/7930807/m...cine-measures/



Source: Global News
Date: June 8, 2021

[PlatinumPearl]

These Laval-made coasters can tell if your drink has been spiked

New coasters turn blue if they detect ketamine or GHB — the so-called date rape drug


Mathieu Roy, the owner of a bar in Chicoutimi, bought 1,500 drug-testing coasters.

With just one drop, these coasters can tell if a drink has been spiked.

Alco Prevention Canada, a business based in Laval that sells drug testing products, partnered with a company in Florida to get these dual-purpose coasters to market.

"The only thing you have to do is take one drop of your drink and put it on the test," general manager Stéphane Maurais told CBC Montreal's Let's Go. "It's very easy to do."

On one side, there's a spot to test for traces of ketamine and on the other side there's a spot to test for GHB — drugs commonly used in date rape.

After one or two minutes, the test zones turn dark blue if those drugs are detected. Without a test, it's tough to tell whether a drink has been drugged. Ketamine and GHB are odourless and tasteless when dissolved.

These new coasters test whether a drink has been spiked with ketamine or GHB.

Maurais said he'd been growing concerned about the drug spiking problem after learning how widespread the issue is across Canada.

"It looks like it's everywhere," he said.

This summer, there was a large drug seizure in British Columbia. On P.E.I., there's an ongoing legislative committee looking at the problem of drug spiking, after recent media reports raised the issue. Last month in Quebec City, a bar was suspended after investigators linked over a dozen GHB spiking cases to the establishment.

* Canadian border agents seize large quantity of chemical used in date rape drug

* Drink spiking occurs 'quite regularly' on P.E.I., says women's advocate

Maurais said so far colleges, universities and bar owners have showed their interest in the product.

One bar in Chicoutimi ordered 1,500 coasters.

Mathieu Roy, owner of L'appartement bar ambiance, said he had been looking for awhile for something he could do to combat drink spiking after customers raised concerns about it.

He said he ordered the coasters to send a message that drug spiking will not be tolerated at his bar.

"It's good to be aware and for people to have tools," he said. "It's easy to do and it's reassuring for the customers."

So far, the bar has had no tests come back positive.

The coasters cost Roy about two dollars a piece. Since handing them out to customers for free, Roy said other bar owners around town have swung by and asked to grab a few coasters for their establishments.

While Maurais is still getting the word out about his company's new product, he has advice for anybody with or without a coaster: Don't leave your drink unattended and be cautious of accepting drinks from strangers.

"You don't want to take any chances with drink spiking," he said.



Source: cbc.ca
Website: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montr...B_Feed_CBCMain
Date: December 11, 2021