Canadian Prime Minister, Finance Minister called on to resign over conflict

   Canada column for Sunday, July 26/20

   THE CANADIAN REPORT

   (c) By Jim Fox

   Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Finance Minister Bill Morneau are being called on to resign over alleged conflicts of interest.

   The Conservatives and Bloc Quebecois also threaten to seek a vote of non-confidence in the minority Liberal government and force a fall election.

   An ethics investigation is underway for the two politicians not recusing themselves in awarding WE Charity a $912-million contract.

   The money, now withdrawn, would have had WE supervise a program to pay students up to $5,000 for volunteer service.

   Since they have family ties to the organization, Trudeau and Morneau have apologized for not declaring possible conflicts.

   WE would have earned $43 million for running the program to create 20,000 volunteer placements.

   Trudeau’s wife, brother and mother were paid about $300,000 to take part in earlier WE programs and one of Morneau’s daughters works for the charity.

   Morneau said he just repaid WE $41,000 for trips his family took to Kenya and Ecuador in 2017 to see its humanitarian work.

Canadian governments agree on $19-billion deal to recover from pandemic

   Canada column for Sunday, July 19/20

   THE CANADIAN REPORT

   By Jim Fox

   Working together, Canada’s federal, provincial and territorial governments have reached a deal to share $19 billion to help recover from COVID-19.

   Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said his government will contribute the money under the “Safe Restart Agreement” to help fund such things as child care, contact tracing and personal protective equipment supplies.

   The money will also help to bail out municipal governments coping with soaring costs and limited income from services especially transit during the pandemic.

   There is also a provision for sick leave for employees that will be fully funded by the Canadian government.

   British Columbia Premier John Horgan said the sick-leave program will ensure that no one feels pressured to go to work while ill.

   The provinces will invest the money in targeted areas to support vulnerable people and services, Trudeau said.

   “Until we find a vaccine, the daily threat of COVID-19 will not disappear,” he added.

Trudeau skips meeting with Trump over virus concerns, work obligations

   Canada column for Sunday, July 12/20

   THE CANADIAN REPORT

   (c) By Jim Fox

   Concerned about pandemic outbreaks in the United States and the threat of more tariffs against aluminum imports, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau skipped a free-trade meeting in Washington.

   But President Donald Trump and Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador went ahead to celebrate the launch of the three-country free trade deal at the White House.

   “We'll have a separate day with Canada – they're coming down at the appropriate time,” Trump said about Trudeau’s absence at the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement gathering.

   Trudeau dismisses claims that Canada has exceeded limits on aluminum exports to the U.S., saying “it’s a little bit difficult to understand.”

   It’s all for the best that Trudeau stayed home, Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer said.

   “Usually when Justin Trudeau leaves the country, it hurts Canada’s position on the world stage,” he said.

Threat on Justin Trudeau leads to tighter security measures for Canada's leader

   THE CANADIAN REPORT

   (c) By Jim Fox

   Security has been tightened around the official residences of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Governor General Julie Payette after a gunman was arrested on the grounds.

   Police say a man smashed his pickup truck into a pedestrian gate and was walking the grounds of Rideau Hall in Ottawa armed with several weapons early Thursday.

   They say he was loose on the property for about 13 minutes before police noticed him.

   He was stopped as he approached the front door of Trudeau’s residence. Both the prime minister and his family and Payette were away at the time.

   Police would not discuss a possible motive as it is “part of the ongoing investigation,” said Deputy Mountie Commissioner Mike Duheme.

   Corey Hurren, 46, a master corporal in the 4th Ranger Patrol Group of the Canadian Forces from Manitoba was remanded in custody to July 17 for a court hearing.

   He faces 22 charges, including uttering threats and gun possession for unlawful purposes.

   “This is the kind of event nobody wants to happen,” Trudeau said, adding that he was “thankful” it was resolved without anyone being hurt.

Fines given to Americans unlawfully visiting Canadian parks during the pandemic

   Canada column for Sunday, June 28/20

   THE CANADIAN REPORT

   (c) By Jim Fox

   American tourists who are finding ways to visit the Canadian Rockies in Alberta against pandemic rules are being fined $1,200 ($876 U.S.).

   As the Canada-U.S. border remains closed to all but essential travel and Canadians returning home, some visitors are finding ways to get into around the law by saying they are driving directly to Alaska.

   Mounties say seven people were initially apprehended for violating public health rules for COVID-19.

   The fines were given to the people who stopped at Lake Louise and then taken long hikes in Banff National Park.

   Canada Border Services Agency said U.S. citizens can travel through to Alaska as long as they show they are traveling for an essential reason.

   While entering Canada, the visitors must be healthy and are given instructions on avoiding unnecessary stops and contact with others, said CBSA’s Jacqueline Callin.

   The border was closed to all non-essential travel on March 21 in response to the pandemic and has since been extended to July 21.

Protesters tear down, deface historical statues across Canada

   Canada column for Sunday, June 21/20

   THE CANADIAN REPORT

   (c) By Jim Fox

   Canadian protest groups have been defacing and removing statues and monuments of historical figures.

   The incidents are mounting across Canada against anti-black and anti-Indigenous racism.

   The latest victims are statues of Canada’s first Prime Minister Sir John A. Macdonald in Prince Edward Island and the late Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau who was black faced in a park in Vaughan, near Toronto.

   Charlottetown Mayor Philip Brown denounced the vandalism when Macdonald was doused in red paint but said consideration is being given to removing the statue.

   At issue was Macdonald’s  role in the creation of residential schools where Indigenous children were taken from their homes and parents.

   Two years ago, Victoria city council removed a statue of Macdonald that stood outside city hall and now remains in storage.

   Vaughan Mayor Maurizio Bevilacqua said he is “deeply disappointed” at the vandalism.

   Pierre Trudeau was committed to fostering a fair and just society and the creation of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, he said.

   Trudeau’s son Justin, the current prime minister, said mistakes have been made with “entrenched racism in policing agencies and public institutions.”

COVIS-19 vaccine under development within months, not years: scientist says

      Canada column for Sunday, June 14/20

   THE CANADIAN REPORT

   By Jim Fox

   A vaccine for COVID-19 will be ready in months, not years, says Dr. Gary Kobinger, one of Canada’s top infectious disease experts.

   The director of the Research Center on Infectious Diseases at Laval University in Quebec previously helped develop a vaccine and treatment for the deadly Ebola virus.

   He is working now with labs in Canada, the United States, Chile, China, Europe and Africa on various vaccines of which more than 100 are in development around the world.

   Most vaccines take more than a decade to become approved for human use but work on COVID is moving much faster with so many scientists seeking a breakthrough.

   Governments and public health experts warn that physical distancing restrictions, public gathering limitations, handwashing and wearing masks should continue to help prevent the spread of the virus.

   The total number of cases in Canada is 97,943 with 8,049 deaths.