{"id":116525,"date":"2020-11-20T19:06:01","date_gmt":"2020-11-20T16:06:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/canada-braces-itself-for-the-latest-federal-covid-projections\/"},"modified":"2020-11-20T19:06:01","modified_gmt":"2020-11-20T16:06:01","slug":"canada-braces-itself-for-the-latest-federal-covid-projections","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/canada-braces-itself-for-the-latest-federal-covid-projections\/","title":{"rendered":"#Canada braces itself for the latest federal COVID projections"},"content":{"rendered":"

“#Canada braces itself for the latest federal COVID projections<\/strong>”<\/p>\n

\n Politics Insider for Nov. 20: Theresa Tam and Justin Trudeau react to new COVID models, the RCMP reacts to yet another scathing report and how to throw a scammer off-script<\/a>\n <\/div>\n
\n Welcome to a sneak peek of the\u00a0<\/em>Maclean\u2019s\u00a0Politics Insider\u00a0news<\/a>letter.\u00a0Sign up to get it delivered\u00a0straight to your inbox.<\/em><\/p>\n

This morning at 9 a.m., Theresa Tam<\/strong>\u00a0showed the country sobering COVID-19 infection projections. CBC News reported yesterday that Tam\u2019s numbers would say cross-Canada infections could hit 60,000 a day<\/a> in a worst-case scenario<\/strong> in which per-person contacts increase. The second-worst line on the graph, which models growth if we all maintain our current contacts, will see infections rise to 20,000 a day. The best-case scenario, with reduced contacts, drops under\u00a010,000<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

At 11:30 a.m., Prime Minister Justin Trudeau<\/strong> will hold a press conference<\/a> in front of Rideau Cottage<\/strong>\u2014perhaps a throwback to the daily updates he held in front of his residence for most of the spring (his last presser on those grounds was way back in July). Yesterday, Trudeau and Tam briefed opposition leaders<\/a> on the data you\u2019re seeing today.<\/p>\n

The two Michaels:<\/strong>\u00a0Global Affairs Canada sent word to reporters yesterday that Dominic Barton<\/strong>, Canada\u2019s Ambassador to China, was \u201cgranted on-site virtual consular access\u201d to both Michael Spavor (on Nov. 10) and Michael Kovrig (on Nov. 19).<\/p>\n

Canada\u2019s national police force reacted to another in a long line of devastating assessments of its work culture. In a withering new report<\/strong><\/a>, former Supreme Court justice Michel Bastarache<\/strong> concludes that culture \u201cis toxic and tolerates misogynistic<\/strong> and homophobic<\/strong> attitudes amongst its leaders and members,\u201d resulting in \u201cincalculable damage\u201d to its victims. Bastarache said change is \u201cessential,\u201d but the RCMP isn\u2019t up to the job and reform \u201cmust be initiated from external sources.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Mounties\u2019 response<\/strong><\/a> acknowledged the \u201cdevastating impacts caused by experiences of harassment and discrimination in the workplace,\u201d and admitted\u00a0change \u201cwill only occur if it is meaningful, holistic and addresses the underlying systemic factors.\u201d In his own response<\/a>, Public Safety Minister Bill Blair<\/strong>\u00a0said he told RCMP commissioner Brenda Lucki<\/strong> that \u201cunacceptable patterns of behaviour must end, now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another climate plan:<\/strong>\u00a0The Liberals yesterday tabled a new bill<\/a> to pave the way for net-zero carbon emissions<\/strong> by 2050. The new law would compel the feds to table progress reports on the cutting of emissions, and consult experts and the broader public. The federal sustainable development watchdog would also assess the government\u2019s efforts at least every five years. Tory MP Dan Albas<\/strong> was predictably disappointed, saying the Liberals \u201ccontinue to make new environmental commitments while failing to meet their previous\u00a0climate<\/span>\u00a0promises.\u201d Anna Kanduth, a research associate<\/a> at the Canadian Institute for Climate Choices, said<\/a> the bill is \u201cnot just another target-setting exercise\u201d\u2014but a new accountability framework is not a \u201csilver bullet.\u201d<\/p>\n

After the NDP failed to convince the House of Commons to endorse a wealth tax on income in excess of $20 million, Abacus Data<\/strong> polled Canadians<\/a> on the issue. The result? Almost eight in 10 respondents supported the idea, and nearly two-thirds of Conservative voters said the same. Scott Brison, the former president of the Treasury Board, dismissed Abacus\u2019s work as \u201cmeaningless, populistic polling\u201d<\/a> that amounted to an exercise in class warfare<\/strong><\/a>. (The NDP\u2019s motion was a little more complex<\/a> than simply pitching a wealth tax. And its critics said it lacked an actual plan<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

StatsCan reported on how desperate Canadian companies have spent their federal pandemic loans. The data say that almost 30 per cent of Canada Emergency Business Account<\/strong> funds covered payroll costs<\/a>. Almost half of respondents received both the CEBA and a wage subsidy. Just one in 10 businesses said they \u201ccould have maintained operations without\u00a0CEBA.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

Yesterday\u2019s conflict-of-interest foofaraw du jour<\/em> involved Conservative MP Michael Cooper<\/strong>\u2018s office. Cooper has employed Pierre Poilievre\u2019s wife, Anaida, for the last five years. At a press conference, CBC\u2019s Ashley Burke<\/strong> asked Cooper if, given recent headlines about sketchy hiring practices<\/a> on the Hill, he\u2019s planning to make any staffing changes. Cooper said he was proud of his staff. Anaida Poilievre, who\u2019s worked on the Hill for more than a decade, took exception to the question\u2014and\u00a0defended herself on Twitter<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n

In other company town news:<\/strong>\u00a0The nation\u2019s capital is a place where people with common interests sometimes do what people do\u2014they become romantically involved and then work in the same world. Such was the case with Marlo Raynolds<\/strong>, the chief of staff to Environment Minister Jonathan Wilkinson<\/strong>, who recently agreed to a conflict screen<\/a>. Raynolds\u2019s partner is a gender and climate policy advisor at Oxfam Canada<\/strong>. There\u2019s nothing unethical to see here; in fact, quite the opposite. But in spite of Allan Fotheringham\u2019s timeless jab that Ottawa is the city fun forgot<\/a>, people here do manage to fall in love.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ve probably been on the receiving end of innumerable attempted phone scams<\/strong> from people pretending to be from a federal department. Have you ever tried to call them out for their slapdash exploitation<\/strong>? Your newsletter correspondent managed to keep a \u201cService Canada\u201d scammer on the phone long enough to ask key questions about their employer. Here\u2019s what happens when you force a scammer off-script<\/strong><\/a> by asking them to identify Canada\u2019s PM.
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