Feb 18 2021 — Tonda MacCharles — Toronto Star — One of Canada’s top public health officials says provinces may move to a single dose of authorized two-dose vaccinations and delay a second dose, based on early data showing a high level of protection after a single dose. Although not yet authorized, the delay could open the door to wider and speedier inoculations as variants […]
Feb 11 2021 — Tonda MacCharles — Toronto Star — A feisty Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he’s willing to go it alone and bypass foot-dragging provinces when it comes to national long-term-care standards, the use of rapid COVID-19 tests, and tracking the vaccine rollout as a way to develop better health data-sharing. In an online roundtable with health-care professionals Thursday, the prime minister fielded […]
Dec 20 2020 — Tonda MacCharles — Toronto Star — Rookie cabinet minister Anita Anand fumed as the Conservative leader of the Opposition accused the Liberal government throughout the fall of signing bad deals that “put Canada at the back of the line” for COVID-19 vaccines. From late October onward, Erin O’Toole had shifted from attacks over rapid tests to hammering what he said was […]
Dec 16 2020 — Tonda MacCharles — Toronto Star — Canada’s global scramble in the spring to buy personal protective equipment for front-line health workers taught the federal Liberal government a painful lesson — that it had to get a jump on buying vaccines, says Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. In his first specific admission of where his government made mistakes during the pandemic, Trudeau told […]
Nov 30 2020 — Tonda MacCharles — Toronto Star — The federal Opposition parties greeted the long-awaited economic update with a big collective thumbs down. The initial reactions of Opposition leaders signal new spending measures, totalling $25 billion, may not find support across the aisle, which could trigger another crisis of confidence in the minority Trudeau government. The 237-page economic update, and Chrystia Freeland’s selling […]
Oct 16 2020 — Tonda MacCharles — Hamilton Spectator — Canada’s Global Affairs officials summoned China’s top diplomat in Canada for a private dressing down Thursday after remarks he made warning Canada against offering political asylum to Hong Kong democracy activists. But Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole says if Ambassador Cong Peiwu does not publicly apologize for his “belligerent” comments, which O’Toole called a threat to […]
Sep 26 2020 — Tonda MacCharles — Our Windsor — The Canadian government does not feel pressure from the United States to lift border restrictions despite comments by President Donald Trump that he expects the border to reopen soon, says Public Safety Minister Bill Blair. In an interview with the Star, Blair said he is aware of Trump’s remarks after the two countries agreed to […]
Sep 18 2020 — Tonda MacCharles — Toronto Star — It’s a bit like speed-dating, and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is looking for a dance partner. Trudeau is canvassing Opposition leaders about their priorities for a throne speech that kicks off a new legislative session next week and could tip Canada into an election without the support of one other major federal party. Yet Trudeau […]
Sep 16 2020 — Tonda MacCharles — St. Catharines Standard — Health Canada has started an internal review of how the government responded to the COVID-19 pandemic, says Health Minister Patty Hajdu. But Hajdu deflected questions about whether an independent review is warranted as a previous Liberal government did during the 2003 SARS crisis, telling reporters “We’re just at the beginning of this pandemic.” “We have […]
Sep 13 2020 — Tonda MacCharles — St. Catharines Standard — As Justin Trudeau drafts a new governing agenda to revive the Canadian economy from its pandemic-induced coma, one thing is absent from the debate around his Liberal cabinet table: the voice of a fiscal hawk. As the Trudeau government nears the second year of its second mandate, “there are a few voices of fiscal discipline,” […]
Sep 1 2020 — Tonda MacCharles — St. Catharines Standard — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is casting a wider than usual net to come up with what he promised will be a “bold” agenda for an economic recovery. Trudeau invited cabinet ministers to make submissions on what they want to see in a Sept. 23 throne speech — a move that a senior Liberal source said […]
Aug 26 2020 — Tonda MacCharles — Toronto Star — The New Democrats believe their calls pushed the Liberal government of Justin Trudeau to pump an extra $2 billion into the safe reopening of schools. The Chamber of Commerce, often a conservative voice of business interests across the country, believed its advocacy made a difference. It welcomed new federal money for school resources, calling it […]
Aug 25 2020 — Tonda MacCharles — Toronto Star — The federal government is planning to transfer $2 billion more to the provinces to pump more money into the safe reopening of schools, the Star has learned. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke with the 13 premiers and territorial leaders on a conference call Tuesday, their first since July 29, and outlined his plan, which comes […]
Aug 25 2020 — Tonda MacCharles — Toronto Star — “This is still a party that would rather fight than win.” That was the raw feeling inside Peter MacKay’s camp on Monday morning, hours after the Conservative Party co-founder suffered a stinging defeat to Erin O’Toole in the party’s leadership contest. Now that a hard-fought and at times nasty contest is over and O’Toole has […]
Aug 20 2020 — Tonda MacCharles — St. Catharines Standard — The mood was upbeat during a conference call that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau held Tuesday night with Liberal caucus members just hours after he replaced Bill Morneau as finance minister and suspended Parliament ahead of a September reboot. “Surprisingly so,” said one participant who lamented that Morneau’s departure was “a significant loss” to the Liberals, […]