CanadaJan 21, 2021
Conservative MP Derek Sloan ejected from party caucus
Controversial MP Derek Sloan has been kicked out of the Conservative caucus in a move party leader Erin O'Toole said was due to a "pattern of destructive behaviour" that had become a distraction. But Sloan is not going quietly. On Facebook, he urged so-called "blue" Tories to keep their party memberships and make their voices heard at an upcoming policy convention. Party leader Erin O'Toole initiated the caucus removal process late Monday after news of the donation surfaced. Sloan did not dispute he received the money from Paul Fromm, but has said he was unaware of it. Sloan has been in hot wa
CanadaJan 20, 2021
Canada will get no doses of vaccine from Pfizer at all next week: Major-General Dany Fortin
Canadian leaders and health officials are promising that a slowdown in delivery of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine will only be temporary. But Major-General Dany Fortin says Canada will get no doses of vaccine from Pfizer at all next week. Fortin, the vice-president of operations at the Public Health Agency of Canada, says this week's shipment is almost one-fifth smaller than expected. He says Pfizer is still expected to meet its contractual obligation to ship 4 million doses to Canada by the end of March. Pfizer is upgrading its plant in Belgium, which is causing the delay.
CanadaJan 19, 2021
PM Trudeau warns to cancel international trips; government could at any time, and without warning, enforce new restrictions on return to Canada
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says any Canadian planning an international trip should cancel it. Trudeau is warning that while Canadians have the right to travel, the government could at any time, and without warning, enforce new restrictions on travellers returning to Canada. New variants of the virus that causes COVID-19 add a level of uncertainty that could affect decisions about how to handle international arrivals. The Public Health Agency of Canada has documented 183 flights arriving in Canada from abroad since Jan. 4 alone, on which at least one passenger had COVID-19. That includes fo
CanadaJan 19, 2021
Tory MP Derek Sloan says he'll fight efforts to expel him from party ranks
Ontario Conservative MP Derek Sloan says he'll fight efforts by his party's leader to boot him from caucus.Sloan says a decision by leader Erin O'Toole that he should be tossed out over a donation to his leadership campaign by a known white supremacist is ridiculous.O'Toole announced he's launching the effort to remove Sloan late Monday, after news broke that Sloan's campaign had received a donation from Paul Fromm last year.O'Toole framed the decision as being a question of having no tolerance for racism within his party.But Sloan is raising questions about that approach, saying Fromm is a p
CanadaJan 19, 2021
Alberta is putting a pause on administering the first doses of COVID-19 vaccines: Premier Kenney
Alberta Premier Jason Kenney says the province is putting a pause on administering the first doses of COVID-19 vaccines. Kenney says he is "deeply disappointed" by pharmaceutical company Pfizer's decision to cut back on promised deliveries of vaccine doses to Canada over the next four weeks. Meantime, Ontario is stretching the time for a second dose to 42 days instead of 21, and BC is thinking of going beyond 35 days. Biden should give Canada a chance to make the case for pipeline Alberta Premier Jason Kenney wants US President elect Joe Biden to give the Canadian government a chance to make
CanadaJan 19, 2021
Transport Canada says the Boeing 7-37 MAX can return to Canadian airspace beginning Wednesday
Transport Canada has cleared the Boeing 7-37 MAX to return to Canadian airspace beginning Wednesday, capping a recertification process without precedent in the history of modern aviation. The planes will be permitted to fly as long as they meet several conditions, including allowing pilots to disable a faulty warning system that was key to two deadly crashes in 2018 and 2019. Transport Minister Omar Alghabra says Canadians can rest assured that his department has diligently addressed all safety issues that led to the planes being grounded worldwide in 2019. The planes have been grounded sinc
CanadaJan 18, 2021
Biden indicates plans to cancel Keystone XL pipeline permit on 1st day in office, documents show
Transition documents suggest president-elect Joe Biden plans to block the Keystone XL pipeline on his first day in the White House.The documents, seen by The Canadian Press, include a to-do list dated Wednesday that includes rescinding the construction permit signed by predecessor Donald Trump.Campaign officials promised in May that if elected, Biden would cancel the controversial cross-border project, but the timeline was never clear until now.The pipeline expansion would ferry up to 830,000 additional barrels a day of diluted bitumen from Alberta's oilsands to refineries along the U.S. Gulf
CanadaJan 15, 2021
Dr. Theresa Tam says, BC is sending an important message to the rest of the country
Canada's top doctor says BC is sending an important message to the rest of the country as officials in this province explore limits on interprovincial travel. Doctor Theresa Tam, chief medical officer of health, says now is not the time for vacation travel, across the country or anywhere else. She says halting interprovincial travel would be a difficult decision but could limit potential contact with COVID-19 carriers, slowing the spread of the virus. Premier John Horgan said yesterday that his government is seeking legal opinions on whether restrictions can be placed on visitors to BC. This
CanadaJan 15, 2021
Canada is on track to hit 10,000 new daily infections of COVID-19 by the end of month: Dr. Theresa Tam
Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam says Canada is on track to hit 10,000 new daily infections of COVID-19 by the end of the month. Prime Minister Trudeau says he knows that's not what Canadians want to hear. New modelling shows the total number of cases could reach 796,630 by January 24th. By the same date another 2,000 people could die. And Tam says that means Canada's already-stretched health care system could face its breaking point. The new modelling was released this morning as Procurement Minister Anita Anand revealed global supply issues will temporarily delay vaccine shipment