Summary
The French debate on TVA comes at the mid-point of the campaign and could prove crucial to the outcome on Sept. 20
The Green party’s Annamie Paul and the Peoples’ party’s Maxime Bernier were not invited to participate
The debate covered three main subjects: the pandemic, social issues and economic recovery
Four party leaders went head to head in the first televised debate of the federal election campaign Thursday night, kicking off the discussion with a vigorous back-and-forth about the COVID-19 pandemic and health care.
The French-language debate on TVA, one of Quebec’s most-watched networks, comes at the midpoint of the campaign and could prove crucial to the outcome on Sept. 20.
The TVA debate involved a series of face-to-face encounters between two leaders at a time, allowing for sharper and longer exchanges.
The Liberals’ Justin Trudeau, the Conservatives’ Erin O’Toole, the Bloc Quebecois’ Yves-Francois Blanchet and the NDP’s Jagmeet Singh took part, with the three opposition leaders accusing Trudeau of unleashing an election unnecessarily amid rising COVID-19 cases and a crisis in Afghanistan.
“Why did you trigger an election in the middle of a fourth wave?” O’Toole asked Trudeau on TVA’s “Face-to-Face” debate shortly after 8 p.m.
“If you were in a majority government, would we be in an election right now?” added Blanchet, saying a larger Liberal presence in Parliament was Trudeau’s main motivation after six years at the helm.
“We’re in the middle of making decisions right now. Not in three months, not in a year,” Trudeau replied.
His minority government was elected in 2019 before the pandemic struck and upended federal priorities, he said, and that he needs a mandate from voters.
“We must give Canadians the choice.”
Singh, pivoting away from vaccines, hammered on the point that Trudeau had failed to sufficiently tax wealthy Canadians and corporations for reinvestment in the country.
The debate covered three main subjects: the pandemic, social policy and “the Canada of tomorrow.”
The Green party’s Annamie Paul and the Peoples’ party’s Maxime Bernier were not invited to participate.
O’Toole, who appeared calm in his first-ever federal election debate,took pains to show he supported the popular Premier Francois Legault on matters ranging from his pandemic leadership to a controversial multibillion-dollar tunnel project between Quebec City and Levis.
The Tory leader also got into a back-and-forth with Trudeau on health care.
O’Toole reiterated that his plan to boost federal health transfers to Quebec with $60 billion in funding over 10 years comes with no strings attached, while he said Trudeau’s approach to long-term care amounts to “paternalism.”
“Can you reassure Quebecers that you won’t want a greater role for the private sector in health?” retorted an amped-up Trudeau, claiming O’Toole’s professed respect for provincial jurisdiction permits a “two-tiered health system.”
Blanchet attacked Trudeau for encroaching on provincial turf by aiming to impose national standards for long-term care homes: “We don’t want more civil servants. We want more nurses.”
At times, Blanchet played the role of moderator, questioning leaders on their commitment to defending the French language in Quebec and francophone culture while warning against “Quebec bashing” over its ban on religious symbols worn by certain public officials.
He stressed the importance of “the common language, the official language” in immigration, commerce and the Constitution.
He also asked his three opponents if all their candidates are vaccinated.
Trudeau admitted to only one exception in his ranks, for medical reasons. Singh has confirmed that New Democrat nominees are vaccinated, as are the Bloc candidates. O’Toole dodged the question, repeating that Conservatives use rapid tests.
O’Toole said he also hopes to use them for federal workers, for whom Trudeau says vaccination will be mandatory.
“It is very important to have the daily screening tests for unvaccinated people ? We must find a reasonable accommodation,” O’Toole told host Pierre Bruneau who asked him if officials who refuse inoculation should be dismissed.
O’Toole was also pressed repeatedly to specify the fate of the $6-billion child-care deal Trudeau announced alongside Legault before the election was called.
O’Toole has pledged to nix agreements with the provinces and replace them with a refundable tax credit of up to $6,000.
The leaders pulled up at the event on buses or vans in the two hours leading up to it after snaking their way through a small crowd of demonstrators outside the TVA building in downtown Montreal.
A heavy police presence presided over the streets surrounding the television studio where the debate took place Thursday evening.
Several dozen protesters, most carrying flags of the Unifor and CUPE unions, alongside others from environmental groups including Greenpeace and Extinction Rebellion, faced police. Officers in caps and flak jackets stood guard behind metre-high steel fences, far outnumbering the megaphone-wielding demonstrators who chanted and held up placards in French reading, “Let’s shut down the fossil fuel industry” and “Climate – time for action.”
At one point, protesters lay on the ground after setting off red smoke canisters to symbolize wildfires and a sense of climate emergency.
The TVA debate was seen as pivotal in the 2019 campaign.
Then-Conservative leader Andrew Scheer’s evasiveness on the issues of abortion and medical assistance in dying was widely seen as halting early Conservative momentum, ultimately enabling Trudeau’s Liberals to eke out a minority win.
The performance of Blanchet, a newcomer to federal politics at the time, was also credited with giving new life to the Bloc Quebecois, which helped rob Trudeau of a second majority mandate.
The TVA debate is in addition to two official debates organized by the Leaders’ Debates Commission. The official debates are scheduled to take place next week – in French on Sept. 8 and in English on Sept. 9.
Paul will participate in those debates, but Bernier, who didn’t meet the independent commission’s criteria for participation, will not.
Summary
The French debate on TVA comes at the mid-point of the campaign and could prove crucial to the outcome on Sept. 20
The Green party’s Annamie Paul and the Peoples’ party’s Maxime Bernier were not invited to participate
Tonight’s two-hour debate begins at 8 p.m. ET
Four leaders will face off tonight in the first televised debate of the federal election campaign.
The French debate on TVA, one of Quebec’s most-watched networks, comes at the mid-point of the campaign and could prove crucial to the outcome on Sept. 20.
Only four leaders — the Liberals’ Justin Trudeau, the Conservatives’ Erin O’Toole, the Bloc Québécois’ Yves-Francois Blanchet and the NDP’s Jagmeet Singh — will take part.
The Green party’s Annamie Paul and the Peoples’ party’s Maxime Bernier were not invited to participate.
The TVA debate was seen as pivotal in the 2019 campaign.
Then-Conservative leader Andrew Scheer’s evasiveness on the issues of abortion and medical assistance in dying was widely seen as halting early Conservative momentum, ultimately enabling Trudeau’s Liberals to eke out a minority win.
The performance of Blanchet, a newcomer to federal politics at the time, was also credited with giving new life to the Bloc Québécois, which helped rob Trudeau of a second majority mandate.
The TVA debate is in addition to two official debates organized by the Leaders’ Debates Commission. The official debates are scheduled to take place next week — in French on Sept. 8 and in English on Sept. 9.
Paul will participate in those debates, but Bernier, who didn’t meet the independent commission’s criteria for participation, will not.
The TVA debate involves a series of face-to-face encounters between two leaders at a time, allowing for sharper and longer exchanges.
Tonight’s two-hour debate begins at 8 p.m. ET.
Saying it’s something he “didn’t want to do” Premier Doug Ford unveiled a COVID-19 vaccine “certificate” plan on Wednesday that will mandate Ontarians show proof of being fully vaccinated before they can access a slew of non-essential businesses and services.
The first step of the plan goes into effect on September 22. That’s when Ontarians will be required to show a piece of photo ID and their printed or downloaded vaccine receipt that be accessed on the Ontario.ca portal before gaining entrance to certain public settings and facilities. (full list below)
A month later, on October 22nd, the second phase of the plan goes into effect. That’s when Ontarians will have to show government-issued certificates that will “include a unique QR code” that can be scanned on phones. The document can also be printed out on paper.
The province says it is also launching a new app that businesses and facilities can use to scan and validate the QR codes. While retail is not included, the app will be made available to any business that wants to implement their own proof of vaccination program.
Medical exemptions will show up on the QR code.
“Let me be clear, this is a temporary tool that we won’t use for a day longer than we have to,” Ford promised.
Individuals or businesses that don’t follow the rules could face a series of fines under the Reopening Ontario Act — up to $730 for individuals and $1000 and up for businesses.
Ford said enforcement would be led by bylaw officers and would be “reasonable.”
Proof of vaccination will not be required for services deemed essential, and you won’t need it to vote in the upcoming federal election. Barbers and salons are also not included.
Ontarians will need to provide proof of being fully vaccinated, starting Sept. 22, to access the following: (not including those with medical exemptions and children under 12)
- Restaurants and bars (excluding outdoor patios, as well as delivery and takeout)
- Nightclubs (including outdoor areas of the establishment)
- Meeting and event spaces, such as banquet halls and conference/convention centres
- Facilities used for sports and fitness activities and personal fitness training, such as gyms, fitness and recreational facilities with the exception of youth recreational sport
- Sporting events
- Casinos, bingo halls and gaming establishments
- Concerts, music festivals, theatres and cinemas
- Strip clubs, bathhouses and sex clubs
- Racing venues (e.g. horse racing)
“At no time will anyone be prevented from accessing necessary medical care, food from grocery store, basic medical supplies or other essentials based on vaccination status. This includes voting in the upcoming federal election,” the government document states.
The province says it will establish processes in the coming weeks for individuals with no email or health card ID.
Premier Doug Ford has faced pressure from opposition leaders and numerous health organizations who have been calling for a provincially administered proof-of-vaccine system.
Ford was initially set to announce the certificate on Tuesday, but the announcement was delayed after he reportedly rejected the initial drafts of the plan.
Ford has long pushed back against the idea, saying as recently as July 15 he was “not going to do it” and that he was not in favour of having a “split society.”
While begrudgingly making the certificate announcement Wednesday, Ford said Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau pushed his hand on the issue.
“A national system is far better than a patch work of certificates across every province and territory in the country. But Justin Trudeau has told us they will not be rolling out a national vaccine passport while the election is ongoing. We can’t wait any longer.”
New modelling from the Ontario COVID-19 science advisory table shows vaccinations will need to increase and contacts need to decrease to 70 per cent of pre-pandemic levels to avoid a “substantial” fourth wave in the province that could see new cases surge to 9,000 a day.
The science table says vaccinations need to accelerate to 85 per cent of the population fully vaccinated in order to have an impact. The province is currently at 76 per cent.
With schools reopening and more workplaces returning to work combined with the Delta variant, the modelling shows we could reach 9,000 COVID-19 cases per day if transmission increases by 25 per cent by the beginning of October.
If transmission decreases by 25 per cent, mostly due to reduced contacts, they predict the province could see around 500 cases per day.
ICU capacity could also spike to 850 admissions by mid-October if transmission increases.
In order to reduce contacts, the science table recommends residents reduce indoor density, maintain social distancing and limit large gatherings.
Indoor masking and working from home should also continue along with implementing policies that increase vaccinations, like a proof-of-vaccination certificate that the province introduced Wednesday.
In a tweet, the table said, “If we open things up more now, and if vaccination rates stay where they are, ICUs could get overwhelmed by October — beyond what we saw in the third wave back in April and early May.”
The modelling also shows COVID-19 vaccines have had a significant impact on reducing severe illness and cases.
The latest round of modelling comes on the same day that the province announced a new vaccine certificate program that would bar unvaccinated people from a variety of businesses and services.
In a statement from the Ministry of Health, a spokesperson said they are confident Ontario is trending between the medium and best cast scenario. They also added while the forecasting projects from the best to worst case scenario, Ontario has never experienced the latter.
“There’s no question the months ahead will require continued vigilance as we confront the fourth wave,” read the statement. “We remain committed to ensuring the health and safety of Ontarians and will continue to make decisions based on the best medical advice available from Dr. Moore and his team.”
NEW YORK — Relentless rain from the remnants of Hurricane Ida sent the New York City area into a state of emergency early Thursday, as the storm carried into New England with threats of more tornadoes.
New York’s FDR Drive, a major artery on the east side of Manhattan, and the Bronx River Parkway were under water by late Wednesday evening. Subway stations and tracks became so flooded that the Metropolitan Transportation Authority suspended all service. Videos posted online showed subway riders standing on seats in cars filled with water.
Other videos showed vehicles submerged up to their windows on major roadways in and around the city and garbage bobbing down the streets.
“We’re enduring an historic weather event tonight with record breaking rain across the city, brutal flooding and dangerous conditions on our roads,” New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said while declaring a state of emergency in New York City late Wednesday.
Gov. Kathy Hochul also declared a state of emergency for New York state.
The National Weather Service office in New York declared its first-ever set of flash flood emergencies in the region Wednesday night, an alert level that is reserved for “exceedingly rare situations when a severe threat to human life and catastrophic damage from a flash flood is happening or will happen soon.”
New York City put in place a travel ban until 5 a.m. ET Thursday for all non-emergency vehicles.
The National Weather Service recorded 3.15 inches of rain in New York’s Central Park in one hour Wednesday night, far surpassing the 1.94 inches that fell in one hour during Tropical Storm Henri on the night of Aug. 21, which was believed at the time to be the most ever recorded in the park.
Earlier Wednesday, the storm blew through the mid-Atlantic states with at least two tornadoes, heavy winds and drenching rains that collapsed the roof of a U.S. Postal Service building in New Jersey and threatened to overrun a dam in Pennsylvania.
Social media posts showed homes reduced to rubble in a southern New Jersey county just outside Philadelphia, not far from where the National Weather Service confirmed a tornado Wednesday evening. Authorities did not have any immediate information on injuries.
The roof collapsed at the Postal Service building in Kearny, New Jersey, with people inside, police Sgt. Chris Levchak said. Rescue crews were on scene into the night, with no immediate word on the number of people or severity of injuries.
Gov. Phil Murphy declared a state of emergency in all of New Jersey’s 21 counties, urging people to stay off the flooded roads. Meteorologists warned that rivers likely won’t crest for a few more days, raising the possibility of more widespread flooding.
At least one death was reported in the state. Passaic Mayor Hector Lora told news outlets that someone died in the city after being submerged in their car.
Soaking rains prompted the evacuations of thousands of people after water reached dangerous levels at a dam near Johnstown, a Pennsylvania town nicknamed Flood City. An official said later Wednesday that the water levels near the dam were receding.
Utilities reported hundreds of thousands of customers without power in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
In Rockville, Maryland, water had almost reached the ceilings of basement units Wednesday when crews arrived at an apartment complex. A 19-year-old was found dead, another person was missing and about 200 people from 60 apartments near Rock Creek were displaced, Montgomery County Fire Chief Scott Goldstein said Wednesday.
A tornado was believed to have touched down along the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland.
“In many years I have not seen circumstances like this,” Goldstein said.
The National Weather Service had predicted flooding from what remained of Hurricane Ida, saying steep terrain and even city streets were particularly vulnerable to a band of severe weather that extended to Massachusetts, where tornado warnings were issued early Thursday.
Tropical Storm Henri hit the region a little more than a week ago, causing flooding and leaving the region saturated and more vulnerable to this week’s torrents.
Tropical Storm Larry was strengthening and moving quickly westward after forming off the coast of Africa earlier Wednesday. Forecasters predicted it would rapidly intensify in a manner similar to Ida, becoming a major hurricane with top wind speeds of 120 mph (193 kph) by Saturday.
A man is dead after a fire broke out at an apartment building near Bloor and Sherbourne streets.
Fire crews were called to Huntley Street around 1:30 a.m. on Wednesday for a fire in an apartment on the seventh floor.
The man was rushed to hospital where he later died.
A second person was also taken to hospital but is in stable condition.
The fire was knocked down quickly.
The Ontario Fire Marshal’s office has been called in.
Vaccine Hunters Canada, the volunteer-run organization which has helped thousands of Canadians find COVID-19 vaccines, will stop posting on their social media pages on Tuesday and pivot towards self-serve tools.
The team of over 100 volunteers shared hundreds of updates daily on their multiple social media channels including Twitter and Discord for almost six months, helping Canadians find details about clinic locations, times and eligibility.
They amassed hundreds of thousands of followers including over 250,000 on Twitter.
With vaccines more widely available across the country, the website launched by the team will now have automated operations and consolidated services in their free multilingual tools “Find Your Immunization” and “Vaccine DIY.”
As of August 31, over 51 million vaccines have been administered in Canada and over 76 per cent of eligible residents are fully vaccinated.
In one of their final tweets, @VaxHuntersCanada paid tribute to the volunteers who helped run their social media with a video, saying, “Since March, they’ve posted thousands of updates, responded to thousands of questions, and helped save thousands of lives.”
Vaccine Hunters also partnered with the City of Toronto early in their vaccination campaign to help residents find appointments at city-run clinics.
The volunteers have received an immense amount of praise for their role in helping Canadians navigate an oftentimes confusing COVID-19 vaccine rollout, especially in Ontario.
Marie-Philip Poulin scored in overtime and Canada beat the five-time defending champion United States 3-2 on Tuesday night for its first gold medal at the women’s hockey world championship since 2012.
Poulin, the Canadian captain, skated down the left side, took a pass from Brianne Jenner and sent it off the crossbar and post before going in. The goal was initially waived off and play continued in the sudden death 3-on-3 overtime until the buzzer sounded after a video review.
The Canadians rushed the ice and piled on top of each other in celebration of their 11th title at worlds.
“It’s so weird how it happened,” Canadian forward Sarah Fillier said. “We were all sitting on the bench, thinking we have to go finish this next 11 minutes off. But the buzzer went and we all jumped on. It’s so crazy, but it’s so cool.”
Canada fell behind 2-0 in the first period _ for just its second deficit in the tournament. But the Canadians scored two goals, 2:29 apart, in the second to tie it.
Jenner scored on a power play when she corralled the puck in front of the net and brought it from backhand to forehand to get around the left pad of Nicole Hensley.
Jamie Lee Rattray tied it by redirecting Jocelyne Larocque’s shot from the point. Rattray nearly won it with 90 seconds to go in regulation but her breakaway shot went off Hensley and deflected off the post.
“I think our team stuck with it from the start `til the end. We showed a lot of character,” Canadian forward Melodie Daoust said. “Just to be able to celebrate from here, on home soil with our family and friends, I think it’s amazing.”
Five of the last seven world finals between Canada and the U.S. have gone to extra time, including 2011, ’12, ’16, and ’17.
“That’s why it’s the greatest rivalry in sports,” U.S. forward Amanda Kessel said.
Alex Carpenter opened the scoring for the United State for a third straight game. She batted her own rebound between the legs of goalie Ann-Renee Desbiens.
Carpenter scored her fifth goal of the tournament, all in the last three games, on a power play just 12:35 into the game.
The U.S had won eight of the previous nine titles, including 2019 when Canada didn’t reach the final for the first time in the history of the tournament that began in 1990.
In the third-place game, Petra Nieminen scored her sixth goal of the event and Finland beat Switzerland 3-1.
Finland claimed its 13th bronze medal at the event. Switzerland was going for its second bronze _ the first coming in 2012 against the Finns.
Tanja Niskanen needed just 99 seconds to put Finland on the board. Niskanen was left unmarked and skated to an open late to send it over the glove of Saskia Maurer for her first goal of the tournament. Finland started the second period in a similar fashion as Ella Viitasuo scored 54 seconds in on a shot off the post for a 2-0 advantage.
Nieminen gave Finland a 3-1 lead, three seconds into a power play late in the second period, by redirecting Michelle Karvinen’s shot from the point.
Lara Stalder pulled Switzerland within 2-1 three minutes later, finishing a 2-on-2 opportunity after a key save by goalie Saskia Maurer at the other end.
Ontario optometrists are set to withdraw provincially insured eye services starting today after a breakdown in talks with the provincial government over reimbursement of costs.
The province’s health plan covers annual eye exams for residents aged 19 and under, 65 and older and people with specific health conditions.
The head of the Ontario Association of Optometrists said starting today, optometrists will call affected patients to cancel appointments and place them on waiting lists.
Dr. Sheldon Salaba says his group’s members are currently paying for around 45 per cent of those services and says the job action comes after disappointing talks on the issue with the government.
He says there will be a delay in service for people covered by the Ontario Health Insurance Plan until talks resume.
However, he says people should still contact optometrists with emergencies for help reaching a family doctor or another health-care setting.
“We are going to help them navigate, depending on what is happening to them, the best option for them to receive care,” Salaba said in an interview.
The province has offered to pay optometrists $39 million to retroactively account for increased costs of services.
It has also offered to increase reimbursement by 8.48 per cent.
Salaba says optometrists want an increase of 70 per cent to close the gap.
A spokeswoman for Health Minister Christine Elliott said the government will continue funding the affected services, and “any decision to withdraw services is the decision of individual optometrists.”
“The offer on the table is an extremely fair and reasonable one, and we urge the Ontario Association of Optometrists to commit to working with us to reach an agreement to ensure Ontarians continue to access the care they need and deserve,” Alexandra Hilkene said in a statement.
The province said approximately 2.9 million Ontario residents received provincially insured optometry services in the 2019-20 fiscal year.
A new poll suggests the Conservatives and NDP have momentum heading into the second half of the federal election campaign, while the Liberals are bleeding support.
Thirty-four per cent of decided voters who took part in the Leger survey said they support Erin O’Toole’s Conservatives — ahead of the Liberals and up four percentage points since Aug. 16, when the campaign got underway.
Support for Jagmeet Singh’s New Democrats is also up four points, to 24 per cent.
Support for Justin Trudeau’s Liberals, meanwhile, is down five points to 30 per cent, while Green party support is down three points to two per cent.
In Quebec, support for the Bloc Quebecois stands at 29 per cent, behind the Liberals at 33 per cent.
The online poll of 2,005 Canadians, conducted Aug. 27 to 30 in collaboration with The Canadian Press, cannot be assigned a margin of error because internet-based polls are not considered random samples.
