Updated at 4 p.m. (EDT): Canada and the U.S. have agreed to turn away all asylum seekers trying to cross the border irregularly, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on Friday, shortly after he confirmed the border between the two countries will close to all non-essential travel at midnight.
“Irregular migrants will be sent back and put back in the hands of U.S. authorities,” Trudeau said, calling the efforts “unprecedented.”
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The decision runs counter to Trudeau’s previous promise that asylum seekers would be allowed to enter Canada as long as they remain in quarantine for 14 days.
Even though Canada isn’t on full lockdown yet, Trudeau said “nothing is off the table.”
The prime minister said the measure is temporary and will only last as long as the COVID-19 crisis exists—but Trudeau has said previously that he doesn’t know if the crisis will last weeks or months.
Indigenous communities who exist on both sides of the Canada-U.S. borders will still be allowed to cross the border, said Minister of Public Safety Bill Blair.
The first international flight full of soon-to-be repatriated Canadians was finally secured in Morocco, Trudeau said. There are thousands of Canadians stranded internationally, many in countries that have closed their borders to international flights.
Trudeau also announced a new initiative that will streamline private sector capacity to support Canada’s fight against the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).
Canada is now grappling with more than 850 confirmed or presumed cases of the virus, which has pushed the country’s medicare system to its limits.
The initiative will help companies that are making masks, respirators, and hand sanitizers massively scale up their production efforts, Trudeau said. It will also help industries unrelated to the medical system shift their focus. Automanufacterers, for example, will get government support to temporarily move from making autoparts to medical supplies.
Economic malaise related to COVID-19 has struck Canada, and Trudeau said the federal government has received 500,000 applications for employment insurance this week, up from 27,000 the same week last year.
Ontario launches online learning
Because students are stuck at home until at least April 6, Premier Doug Ford announced a new “learn at home” program that provides digital educational materials for elementary and secondary school students. But politicians and health officials are repeatedly saying they don’t know how long social distancing measures will last in Canada. When asked what will happen with the new online learning program if schools don’t reopen in April, Ford said his government will look to further develop it.
Ottawa to bailout Alberta Oil
Alberta is reeling amid plummeting oil prices—which now sit at below $30 per barrel—in part due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, prompting the province’s premier, Jason Kenney, to ask Ottawa for financial support.
Canada is now grappling with more than 850 confirmed or presumed cases of the virus.
According to the Globe and Mail, the federal government is working closely with Alberta to draft a multibillion-dollar bailout package for the oil and gas sector, which is reportedly geared towards small to mid-sized businesses and could create jobs for laid off workers to clean up abandoned oil and gas wells. One source told the Globe the bailout would be worth roughly $15 billion.
Kenney has also mentioned the introduction of credit facilities that would require Ottawa to buy shares of suffering oil and gas companies, the Globe reported.
Ontario safeguards jobs
Ontario passed emergency legislation on Thursday to protect people who lose their jobs because of the outbreak.
The new Employment Standards Amendment Act (Infectious Disease Emergencies) disallows employers from firing or laying off people who are in isolation or quarantine due to COVID-19 and those who need to take time from work to take care of children as a result of school or daycare closures. Ontarians who need to stay home to take care of other relatives are also protected. The legislation also stipulates that employers cannot demand sick notes at this time.
In an effort to practise social distancing, only 26 members of Ontario’s provincial parliament met to vote on the emergency bill, unanimously passing it.
Layoffs and more layoffs
Various industries and sectors are engaging in massive layoffs as a result of COVID-19. In Saskatchewan, 10,000 hospitality workers are expecting to be laid off, Air Canada has announced more than 5,000 layoffs, and the Calgary Stampede, arguably Alberta’s most popular festival, said it’s laying off 80 percent of its staff.
Some Canadian companies are on a hiring spree. Telehealth services are hiring hundreds of people, including nurses and psychologists, to meet growing demand for call-in health services. Grocery stores such as Loblaws and pharmacies are also hiring en masse to keep up with demand.
Manitoba declares state of emergency
Manitoba declared a state of emergency on Friday, leaving Nova Scotia as the only province that hasn’t declared one. While provinces have evoked their emergency powers differently, the tune is the same: social distancing is a must. Non-essential businesses, including bars and nightclubs, have shuttered, and restaurants are either only allowed to fill 50 percent of their seats (Quebec) or limit services to takeout and delivery—no dine-in allowed (Ontario). Toronto has said restaurants who fail to comply with the order will receive violations and potentially fines, while Newfoundland and Labrador said social distancing offenders could face steep fines and jail time. Prince Edward Island closed down all publicly run liquor stores on Thursday, which led to crowds flocking the stores.
For now, Trudeau has not invoked the federal Emergencies Act, but he said he “isn’t ruling anything out.” If invoked, the act would give the prime minister and his cabinet powers to enact executive orders during national emergencies such as fines or jail sentences for people who contradict emergency orders. To call a state of emergency, Canada’s parliament, which is currently shut down, would have to be temporarily recalled for a vote, Trudeau said.
More than 900 COVID-19 cases in Canada
By Friday, cases of COVID-19 climbed to more than 900 in Canada and British Columbia announced yet another death associated with the virus, bringing the total death toll to 11. Every province is affected:
British Columbia: 271
Alberta: 146
Saskatchewan: 20
Manitoba: 17
Ontario: 308
Quebec: 139
Newfoundland and Labrador: 4
New Brunswick: 11
Nova Scotia: 15
Prince Edward Island: 2
There are more than 250,000 COVID-19 cases globally, with just over 10,000 deaths.
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