Ottawa Observations: Tuesday, December 15, 2020

Our compilation of some of the stories of note from the day, reviewing the political developments from the Federal scene for  Tuesday, December 16, 2020


Canadians held in China / China tensions

Chinese ambassador insists Meng Wanzhou's detainment in Vancouver is unfair

Trudeau's an appeaser of China, plain and simple

The Global Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Health officials warn of holiday spike in cases as more vaccine doses set to arrive

Alberta Premier warns against queue-jumping as COVID-19 vaccinations begin

Canada needs a national database to track COVID-19 vaccination

Canada expected to receive 168,000 doses of Moderna vaccine by months end, Trudeau says

What we don't know about COVID-19 is hurting us

Ontario health official takes heat for banter about COVID-19 briefing notes: "I just say whatever they write down for me'

Ontario outperforms much of the world in dealing with COVID

Canada to get 168,000 doses of Moderna COVID-19 vaccine before year is out: Trudeau

The hard part will be keeping the vaccine momentum

The carrot and stick of vaccine adoption

BC reports 21 deaths from COVID-19, 522 new cases

Long term care worker is the first person in BC to receive COVID-19 vaccine

Interior Health reporting community cluster at Big White Ski Resort

Canada monitoring potential threats to vaccine rollout: feds

Vaccinations begin, 21 deaths, 45 schools with exposures and more

COVID-19 patients in BC hospitals, ICU wards rise to record levels

Globe and Mail

Iran's probe into downing of passenger jet has shown a 'wanton' disregard for innocent human life,' report says

CPPIB's Mark Machin sees long, slow economic recovery

Second wave could send economic growth into negative territory in first quarter, Bank of Canada's Maklem warns

The Bank of Canada insists its not funding the government. Really?

As anxieties grow over CERB notices, Qualtrough says no requirement to repay now

Trudeau brushes aside questions about Barton's McKinsey role and firm's opioids work

Quebec orders all non-essential businesses to close from December 25 until at least January 11

Stricter enforcement coming to COVID-19 rule breakers, BC premier says

Employees can claim up to $400 work from home tax deduction during COVID-19 pandemic, CRA says

What Canada's Conservatives need to unlearn from Donald Trump

The Liberals' new climate plan is bold, if you ignore the blower road not taken

Ottawa's climate plan is a gift to the oil sands - but Alberta's government insists on treating it like a lump of coal

Counting on Michael Sabia to breathe life into the tapped-out Liberal policies for economic growth

CBC
  

Foreign Affairs minister says he doesn't believe human error was to blame for Flight PS752's destruction

Goodale's report on Flight PS752 tragedy says Iran should not be 'investigating itself'

Canadian indicted in Texas for sending envelopes allegedly filled with ricin to officials

Watchdog finds RCMP's policing of anti-pipeline protesters reasonable - but sees gaps in surveillance policies

Millions of Canadians working from home could qualify for new tax deduction

5 years after report, Truth and Reconciliation commissioners say progress is 'moving too slow'

Federal government rethinking use of controversial polygraph test

Ottawa preparing new rules on the use of French in key sectors of the Quebec economy

Hospital visitation policies should reflect what loved-ones contribute to a patient's recovery

Toronto Star

'I wasn't planning on making any of that public.' Tory MPP caught in ugly nomination battle

Pornhub deletes millions of videos, but Ottawa says that's not good enough 

New tax break expanded to allow most Canadians working from home due to the pandemic to claim up to $400

Where does the money go? How Toronto police planned to spend more than $1 billion in 2020

Government Senate rep says constitutional challenges to MAID bill inevitable

Better Crash probes and more care for families needed, Goodale says in PS752 report

Ontario orders hospitals to get ready for a surge of COVID-19 patients

Toronto Sun

What Conservatives need to learn in 2021

Liberals need to learn from their 2020 mistakes

'Justin Journos' display little interest in carbon tax hike

Top Ontario doctor's hot-mic moment spreads fast

Trudeau fumbles 2020: World changes but our PM didn't; top mishaps

Should Canadians support a hasty Carbon tax

National Post

Politicians aggressively pushing vaccines will only make for more vaccine skeptics

Big Beef has bounced back after first devastating outbreaks, but threat of a second wave still looms

Rising carbon tax is part of 'death by a thousand cuts' for Canada's farmers

Aliens among us? In 2020, that would barely count as a surprise

Alberta's Jason Kenney was wounded by his own  double-edged sword on lockdown

Maclean's

The pandemic has offered a look at reform possibilities

10 pivotal First Nations rights disputes to watch in 2021

Canada counts its dead much too slowly

Global

BC government apologizes to thousands of hospital workers still owed pandemic pay

BC to increase enforcement of COVID19 rules

Massive landslide on BC's central coast created its own seismic event: geologist

Vancouver Canucks face calls to retire orca logo over cultural appropriation

Monthly natural gas bills in BC to rise in January

BC under fire for cutting COVID-19 financial help for seniors, people with disabilities

Constitutional challenges to assisted dying bill inevitable: Government Senate rep

O'Toole tells students residential schools created to 'provide education' but became 'horrible'

RCMP collected licence plate numbers of people at United Church meeting, says watchdog

Miscellaneous

Vancouver paid $11.5 million for condemned Regent and Balmoral Hotels

After Deaths and Injuries, Strathcona Park Camp gets more services

Focus on Housing and Jobs or the Climate fight 'Goes Nowhere'

Northern First Nations look for answers as Work Camps bring the virus

The Brutal ways vessels are killing orcas

RCMP spying could chill freedom of expression: review

Health order enforcements to amp up in the next two weeks: Horgan