Ottawa Observations: Tuesday, August 24, 2021

Our compilation of some of the stories of note from the day, reviewing the political developments from the Federal scene for  Tuesday, August 24, 2021

 

Election Campaign 2021

Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole promises 'choice' in health care, Liberal clawback pledge slammed by Saskatchewan Premier 

Liberals pledge billions for housing, join Conservatives in proposing foreign home-buyer ban

The political landscape has changed as O'Toole's big risk appears to be paying off

Jagmeet Singh is on a roll. This is bad news for Justin Trudeau

Liberals pledge to ban blind bidding as hoe prices soar

Greens pick candidate turfed by NDP in last Federal campaign over Israel tweets

Singh pledges to end for-profit- long-term care homes if NDP elected

Trudeau says he can campaign and manage Afghan refugee crisis at the same time

Ontario a crucial, tricky battleground province for parties during 2021 federal election 

NDP leader Jagmeet Singh's promise to end oil subsidies not as clear as it sounds

The Liberals' quest to give Erin O'Toole a secret agenda. Today's episode: Medicare

Over a week into the campaign, Trudeau has yet to make a case for himself 

O'Toole says he wants more private 'innovation' in health care but supports the 'system we have'

Trudeau promises new incentives worth billions and a tax on 'flipping'  to help Canadians buy a home

NDP makes 'aggressive' push for progressive voters to ditch Trudeau for something new

Labour movement skeptical of Conservative pitch to workers

Erin O'Toole would support more choice in health care. Would he undo Canadian medicare in the process?

Federal parties spar over which of them can bring house prices down

Liberals will take aim at real-estate speculation, propose homebuyers' 'bill of rights' in ambitious housing policy

Trudeau's housing crisis proposals won't keep prices from rising, experts say

No platform? No problem, says Green Leader - just use Google

Saskatchewan Premier Moe challenges Liberal leader Justin Trudeau on private MRIs

Justin Trudeau has forsaken sunny ways for petulance and gloom

Trudeau's attempt toe seize housing issue falls flat 

O'Toole promises to protect workplace pensions from 'corporate elites' 

Private health care flourishes in Trudeau's own backyard, but he says nothing

Each party's climate plan fails basic economics 

NDP immigration plan for seniors is fiscal suicide

Floundering without a platform, Trudeau's Liberals quickly lose ground

Liberals' new attack video is bad trolling 

Trudeau doubles down with O'Toole health care lie

Trudeau's $40 billion 'power grab'

Canada's fantasyland health-care debate will not go to sleep

Is Canada on the verge of Toolemania?

The Conservatives are gaining momentum in Quebec. Will it be enough?

Lessons from a heckler on Trudeau's six years of failed promises of affordable housing

Can Facebook's election fact checkers measure up to Twitter's crowdsourced hive mind?

The Liberals' manipulated Twitter video smacks of desperate 'soldiers with guns' scaremongering

The Big Lie - Is Canada's election at risk from foreign interference

Trudeau, Singh seem more interest in running for premier than head of a national government

The 'incoherent jumble' that is the Liberal housing plan

Will the crisis in Kabul move votes in Canada?

Liberal Party, Scott Moe spar over private MRI clinics  

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh vows to end for-profit long-term care

Liberals, Conservatives in dead heat as Trudeau's popularity dips: election poll 

Erin O'Toole flips the script on private health care - with a little help from Twitter

Afghanistan

Canada to wind down Afghanistan evacuation efforts within days

Foreign Policy failures produced the chaos we're seeing in Afghanistan 

Hazara minority community facing old horrors amid Taliban's return to power

Afghans fleeing to Turkey find new dangers, some hope of rescue

G7 leaders can't sway Biden to delay Afghanistan withdrawal

I risked my life for the Canadian military in Afghanistan, now my family is in danger  

Video shows Canadian troops ignoring Afghans standing in sewage canal

Canadians left to fend for themselves in Taliban-controlled Kabul as US troops again turn Afghans away

Mission Not Accomplished: As time runs out, a look at Afghanistan's race to safety and Canada's role

Trudeau's betrayal of the Afghan people

Here's how you can help Afghan citizens right now 

Canadians held in China / China tensions                 

The Global Coronavirus (COVID-19)

BC to require older students to wear masks; COVID-19 vaccinations not mandatory

Quebec says vaccine passports available for download Wednesday

Some provinces reinstate COVID-19 restrictions as cases surge in certain areas

Quebec mandates mask wearing in schools across nine regions, including Montreal

From team sports to aquatic parks Quebec extends reach of vaccine passport

BC reintroduces mandatory mask policy, including for students in Grades 4 and up

COVID shots in incorrect freezer prompts vaccine callback at BC's Interior Health

No COVID-19 vaccine passports and mandatory vaccinations do not protect the health and safety of Canadians 

COVID restrictions reinstated in BC, Quebec and Manitoba as cases surge in some areas 

BC brings back mandatory masks in public indoor spaces for entire province

BC reports 641 new COVID-19 cases as the province reintroduces mandatory mask policy

Interior Health administers hundred of 'invalid doses' of COVID-19 vaccine 

Masks to be required in BC classrooms from Grades 4-12 in September

North Okanagan politicians speak out about low COVID-19 vaccine rates

Over 600 new cases; active cases increase

Masks mandatory again in public spaces, K-12 and post secondary school health guidelines announced 

BC reverses course on masks, reveals back to school plans

Globe and Mail

Only a big price drop will restore housing affordability. No Federal party will acknowledge this

Disagreement over mandatory vaccines creates rift between Toronto Police Service, police association

Catholic Church charity set up to pay residential school survivors spent $6.46 million on expenses

CBC

Canada's justice system creates Indigenous peoples as inherently criminal. This is why I'm becoming a lawyer 

Ontario health-care workers warn of 'brutal' nurse shortage as hospitals brace for 4th wave

PEI chief public health officer condemns 'inappropriate, bullying, demeaning' comments

BC wildfire conditions trending in the right direction, official says

Nova Scotia ruling sets pattern across Canada for considering systemic racism when sentencing Black Offenders

Profits just about double at BMO and Scotia as big banks post quarterly earnings 

Toronto/Vancouver Star

 

RCMP arrest eight as protests continue against old-growth logging in BC

Ontario's labour ministry has rejected all teachers' COVID-19 work refusals - and almost everyone else's, Internal memos hint at why

If Toronto police really want to 'serve and protect' during COVID-19, they should be fully vaccinated - or be fired

Toronto Sun

Canadian troops issued new machine-guns that are defective 

Private Schools have vaccine mandate in place

National Post

Canada's COVID-19 recession has ended and recovery is ongoing, Business Cycle Council declares

Maclean's

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Global

BC University students will not need proof of vaccination to attend classes in person

Fatigued BC firefighters get hall back at camp as marathon wildfire season takes its toll

Okanagan Indian Band initiates evacuation after planned ignition 

White Rock Lake wildfire: Number of 'impacted' residences now at 78, say officials 

Nurses at Kamloops hospital walking off job due to exhaustion 

Roving police patrols in evacuated zones helping deter crime, say RCMP

Cheap money, shortages, investors and crime: The making of Canada's housing crisis 

Miscellaneous            

 

Vancouver Writer's Festival presents Jody Wilson Raybould talking about her new book on September 15

 

This Overdose Awareness Day activists will again hand out safe drugs 

What's in an place name? One History or Another