As caseloads spike in four provinces, Trudeau warns that pandemic will be worse this fall

In a rare televised national address, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau took to the airwaves tonightto warn that Canada is at a "crossroads" as COVID-19 cases spike in some provinces, andwith pandemic conditions in the fall expected to be worse than what the country endured when the crisis was just beginning.

Canada entered an ordered shutdown of economic and social life in mid-March, when there were only a few dozen new cases beingreported each day. Now, with 1,000 new cases reported nationwide yesterday,Trudeau said there can be no doubt that four of the country's provinces Alberta, B.C., Ontario and Quebec are in thesecond wave of COVID-19.

"I know this isn't the news that any of us wanted to hear. And we can't change today's numbers or even tomorrow's ... but what we can change is where we are in October, and into the winter," he said.

"It's all too likely we won't be gathering for Thanksgiving, but we still have a shot at Christmas."

Trudeau said that while the outlook is grim, Canada has the tools it needs to blunt the impact of apandemic that has already claimed the lives of 9,200 people in this country.

"We have the power to get this second wave under control. I know we can do it, because we've already done it once before. In the spring, we all did our part by staying home. And this fall, we have even more tools in the toolbox," he said.

Trudeau said Canadians must continue to wear maskswhere possible, limit social interactions "It's notime for a party" and download the COVID-19 alert app so that those who test positive can anonymously alert close contacts.

"It's a powerful, free tool that's easy to use and protects your privacy," he said.

WATCH | Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's address to the nation:

Justin Trudeau's full address

4 years ago

Duration 12:28

Trudeau also sought to reassure Canadians that the government is working to procure the goods neededto get the country past this health crisis.

Hesaid the government has signed billions of dollars worth of agreements to buy vaccines, therapeutics and personal protective equipment (PPE). Canada faced critical shortages of gloves, masks and gowns in the early days of the pandemic,after government agents failed to adequately supply the national emergency stockpile.

Beyond warnings about a projected spike in cases in the coming months, Trudeau used the second half of his 15-minute address to tell Canadians that the government will be ready to help themnavigate the economic fallout pointing to some of the policy proposals that were outlined in thespeech from the throne this afternoon.

He said record-lowinterest rates make it possible for the federal treasury to loosen the purse strings and spend more to support Canadians at a critical time.

"While we're still dealing with this pandemic, I don't want you or your parent, or your friend to take on debt that your government can better shoulder," Trudeau said.

Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole, who responded to Trudeau's remarks from isolation after testing positive for the virus last Friday, said the Tories have lost faith in the government's response to this pandemic.

"Thesituation facing my family shows we must remain extremely vigilant in our battle against the spread of COVID-19. We must also be very vigilant for the future of our country," he said. His wife, Rebecca, has also tested positive.

He urged Trudeau to pushHealth Canada regulators to approve rapid testing devices to ease the pressure onhospital-run testing centres that have experiencedhours-long lineups in some parts of the country.

• Poll Tracker:The latest federal poll averages and seat projections from the CBC's ric Grenier

WATCH | Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole responds to Trudeau:

O'Toole responds to Trudeau's national address

4 years ago

Duration 1:30

Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole commented on camera for the first time since he and his wife tested positive for COVID.

While the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved two antigen testing devices months ago tests that can deliver results in less than 15 minutes Health Canada has said it is not ready to put its stamp of approval on such tests.

Antigen tests which, depending on the device, use matter collected from a nasal or throat swab don't require the use of a lab to generate results. The FDA has said such tests are a safe and reliable way to determine a person's COVID-19 status.

"It is unacceptable that we trust countries like Japan, Germany and the U.S. with our national security intelligence but we don't trust their approval of a 15-minute saliva test," O'Toole said.

Government promises 1 million new jobs

Gov.Gen.Julie Payette delivered the government's nearly hour-long speech from the throne in the Senate chamber earlier today.

In that speech, the government pledged to create one million new jobs, extend the wage subsidy program until next summer, launch the largest jobs training program in the country's history and begin to build a national child-care program to support working women.

The Liberal government also promised to push ahead with plans to create a universal pharmacare program with any provinces willing to take part.

WATCH | Throne speech outlines Trudeau government's plans for pandemic recovery:

The throne speech: government lays out four approaches to pandemic and economy

4 years ago

Duration 1:53

Gov. Gen. Julie Payette began the 150th speech from the throne by explaining how these four 'foundations' can help the economy recover.

The government promised to pursue an ambitious environmental agenda tofast-track Canada's effortsto dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions through home retrofits andinfrastructure spending, and through tax incentives for companies building zero-emissions products, like electric vehicles.

"The economic impact of COVID-19 on Canadians has already been worse than the 2008 financial crisis. These consequences will not be short-lived. This is not the time for austerity. Canada entered this crisis in the best fiscal position of its peers and the government is using that fiscal firepower," the government said in the speech.

The Bloc Qubcois and Conservative parties promised Wednesday to vote against the speech.

If NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh and his caucus also vote against the speech, Canadians will be headed to the polls for a fall federal election.

Singh told reporters that he had not yet decidedhow his caucuswillvote when it'sgiven the chance in the Commons in the days ahead.

"We're going to take a lot of time to consider the throne speech and make sure we evaluate it and make a decision around whether we're supporting or not," he said.

WATCH |NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh responds to Trudeau:

Singh responds to Trudeau's national address

4 years ago

Duration 0:52

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh spoke to Canadians from Parliament Hill.

He said he's troubled by the Liberals' pitchtodo away with the Canadian emergency relief benefit (CERB) in favour of a revamped Employment Insurance (EI) system, warning it could hurt workers who have been forced to stay home because of the pandemic.

In his response to Trudeau, Singh said he'dpressure the Liberals to maintain relief benefits for those who have seen major upheavals to their lives as a result of COVID-19.

"I know that you're worried ... I can assure you once againwe'll be there to fight for you," Singh said of New Democrats.

Bloc Qubcois Leader Yves-Franois Blanchet who already signalled in the summer that the party would vote to bring down the Liberal government used his three-minute response to Trudeau to demand thatOttawa flow more funds toprovinces to offset the rising costof health care.

Last week, the premiers urged the federal government to boost the Canada Health Transferby some $40 billion more a year to help provinces handlemounting health costs that represent more than half of all provincial spending.

Like O'Toole, Blanchethasalso tested positive for COVID-19 and the Bloc caucus is in isolation.

Conservatives say no

Conservative Deputy Leader Candice Bergen said the Tories cannot support thespeech because it doesn't address a major issue: Western alienation and national unity.

The speech said little about the oil and gas sector an industry that has been hit hard by sinking oil prices and dwindling demand, leaving thousands jobless.

"There were no words that said, 'We value natural resources, we value our forestry workers, we value our agricultural sector.' They should have said all that and they didn't. We were hoping for something better," she said. "Conservatives continue to be the only party standing up for the West."

The speech included big-ticket spending promises with no plan to pay for them whichBergen dismissed as irresponsible.

"They're still talking about how budgets will balance themselves, so it's very, very concerning," Bergen said, citing Trudeau's claim from years backthat a growing economy would reduce federal deficits.

Bergen said the speech offered little new material "just grand gestures and empty promises" andthe prorogation of Parliament to deliver thespeech was a naked attempt to shield the Liberal government from further parliamentary inquiryinto the WE Charity scandal.

Asked if it was responsible to push Canadians closer to an election during a pandemic, Bergen said Canada is a democracy and Tories have the right to vote against a speech that fails to address their priorities.

The politics of a throne speech in a pandemic | At Issue

4 years ago

Duration 11:10

The At Issue panel breaks down Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus messaging in the throne speech and his national address that followed. The panel also discusses the opposition parties reactions and whether the NDP will prop up the government.