Pandemic Crisis Tests Durability of Mps' Parliamentary Privileges, Say Mps
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
THIRTY-FIRST YEAR, NO. 1719 CANADA’S POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT NEWSPAPER WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15, 2020 $5.00 News Legislation Pandemic crisis tests durability of MPs’ parliamentary privileges, say MPs, experts Prime Conservative MP Marilyn Minister Justin Gladu says MPs have Trudeau little recourse, other than enters the House to file a complaint with Chamber on April 11 the House Speaker, for during the raising concerns about second recall of Parliament breaches of privilege. to pass his government’s emergency BY BEATRICE PAEZ wage-subsidy bill. The s parliamentary privileges pandemic has are tested amid the pandem- A forced MPs ic, with one MP crying foul over to consent the leaking of draft legislation, to have experts say it has underscored the their voting extent to which not all MPs have privileges equal standing in the House. carried out The temporary suspension of by party the House has upended the rou- colleagues. tine legislative process, leading The Hill Times draft bills to be scrutinized, nego- photograph by Andrew Meade Continued on page 15 News Canada-China News COVID-19 China may have breached consular ‘An added burden’: First Nations agreement by withholding access to under water advisories speak of detained Canadians since January greater risks with COVID-19 BY NEIL MOSS Global Affairs told The Hill Times in an BY SAMANTHA WRIGHT ALLEN Many of the measures urged by public email that Canadian officials haven’t had health officials to prevent COVID-19 are ith no consular access for two detained access to the two detained Canadians for irst Nations under boil-water adviso- made more difficult in communities where WCanadians since January in the midst three months, when consular officials met Fries face greater challenges following clean water is scarce, community mem- of the coronavirus pandemic, China may with Mr. Spavor on Jan. 13 and Mr. Kovrig public health guidelines to prevent and bers told The Hill Times. Complying with have breached a bilateral consular agree- on Jan. 14. Prior to January, the pair had contain the spread of COVID-19, which is advice around handwashing and good hy- ment with little power for the Canadian gov- monthly consular visits. also causing construction delays in some giene necessarily calls for more water use, ernment to safeguard communication links Continued on page 14 communities that have been waiting years Continued on page 16 with Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor. for clean drinking water. You’ve got no MP Compounding crises? Don’t forget mental healing mail. Now what? p. 4 Opioid Publications Mail Agreement #40068926 during onslaught pandemic continues recovery during COVID, says Perrin pp. 6-7 Tim Powers p. 11 2 WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15, 2020 | THE HILL TIMES Industry groups donate $36,000 to food Heard on the Hill banks across Canada by Neil Moss ‘Hope, courage, determination’: politicos mark 40 years since start of Terry Fox’s Marathon of Hope Actor Ryan Reynolds, pictured attending 2019 Canada Day festivities on Parliament Hill, is among the big names that have recently made donations to the Ottawa Food Bank. The Hill Times photograph by Sam Garcia A group of industry stakehold- backing of 15 other industry ers have come together to donate groups, including the Business $36,000 to food banks across Council of Canada, Canadian Canada, including to Food Banks Association of Petroleum Produc- Canada and the Ottawa Food Bank. ers, Chamber of Marine Com- The idea was brought forward merce, and Railway Association by the Chemistry Industry Asso- of Canada, among others. ciation of Canada (CIAC), Forest “We are all in this together,” Products Association of Canada Business Council president Goldy (FPAC), and the Mining Associa- Hyder said in the release, add- tion of Canada (MAC). ing: “The more we support one “This is such a difficult time another during this challenging for so many families in Ottawa time, the faster and stronger we and across the country. We are all will come out of this together.” trying to find the most meaning- The Ottawa Food Bank has ful ways to pitch in and help,” received a surge of donations CIAC president Bob Masterson recently with the help of the Wu- said in a press release. Tang Clan, as well as actors Ryan The initiative also had the Reynolds and Blake Lively. Peter Cory, who served a decade on Canada’s top court, dies at 94 The Terry Fox Memorial was completed in 1982 just outside of Thunder Bay, Ont., where Terry Fox stopped his Peter Cory, who sat on Cana- Marathon of Hope. Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons da’s Supreme Court from 1989 to 1999, died on April 7. He was 94. “Peter Cory stood tall among our decades after Terry Fox cancer,” tweeted Families, Chil- It was day 79 or 80 of his run. his peers as a jurist of integrity dipped his right leg in the ice dren, and Social Development F Every day I walk by the Terry and wisdom,” Supreme Court cold waters of the Atlantic Ocean Minister Ahmed Hussen. Fox statue across the street from chief justice Richard Wagner said off the coast of Newfoundland Liberal MPs Steven Guil- Parliament Hill. It gives me cour- in an April 9 statement. and Labrador, Parliamentarians beault, Seamus O’Regan, Hedy age—even more so during the “His contributions in the area honoured his legacy. Fry, and Navdeep Bains also times in which we are living,” Sen. of criminal law, and especially his “When I think of hope, cour- added tributes to Mr. Fox on Munson tweeted fierce defence of the Charter rights age, determination, I think of Twitter. of accused persons, have stood the Terry Fox,” said Liberal MP Pam Non-affiliated Senator Jim test of time. He left a lasting mark Damoff in a Twitter video. “As we Munson took to Twitter to reflect on our jurisprudence. Among face challenges in our country on where he was for the his colleagues, he remains Peter Cory was nominated to the and around the world right now marathon. admired for his pa- Supreme Court by then-prime with COVID-19, I don’t think “I was a reporter tience, civility, and minister Brian Mulroney in 1989. there’s a more important time to on Parliament Senator Donna Dasko hard work. We Photograph courtesy of Twitter/ think about Terry and the values Hill waiting joins group looking into social extend our Supreme Court of Canada that he gave to us as Canadians.” for Terry deepest Ms. Damoff is the chair of the Fox to impacts of COVID-19 and sin- condolences to his family,” he added. Terry Fox Run in Oakville, Ont. arrive. cerest Prior to being nominated to She joined other Terry Fox Run the Supreme Court by then-prime organizers as well as Terry Fox As Canadians deal with the fallout of the coro- minister Brian Mulroney, Mr. Foundation board members and navirus pandemic, whether they’re taking part in Cory was a justice on the Ontario staff in a Zoom video call with physical distancing or experiencing job loss, much Court of Appeal and before that Mr. Fox’s family members, where is still unknown about the social effect of the crisis. To the Supreme Court of Ontario Fred Fox read an entry from his try to understand that impact, Independent Ontario High Court. brother’s journal from the first Senator Donna Dasko is partnering with a group of After retiring in 1999 from the day of the run. leading Canadian researchers. bench, Mr. Cory was appointed to Mr. Fox started the Marathon “We want to understand how Canadians are responding lead a public inquiry into alleged of Hope on April 12, 1980, to to the crisis in terms of their concerns, their attitudes, and collusion between British and raise money for cancer research, their behaviours. We want to look at vulnerable groups, Irish security forces and respec- beginning near St. John’s, N.L. and at different demographics, and also to peer into the tive paramilitaries in six murder He aimed to run a marathon per future,” Sen. Dasko said in an April 9 press release. cases in Northern Ireland dur- day across Canada in the hopes “We hope that the research will inform public policy ing The Troubles. of raising a dollar for every and will also assist non-governmental organizations go- Toronto Star Parliament Canadian—which would have ing forward into an uncertain environment,” she added. Hill reporter Tonda Mac- amounted to $24-million at the The group is chaired by Jack Jedwab, president Charles tweeted that Mr. Cory time. The trek concluded before and CEO of ACS-Metropolis. It also includes for- was “a gentleman” and “unfail- reaching the West Coast, with mer bureaucrats, academics, and pollsters. ingly polite to counsel and Mr. Fox stopping his run just Sen. Dasko joined the Red Chamber in reporters.” outside Thunder Bay, Ont., due 2018. Prior being named a Senator, she was At the time of his retire- to worsening health. a pollster at Environics Research. She also ment from the Supreme Court, “While the sidewalks, roads, serves on Statistics Canada’s Advisory she reported that Mr. Cory was and running trails are empty Committee on Social Conditions. regarded by some observers “as right now, we will never forget Donna Dasko joined the Senate in 2018. Before joining the conscience of the court.” Terry Fox, who continues to in- public life, she was a pollster at Environics Research. [email protected] spire a nation in the fight against The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade The Hill Times Delivering Canada’s trade, night and day.