Roundup: Previewing more subsidies and army intervention

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Monday’s presser from prime minister Justin Trudeau provided a few more details on the planned wage subsidy, and made it clear that this was no longer just going to target small and medium-sized businesses, but businesses of any size, including those in the charitable and non-profit sectors – provided they see a 30 percent drop in revenues as a result of the pandemic. It’s a very big outlay by government, which is predicated on the notion that once the pandemic is effectively over, it will shorten the time needed to get the economy back in gear. The real details on the programme won’t be unveiled until later today, with ministers Bill Morneau and Mary Ng, but the assurances to businesses not to let their staff go is being signalled very loudly – as was a warning that businesses shouldn’t try to game this subsidy because when the audits are done after this is over, there will be consequences for those who do (though Andrew Coyne makes a very good point about how that may go). Trudeau also noted that the Canadian Forces have been put on alert, and that 24,000 troops who are set to be deployed have already been sequestering themselves so as to avoid any potential infection. The real distinction worth pointing out here, however, is that it’s less that they’re planning on using troops to police quarantine zones, but rather to ensure that they are there to help deal with floods or fires that may happen during this particular period – given that it is the season for floods especially – when communities are at reduced capacity.

Meanwhile, there does seem to be a sense of frustration and fear among medical providers across the country, particularly with the rationing of personal protective equipment as supply chains are affected. Some doctors are threatening to walk off the job if they can’t get the equipment they need, which is obviously something nobody wants.

Good reads:

  • Nine staff and two inmates at a federal penitentiary have tested positive for COVID-19, which is raising concerns about how this could affect the entire penal system.
  • Here’s a look into Canadian efforts to find a vaccine and treatment for COVID-19.
  • The Competition Bureau is unimpressed with the plan by Air Canada to take over Transat, though WestJet may be interested in some of the routes.
  • Apparently work on the Trans Mountain pipeline is continuing through the pandemic, and there are concerns that the workers could infect local First Nations.
  • Colby Cosh looks at an Israeli university coming up with a pooled testing technique that may be able to better process COVID-19 tests.
  • Chris Selley is unimpressed with the logic around not recommending that everyone wear masks. (I am personally concerned about the false sense of security argument).

Odds and ends:

From me at CBA’s National Magazine, I talk to some legal minds about how the pandemic could change the global economy.

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