Roundup: COVID is not done with Parliament

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There was sad news over the weekend that Senator Josée Forest-Niesing passed away from COVID. Forest-Niesing had been recently discharged from hospital after being in for nearly a month after complications – while she was double-vaxxed, she suffered from an auto-immune lung condition that both made her extremely vulnerable, and the vaccines less effective, which is why we need more people to be vaccinated, so that it can’t spread to vulnerable people.

Meanwhile, the Conservatives announced that their MP Richard Lehoux tested positive (in spite of being fully vaxxed), which raises questions because Conservatives were all in town for caucus last week, and it’s very possible that this may have been a spreader event, as there are questions about the actual vaccination status of all Conservative MPs, (and I have some serious doubts about the veracity of some of the medical exemptions that are being claimed, especially as they are being claimed by those expressing anti-vax or vaccine-hesitant views).

The worst part of all of this is that this just gives the Liberals more ammunition to demand hybrid sittings, which need to end immediately, both for the health of our parliamentary democracy, as well as the health of our interpretation staff who are suffering injuries that we would not ask anyone else to endure so that MPs could stay at home while other essential workers have to be on the front lines – and Parliament is essential, and the government has been sending the absolute wrong signal in keeping MPs at home – the Liberals most especially if we have a repeat of last session, where Mark Gerretson would be the only MP in the Chamber and the rest of those benches were empty. There are ways to keep Parliament safe, especially now that everyone is doubly vaccinated (so they assure us) and can wear masks indoors at all times. It’s not difficult, and it keeps the business of the nation going. Let’s do this the right way.

Good reads:

  • Shipments of paediatric doses of the Pfizer vaccine started arriving in Canada on Sunday, and will be available around the country by the end of the week.
  • Attempts to join the ASEAN trade bloc may be easier said than done, given that several of its members are human rights abusers.
  • Anti-hate groups are concerned that legislation to tackle online harms will be delayed because of problematic wording in previous versions.
  • In case you missed my video on the subject, CBC has their own write-up of how the first two days in a new Parliament are structured.
  • The Star talks to a bunch of rookie MPs, as well as some returning ones, about the new Parliament and the uncertainty still in the air.
  • The Conservatives want to make inflation and labour shortages their priorities now that Parliament is being summoned.
  • Former NDP MP Pierre Nantel is running for the Parti Québécois in the next provincial election.
  • Here is a recounting of the UCP’s annual convention, where Jason Kenney’s loyalists managed to derail any attempts to get more of his internal opponents in power.
  • Supirya Dwiviedi is hopeful that the government splitting Emergency Preparedness into its own ministry heralds a more serious take on said preparations.
  • Heather Scoffield notes that “Build Back Better” needs to include more resilient infrastructure as BC has shown us.
  • Althia Raj calls on Erin O’Toole to simply put his leadership to the test with the party rather than continue the authoritarian streak of punishing dissenters.

Odds and ends:

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4 thoughts on “Roundup: COVID is not done with Parliament”

  2. At least it also gives the Liberals ammo to press for verification of those (likely BS) “medical exemptions,” which only stands to aggravate the covidiot con caucus further and suss out once and for all who is an antivaxer and who is not. And to hammer home the point that the Conspiracy Party of Canada is “just not ready” for prime time.

  3. Unfortunately being fully vaxed is no guarantee you won’t pass it on to others. The vaccines were designed to lessen symptoms not prevent infections and transmissions. In terms of spreading the virus, there may be little difference between vaccinated and unvaccinated people. Except unvaxed people who get Covid will likely feel lousy and stay home, thus reducing overall transmission rates.

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