Canada Totally Has Handle On Bungling

(SEE: coronavirus, economy, everything else)




As of this writing, there are 60,650 confirmed cases of the coronavirus and 3,842 deaths.


This as provinces buck the federal government and start lifting lockdown restrictions.


The majority of deaths - 92% as of this writing - come from Ontario and Quebec.


Quebec is lifting some of its restrictions. This discombobulates the MP from Ottawa Hidey-Hole:

As Quebec started gradually restarting its economy on Monday after being on a COVID-19 lockdown for weeks, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he was uncertain whether he’d allow his own children to attend school in the province.

Yes, yes - your hereditary dynasty is far too precious.

We get it.

Now, about that coronavirus thing you don't want to talk about:

Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer says as provinces begin to ease up on COVID-19 restrictions, Parliament should also return to a more normal routine.

A modified House of Commons is currently in session with MPs meeting three times a week, twice virtually and once in person, in the form of a special COVID-19 committee.

But to pass legislation, the House of Commons must be properly recalled, as it now has been multiple times for response bills.

(Sidebar: like the futile gun ban Justin wants to unilaterally pass without the aid of Parliament because that is not how North Korean Quebecois tyrants roll.)


Also - when will you sit the children down and tell them that money does not grow on trees?:

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said his government is weighing whether it should release a 2020 budget in light of the rapidly changing economic landscape due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Several provinces are now easing some of the restrictions on economic activity this week and the federal government must decide when it can shift from emergency supports for workers and businesses and focus on the recovery phase of its pandemic response.

The Liberal government originally scheduled a budget for March 30, but shelved that plan due to the pandemic. Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer said Monday that a budget or fiscal update should be released before Parliament’s summer recess.

“Now that provinces are talking about reopening the economy, I think that this is the right time to plan a budget," Mr. Scheer told reporters.

The Parliamentary Budget Officer reported last week that this year’s federal deficit could exceed $252.1-billion, before accounting for the possibility that Ottawa may approve additional spending later this year to stimulate the economy.

During his daily news conference, Mr. Trudeau said nothing has been ruled out in terms of when the government will release a budget or fiscal update but he noted there there is currently a very high degree of uncertainty regarding the economic landscape.

“A budget typically is an expression of what people can expect in the coming year, both in terms of how the economy is going to unfold [and] what sort of measures were going to be brought in. And in normal times, it’s usually pretty accurate. Right now, we’re in a situation where there is a tremendous degree of uncertainty as to what the economy could look like six months from now, what the economy will look like three months from now, what’s going to happen in the coming weeks," he said.

“So while we are continuing to be open and transparent, the reflection on at what point we might be able to present a budget – or even just an economic update – is ongoing. We will continue to keep everyone apprised of what we’re doing and what we see coming. And we’ll continue to look for ways to share with Canadians,” he said.

The most recent official deficit forecast was released as part of Finance Minister Bill Morneau’s December fiscal update, which projected a $28.1-billion deficit for 2020-21. That forecast was released before the economic impact of COVID-19 was known.

Instead of a fiscal update, the government has regularly updated a cost breakdown of its pandemic-related measures. That breakdown shows the government has pledged $145.6-billion in direct program spending, $85-billion in tax deferrals and $586.4-billion in liquidity support measures.

CIBC senior economist Royce Mendes released a report Monday that said this year’s deficit could ultimately come in around $300-billion if additional programs are announced.

Wow.

People's grandchildren can pay that off in their sleep. 

Yes, there should be better scrutiny at the border, but ... you know:

On Friday, the Trudeau government outlawed a wide range of assault-style rifles, saying the guns were designed for the battlefield, not for hunting or sport shooting. ...

(Sidebar: ... says the moron who can't say what measures his household takes to reduce the use of single plastics but I digress ...) 

Ottawa’s priority should be strengthening bail conditions and jail sentences for criminals and gang members who commit gun crimes, he added. Ford said he finds it “frustrating” that weapons offenders are often back on the streets within a few days of being arrested and that some receive sentences of only a year or two.

“The problem is not the legal gun owners, we need to target the smugglers and we need to throw the book at these gangsters out there terrorizing our streets,” he said.

“Throw the key away with these people if they get caught with guns, don’t give them a slap on the wrist and then try to point the finger at legal, law abiding gun owners.”

Once people see that this is not about domestic safety but removing the ability for the average person to fend for himself (oh, look at this!) at the hands of morons and bullies who refused to remove thugs from railroads and have catered to the latter's whims (more on that in a moment) and alert the public when some murderer is killing people with illegal guns that were smuggled into the country, it all becomes simpler to understand.

Also:

CN is taking the railway blockaders to court (because Trudeau and the RCMP did nothing)