November 10, 2020
OTTAWA (Reuters) – A visibly unhappy Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Tuesday urged premiers of the country’s 10 provinces to take stricter measures against a second wave of the coronavirus sweeping the country.
“We are seeing record spikes this morning across the country, so I urge the premiers and the mayors to please do the right thing: act now to protect public health,” he told a news conference. Over the past week Canada has posted a daily average of more than 3,800 cases.
His comments were the second time in the last two weeks he has expressed frustration about how the fight against the virus is going. Late last month he said, “This sucks”.
Under Canada’s system of governing, the provinces are in charge of imposing restrictions to fight the virus. Ottawa can in emergencies step in to take over, but Trudeau said he saw no need now for such action.
As Trudeau spoke, the central province of Manitoba announced a major shutdown beginning on Thursday. Social gatherings will be forbidden, restaurants can only serve takeout meals and all recreational activities and facilities must close.
“I would hope that no leader in our country is easing public health vigilance because they feel pressure not to shut down businesses or slow down our economy,” said Trudeau.
“I understand that worry, but let me tell you: that’s how we end up with businesses going out of business and the economy damaged even more.”
(Reporting by David Ljunggren and Steve Scherer in Ottawa and Moira Warburton in Toronto; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Jonathan Oatis)
