In today’s Big Story podcast, many Americans (and Canadians, and citizens around the world) hoped that once Donald Trump was out of office, and Joe Biden became president, the country would experience a snap-back towards political normalcy. That hasn’t happened. And driven by their fears of being ousted by Trump’s base, Republicans around the country are continuing to push the United States towards the brink.
How did this happen? When did Trumpism become the entire identity of the Republican party? Can America wake up to the threat posed to its most crucial institutions, or is it already too late?
GUEST: Peter Wehner, contributing writer at The Atlantic, senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center. Peter has worked in the three Republican presidential administrations previous to Trump’s.
You can subscribe to The Big Story podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google and Spotify
You can also find it at thebigstorypodcast.ca.
BRUSSELS — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says there is no single “silver bullet” to suddenly result in vaccines being available around the world.
Speaking in Brussels following a Canada-EU with European leaders, Trudeau says the issue of COVID-19 vaccine patents is complex, but the global goal is to get everyone around the world safely vaccinated as quickly as possible.
The World Trade Organization is in talks about the possibility of temporarily waiving intellectual property rights around vaccines. Those backing the move say doing so would make it easier for developing countries to import the expertise, equipment and ingredients necessary to make their own COVID-19 vaccines.
European leaders have presented another alternative to the idea from Africa and India. They believe a better solution is compulsory licensing, which is when a government OKs someone else making a patent-protected product without the owner’s permission.
The Canadian government has confirmed it’s in on the WTO talks around waiving vaccine patents, but after being asked repeatedly, Trudeau has yet to say what Canada’s position is on the matter.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 15, 2021.
The Canadian Press
Many Ontarians expressed frustration at their inability to book vaccinations on Monday after the province accelerated second doses in areas where the Delta variant is spreading.
A new poll is suggesting the apparent high demand for a COVID-19 shot exists across the country.
The new data from the Angus Reid Institute suggests almost 9 in 10 Canadians are now either vaccinated, or willing to be vaccinated.
The number of people who are not sure about getting a shot, or said they want to wait, has fallen to the lowest point since Angus Reid began keeping track of the data last summer. Only 9 per cent of Canadians still say they will not get the vaccine under any circumstance.
Vaccine uncertainty remains the highest in Alberta and Saskatchewan, the two prairie provinces have a hesitancy rate (18%) that is almost double the rest of the nation.
Canada now leads all OECD nations in per cent of the population with a first dose, but the country falls all the way down to 31st when it comes to two dose coverage.
More than half of Canadians (57%) believe priority should now be equally placed on first and second doses. About one-quarter of respondents believe their province should continue prioritizing first doses – 16% say the second doses should become the focus.
Almost two in three Canadians now have one dose of vaccine, but slightly more than one in 10 have both doses.
Canada is pivoting to second doses rapidly, however, with 1.2 million people joining the fully vaccinated group just in the last four days.
The country’s vaccine rollout faced intense scrutiny in the early days but now more than half of respondents believe the federal government has done a good job securing vaccine doses. Just over one-quarter of respondents felt the same when asked in early March.
The country is poised to receive more than 8 million COVID-19 vaccine doses this week thanks to a massive infusion of shots from Moderna and a revised delivery schedule.
The federal government says the Massachusetts-based pharmaceutical firm will deliver a total of 5.8 million jabs in two separate shipments this week.
Canada is poised to receive around 9.5 million COVID-19 vaccine doses this week thanks to a massive infusion of shots from Moderna.
The federal government says the Massachusetts-based pharmaceutical firm will deliver a total of 7.1 million jabs in two separate shipments this week.
The first shipment of 2.9 million doses is scheduled to arrive and be sent to provinces in the middle of the week. The remaining 4.2 million will arrive later in the week, but won’t be sent to provinces and territories until next week.
Another 2.4 million doses are also due to come from Pfizer and BioNTech, which have been consistently delivering large weekly shipments since mid-March.
The shipments expected over the next seven days will more than double the number of shots Moderna has sent Canada’s way. The company had only delivered 6.2 million by the end of last week, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada.
The federal government has received more than 22.5 million Pfizer-BioNTech doses and nearly 2.9 million Oxford-AstraZeneca jabs, with another 1 million of the latter scheduled for delivery later this month.
Around 330,000 doses of the single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine were also delivered, but Health Canada has decided not to distribute them over concerns they may have been tainted.
The government also says it will not accept anymore Johnson & Johnson doses until an inspection of a Baltimore production facility that produced the previous batch.
While Canada is poised to receive millions of vaccine doses this week, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced at the conclusion of the G7 summit in Britain on Sunday that Canada would be donating 13 million surplus jabs to poorer countries struggling to vaccinate their populations.
Trudeau said the donations would not affect Canada’s own immunization efforts.
“This global commitment on vaccines is in addition to and in parallel with our vaccine rollout at home,” he said. “We have millions of doses being delivered into the country each week, and every day more and more people get their first and second shots.”
The Prime Minister’s Office later provided a breakdown showing more than 7 million of the doses being donated are from pharmaceutical firm Novovax, whose vaccine has yet to be approved for use in Canada.
The remainder are AstraZeneca doses and shots from Johnson & Johnson that Canada bought through COVAX, an international vaccine sharing initiative.
All told, G7 leaders confirmed their intent to donate more than 1 billion doses to low-income countries in the next year.
That commitment falls far short of the 11 billion doses the World Health Organization said is needed to vaccinate at least 70 per cent of the world’s population and truly end the COVID-19 pandemic.
Canada has secured delivery of more than 100 million doses for the year — more than what’s needed to give its population of nearly 38 million two doses per person.
In today’s Big Story podcast, last week the federal government announced a tentative plan to announce a less-tentative plan for a July border reopening in the coming weeks. What we do know: It’ll be fully-vaccinated Canadians only who can skip the quarantine, and there will still be plenty of checks and balances.
What we don’t know: Almost everything else. After 15 months of near total shutdown, there are millions of Canadians anxious to see family they have missed, take a long-delayed vacation or even just catch a Jays game in Buffalo or Seattle. How easy will it be to do that? When should they count on being able to travel?
GUEST: Charlie Pinkerton, Deputy Editor, iPolitics.ca
You can subscribe to The Big Story podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google and Spotify
You can also find it at thebigstorypodcast.ca.
The latest numbers on COVID-19 vaccinations in Canada as of 10:30 p.m. ET on Thursday, June 10, 2021.
In Canada, the provinces are reporting 471,196 new vaccinations administered for a total of 27,715,799 doses given. Nationwide, 3,717,945 people or 9.8 per cent of the population has been fully vaccinated. The provinces have administered doses at a rate of 73,130.152 per 100,000.
There were 108,380 new vaccines delivered to the provinces and territories for a total of 30,444,634 doses delivered so far. The provinces and territories have used 91.04 per cent of their available vaccine supply.
Please note that Newfoundland and Labrador, P.E.I., Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and the territories typically do not report on a daily basis.
Newfoundland and Labrador is reporting 32,586 new vaccinations administered over the past seven days for a total of 351,144 doses given. The province has administered doses at a rate of 670.594 per 1,000. In the province, 3.77 per cent (19,767) of the population has been fully vaccinated. There were zero new vaccines delivered to Newfoundland and Labrador for a total of 396,830 doses delivered so far. The province has received enough of the vaccine to give 76 per cent of its population a single dose. The province has used 88.49 per cent of its available vaccine supply.
P.E.I. is reporting 12,988 new vaccinations administered over the past seven days for a total of 111,616 doses given. The province has administered doses at a rate of 703.629 per 1,000. In the province, 10.65 per cent (16,901) of the population has been fully vaccinated. There were zero new vaccines delivered to P.E.I. for a total of 117,925 doses delivered so far. The province has received enough of the vaccine to give 74 per cent of its population a single dose. The province has used 94.65 per cent of its available vaccine supply.
Nova Scotia is reporting 55,352 new vaccinations administered over the past seven days for a total of 663,840 doses given. The province has administered doses at a rate of 680.235 per 1,000. In the province, 4.78 per cent (46,630) of the population has been fully vaccinated. There were zero new vaccines delivered to Nova Scotia for a total of 724,260 doses delivered so far. The province has received enough of the vaccine to give 74 per cent of its population a single dose. The province has used 91.66 per cent of its available vaccine supply.
New Brunswick is reporting 61,269 new vaccinations administered over the past seven days for a total of 560,759 doses given. The province has administered doses at a rate of 718.885 per 1,000. In the province, 7.19 per cent (56,084) of the population has been fully vaccinated. There were zero new vaccines delivered to New Brunswick for a total of 640,695 doses delivered so far. The province has received enough of the vaccine to give 82 per cent of its population a single dose. The province has used 87.52 per cent of its available vaccine supply.
Quebec is reporting 87,713 new vaccinations administered for a total of 6,385,517 doses given. The province has administered doses at a rate of 746.264 per 1,000. There were 21,700 new vaccines delivered to Quebec for a total of 7,086,249 doses delivered so far. The province has received enough of the vaccine to give 83 per cent of its population a single dose. The province has used 90.11 per cent of its available vaccine supply.
Ontario is reporting 182,350 new vaccinations administered for a total of 10,627,469 doses given. The province has administered doses at a rate of 723.495 per 1,000. In the province, 9.53 per cent (1,399,776) of the population has been fully vaccinated. There were zero new vaccines delivered to Ontario for a total of 11,688,315 doses delivered so far. The province has received enough of the vaccine to give 80 per cent of its population a single dose. The province has used 90.92 per cent of its available vaccine supply.
Manitoba is reporting 14,732 new vaccinations administered for a total of 989,281 doses given. The province has administered doses at a rate of 718.43 per 1,000. In the province, 12.25 per cent (168,625) of the population has been fully vaccinated. There were 63,050 new vaccines delivered to Manitoba for a total of 1,145,040 doses delivered so far. The province has received enough of the vaccine to give 83 per cent of its population a single dose. The province has used 86.4 per cent of its available vaccine supply.
Saskatchewan is reporting 16,787 new vaccinations administered for a total of 845,439 doses given. The province has administered doses at a rate of 716.988 per 1,000. In the province, 14.15 per cent (166,824) of the population has been fully vaccinated. There were zero new vaccines delivered to Saskatchewan for a total of 903,725 doses delivered so far. The province has received enough of the vaccine to give 77 per cent of its population a single dose. The province has used 93.55 per cent of its available vaccine supply.
Alberta is reporting 57,282 new vaccinations administered for a total of 3,215,144 doses given. The province has administered doses at a rate of 730.375 per 1,000. In the province, 14.42 per cent (634,774) of the population has been fully vaccinated. There were zero new vaccines delivered to Alberta for a total of 3,295,695 doses delivered so far. The province has received enough of the vaccine to give 75 per cent of its population a single dose. The province has used 97.56 per cent of its available vaccine supply.
British Columbia is reporting 73,345 new vaccinations administered for a total of 3,823,103 doses given. The province has administered doses at a rate of 745.016 per 1,000. In the province, 8.64 per cent (443,562) of the population has been fully vaccinated. There were 23,630 new vaccines delivered to British Columbia for a total of 4,252,730 doses delivered so far. The province has received enough of the vaccine to give 83 per cent of its population a single dose. The province has used 89.9 per cent of its available vaccine supply.
Yukon is reporting 381 new vaccinations administered for a total of 55,213 doses given. The territory has administered doses at a rate of 1,323.069 per 1,000. In the territory, 61.58 per cent (25,700) of the population has been fully vaccinated. There were zero new vaccines delivered to Yukon for a total of 64,520 doses delivered so far. The territory has received enough of the vaccine to give 150 per cent of its population a single dose. The territory has used 85.58 per cent of its available vaccine supply.
The Northwest Territories are reporting zero new vaccinations administered for a total of 55,078 doses given. The territory has administered doses at a rate of 1,220.727 per 1,000. In the territory, 55.15 per cent (24,881) of the population has been fully vaccinated. There were zero new vaccines delivered to the Northwest Territories for a total of 77,550 doses delivered so far. The territory has received enough of the vaccine to give 170 per cent of its population a single dose. The territory has used 71.02 per cent of its available vaccine supply.
Nunavut is reporting zero new vaccinations administered for a total of 32,196 doses given. The territory has administered doses at a rate of 831.379 per 1,000. In the territory, 38.60 per cent (14,949) of the population has been fully vaccinated. There were zero new vaccines delivered to Nunavut for a total of 51,100 doses delivered so far. The territory has received enough of the vaccine to give 130 per cent of its population a single dose. The territory has used 63.01 per cent of its available vaccine supply.
*Notes on data: The figures are compiled by the COVID-19 Open Data Working Group based on the latest publicly available data and are subject to change. Note that some provinces report weekly, while others report same-day or figures from the previous day. Vaccine doses administered is not equivalent to the number of people inoculated as some approved vaccines require two doses per person. The vaccines are currently not being administered to children under 12 and those with certain health conditions. In some cases the number of doses administered may appear to exceed the number of doses distributed as some provinces have been drawing extra doses per vial.
This report was automatically generated by The Canadian Press Digital Data Desk and was first published June 10, 2021.
The Canadian Press
In today’s Big Story podcast, when Disney+ launched its newest Marvel show, Loki, this week, it came with a marketing campaign: “Wednesdays (when new episodes of Loki will be released) are the new Fridays (when Disney previously released new episodes of Marvel and Star Wars shows).” The campaign means that Disney is choosing not only to release new episodes weekly, rather than all at once, they are actively using the weekly release model as a selling point.
The past year has seen a departure from the practice of ‘bingable’ shows that began in 2013 with Netflix’s House of Cards. It’s not often that disruptors eventually reject their own premise and take on the tactics of the traditional businesses they’re trying to replace. But this appears to be one example of just that. We’ll go inside the rise and fall of the binge watch.
GUEST: Norm Wilner, Sr. Film Writer, NOW Magazine
You can subscribe to The Big Story podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google and Spotify
You can also find it at thebigstorypodcast.ca.
The latest numbers of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Canada as of 4:00 a.m. ET on Thursday, June 10, 2021.
There are 1,396,798 confirmed cases in Canada.
Canada: 1,396,798 confirmed cases (20,377 active, 1,350,578 resolved, 25,843 deaths).*The total case count includes 13 confirmed cases among repatriated travellers.
There were 1,388 new cases Wednesday. The rate of active cases is 53.62 per 100,000 people. Over the past seven days, there have been a total of 11,525 new cases. The seven-day rolling average of new cases is 1,646.
There were 52 new reported deaths Wednesday. Over the past seven days there have been a total of 231 new reported deaths. The seven-day rolling average of new reported deaths is 33. The seven-day rolling average of the death rate is 0.09 per 100,000 people. The overall death rate is 68 per 100,000 people.
There have been 35,422,973 tests completed.
Newfoundland and Labrador: 1,360 confirmed cases (57 active, 1,296 resolved, seven deaths).
There were three new cases Wednesday. The rate of active cases is 10.92 per 100,000 people. Over the past seven days, there have been a total of 26 new cases. The seven-day rolling average of new cases is four.
There were zero new reported deaths Wednesday. Over the past seven days there has been one new reported death. The seven-day rolling average of new reported deaths is zero. The seven-day rolling average of the death rate is 0.03 per 100,000 people. The overall death rate is 1.34 per 100,000 people.
There have been 283,029 tests completed.
Prince Edward Island: 206 confirmed cases (five active, 201 resolved, zero deaths).
There were zero new cases Wednesday. The rate of active cases is 3.13 per 100,000 people. Over the past seven days, there have been a total of two new cases. The seven-day rolling average of new cases is zero.
There have been no deaths reported over the past week. The overall death rate is zero per 100,000 people.
There have been 166,636 tests completed.
Nova Scotia: 5,707 confirmed cases (164 active, 5,455 resolved, 88 deaths).
There were 13 new cases Wednesday. The rate of active cases is 16.75 per 100,000 people. Over the past seven days, there have been a total of 114 new cases. The seven-day rolling average of new cases is 16.
There were zero new reported deaths Wednesday. Over the past seven days there has been one new reported death. The seven-day rolling average of new reported deaths is zero. The seven-day rolling average of the death rate is 0.01 per 100,000 people. The overall death rate is 8.99 per 100,000 people.
There have been 851,503 tests completed.
New Brunswick: 2,280 confirmed cases (106 active, 2,130 resolved, 44 deaths).
There were 13 new cases Wednesday. The rate of active cases is 13.56 per 100,000 people. Over the past seven days, there have been a total of 53 new cases. The seven-day rolling average of new cases is eight.
There were zero new reported deaths Wednesday. Over the past seven days there has been one new reported death. The seven-day rolling average of new reported deaths is zero. The seven-day rolling average of the death rate is 0.02 per 100,000 people. The overall death rate is 5.63 per 100,000 people.
There have been 355,325 tests completed.
Quebec: 372,287 confirmed cases (2,274 active, 358,849 resolved, 11,164 deaths).
There were 178 new cases Wednesday. The rate of active cases is 26.52 per 100,000 people. Over the past seven days, there have been a total of 1,472 new cases. The seven-day rolling average of new cases is 210.
There were eight new reported deaths Wednesday. Over the past seven days there have been a total of 26 new reported deaths. The seven-day rolling average of new reported deaths is four. The seven-day rolling average of the death rate is 0.04 per 100,000 people. The overall death rate is 130.2 per 100,000 people.
There have been 9,411,855 tests completed.
Ontario: 537,487 confirmed cases (6,824 active, 521,743 resolved, 8,920 deaths).
There were 411 new cases Wednesday. The rate of active cases is 46.31 per 100,000 people. Over the past seven days, there have been a total of 4,596 new cases. The seven-day rolling average of new cases is 657.
There were 33 new reported deaths Wednesday. Over the past seven days there have been a total of 129 new reported deaths. The seven-day rolling average of new reported deaths is 18. The seven-day rolling average of the death rate is 0.13 per 100,000 people. The overall death rate is 60.54 per 100,000 people.
There have been 15,273,294 tests completed.
Manitoba: 53,403 confirmed cases (3,786 active, 48,536 resolved, 1,081 deaths).
There were 250 new cases Wednesday. The rate of active cases is 274.49 per 100,000 people. Over the past seven days, there have been a total of 1,828 new cases. The seven-day rolling average of new cases is 261.
There were two new reported deaths Wednesday. Over the past seven days there have been a total of 19 new reported deaths. The seven-day rolling average of new reported deaths is three. The seven-day rolling average of the death rate is 0.2 per 100,000 people. The overall death rate is 78.38 per 100,000 people.
There have been 822,998 tests completed.
Saskatchewan: 47,574 confirmed cases (938 active, 46,084 resolved, 552 deaths).
There were 57 new cases Wednesday. The rate of active cases is 79.58 per 100,000 people. Over the past seven days, there have been a total of 608 new cases. The seven-day rolling average of new cases is 87.
There was one new reported death Wednesday. Over the past seven days there have been a total of 11 new reported deaths. The seven-day rolling average of new reported deaths is two. The seven-day rolling average of the death rate is 0.13 per 100,000 people. The overall death rate is 46.83 per 100,000 people.
There have been 874,717 tests completed.
Alberta: 229,771 confirmed cases (4,204 active, 223,311 resolved, 2,256 deaths).
There were 313 new cases Wednesday. The rate of active cases is 95.07 per 100,000 people. Over the past seven days, there have been a total of 1,643 new cases. The seven-day rolling average of new cases is 235.
There were five new reported deaths Wednesday. Over the past seven days there have been a total of 25 new reported deaths. The seven-day rolling average of new reported deaths is four. The seven-day rolling average of the death rate is 0.08 per 100,000 people. The overall death rate is 51.02 per 100,000 people.
There have been 4,560,270 tests completed.
British Columbia: 145,843 confirmed cases (2,012 active, 142,106 resolved, 1,725 deaths).
There were 148 new cases Wednesday. The rate of active cases is 39.09 per 100,000 people. Over the past seven days, there have been a total of 1,176 new cases. The seven-day rolling average of new cases is 168.
There were three new reported deaths Wednesday. Over the past seven days there have been a total of 18 new reported deaths. The seven-day rolling average of new reported deaths is three. The seven-day rolling average of the death rate is 0.05 per 100,000 people. The overall death rate is 33.51 per 100,000 people.
There have been 2,773,948 tests completed.
Yukon: 90 confirmed cases (six active, 82 resolved, two deaths).
There were two new cases Wednesday. The rate of active cases is 14.27 per 100,000 people. Over the past seven days, there have been a total of six new cases. The seven-day rolling average of new cases is one.
There have been no deaths reported over the past week. The overall death rate is 4.76 per 100,000 people.
There have been 9,129 tests completed.
Northwest Territories: 128 confirmed cases (zero active, 128 resolved, zero deaths).
There were zero new cases Wednesday. Over the past seven days, there have been a total of zero new cases. The seven-day rolling average of new cases is zero.
There have been no deaths reported over the past week. The overall death rate is zero per 100,000 people.
There have been 23,868 tests completed.
Nunavut: 649 confirmed cases (one active, 644 resolved, four deaths).
There were zero new cases Wednesday. The rate of active cases is 2.54 per 100,000 people. Over the past seven days, there have been a total of one new case. The seven-day rolling average of new cases is zero.
There have been no deaths reported over the past week. The overall death rate is 10.16 per 100,000 people.
There have been 16,325 tests completed.
This report was automatically generated by The Canadian Press Digital Data Desk and was first published June 10, 2021.
The Canadian Press
WASHINGTON — Canadians have a far more positive view of the United States and its place in the world now that Joe Biden is president, a new poll suggests — the polar opposite of how they felt at the end of Donald Trump’s tenure in the White House.
The global Pew Research Center study released Thursday points to strikingly similar shifts in sentiment elsewhere around the world in the months since Biden took over the Oval Office.
Among the 1,011 Canadians who took part in the survey, the percentage of those with a favourable view of the U.S. hit 61 per cent, up from 35 per cent last year — a finding that largely mirrors the median result across 12 countries that were surveyed in both years.
Some 77 per cent of Canadian participants also said they were confident Biden would do the right thing regarding world affairs, compared with just 20 per cent who felt the same way about Trump last year. Again, that result was in line with the broader international findings.
The Canadian portion of the telephone survey was conducted in English and French between March 15 and May 3 and carries a margin of error of 3.8 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
“Throughout Donald Trump’s presidency, publics around the world held the United States in low regard, with most opposed to his foreign policies. This was especially true among key American allies and partners,” Pew said in a news release.
“The election of Joe Biden as president has led to a dramatic shift in America’s international image.”
The survey was released just as world leaders gathered in the United Kingdom for the first G7 summit of the Biden era, and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s first foreign trip since before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020.
That summit will include two other leaders whose foreign-policy favourables are comparable to Biden’s: German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who earned a positive impression from 77 per cent of respondents across 16 countries, and French President Emmanuel Macron, at 63 per cent.
By way of comparison, Russian President Vladimir Putin earned the confidence of just 23 per cent of respondents, while only 20 per cent said the same of China’s Xi Jinping.
More than 80 per cent of participants in Canada also gave a thumbs up to several Biden foreign policy initiatives, including rejoining the World Health Organization and the Paris climate agreement, as well as his plan to host a summit on the future of democracy.
Allowing more refugees into the U.S. found favour with about three-quarters of Canadian respondents.
And where a whopping 93 per cent of Canadians described Trump as arrogant in a 2017 survey, only 11 per cent felt the same way about Biden in 2021. Similarly, where 72 per cent described the previous president as dangerous four years ago, 15 per cent say the same of his successor.
When asked about the U.S. as an international partner, 68 per cent of Canadians surveyed said described it as very or somewhat reliable, while 32 per cent called the Americans “not too reliable” or “not at all reliable.”
Only 39 per cent described the U.S. political system as working very or somewhat well, compared with 60 per cent who said the opposite.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 10, 2021.
James McCarten, The Canadian Press
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