Parses captions for PM Trudeau's daily speeches and presents them in a more human readable format
Vassy:
Obviously our top priority is Canadians, and for people who need help getting through this crisis, who need support and money in their pockets, that was what we decided would be our top priority, and that’s why we Boer – inter vend immediately to help them. We also are working to ensure Canadians will be helped while ensuring of course that we have an airline industry after this crisis is over. This is the a very difficult situation in many ways, but we have clearly heard the concerns of Canadians in that regard.
The Rt. Honourable Justin Trudeau:
Our focus throughout this issue, this pandemic, has been on Canadians, on getting them the support they need, which is why we put out millions, billions of dollars, in support for Canadians to help them get through this. I hear clearly the concerns thatcanadians have around their air tickets, we will continue to work with the industry and with concerned groups of Canadians to ensure that we find a fair way through this, but I know Canadians at the same time want to make sure we continue to have an airline industry after this very difficult pandemic, getting that balance right, and listening to Canadians is what we will do.
Follow-up? [ speaking french ]
Voice of Interpreter:
Yes, but I want to come back to the same issue. is the survival of the industry threatened by these refunds to Canadians? now, after the meeting with the premiers, RI seeing that there needs to be national directives on the long-term care homes?
Well, in our conversations last night with the premiers, we all agreed that we must do better and ensure that seniors right across the country receivehigh-quality service. No one believes that we should be doing less than for our seniors. So we will be talking about how we can stabilize those homes nowand help the provinces regain control. Because we have heard the horrorstories. But at the same time, there is alonger term discussion that needs to happen on how we can ensure that in future years our seniors receive all the proper care and support they need.
The Rt. Honourable Justin Trudeau:
What we talked about last night was the importance of ensuring that, in the short-term, we are giving to ourseniors all the support they could possibly need through thisvery difficult pandemic, but we all very much glae, as we move forward, we need to make sure that all our seniors everywhere across the country get the top quality service and care they deserve, and the federal government will happily be part of those discussions as provinces lean in on this issue.
Merci. Operator.
Thank you, Merci. [ speaking french ]
Voice of Interpreter:
Good morning, Mr. Trudeau. I’d like to come back to My colleague’s question, because, with all due respect, you didn’tanswer it at all. With respect to refunds for airline tickets, when flights were cancelled. You say your top concern is to ensure Canadians have money in their pockets, but does that mean that, as far as you’re concerned, airline tickets paid for by Canadians are luxury products that do not deserve being refunded, that should not be refunded?
The Rt. Honourable Justin Trudeau:
No, of course I understand that Canadians had to save some time in order to buy those airline tickets. and we will be working with the industry. We are currently looking at what other airline companies are doing around the world, and we will have more to say about that in the coming weeks.
(Question by Media):
Okay. On another topic, Mr. Trudeau, your Minister of defence, Minister sajjan, was quite clear about the fact that the troops in the long-term care homes cannot stay there for another four months. Can you explain to quebecers andpremier legault why ottawa wantsto now decrease the number of troops in long-term care homes?
The Rt. Honourable Justin Trudeau:
Well, the situation facing our seniors is extremely trouble, and as I’ve been saying from the very beginning, the federal government will be thereto help Quebec and other provinces to regain control of the situation in those homes. and provide seniors the care they deserve. But as I’ve also pointed out, having soldiers in long-term care homes is clearly a short-term solution, and we willcontinue to be there and to workwith Quebec and the other provinces so that we can find the kinds of solutions for the medium-term and the longer term that are needed. This is something we are lookingat with the premier of Quebec and the others and we will continue to do that.
[ end of interpretation ]
The Rt. Honourable Justin Trudeau:
We will as a federal government ensure that we are there to support the provinces as they work to regain control over senior care in their jurisdictions. The situation going on in quebecand Ontario is extremely worrisome, and we will be there to help. This is something that all Canadians want to see and quite frankly the women and men of our armed forces are there to protect Canadian lives and are happy to be doing it, even at risk to themselves. That’s what they do, and we should all be incredibly proud of them. At the same time, I have stressed from the beginning that soldiers in our nursing homes is not a long-term care sloution. It’s a shortly-term fix. and we will continue to work with Quebec and with oh provinces to ensure that they are able to regain control over senior care in their provinces. We will continue to be there with them to find solutions for the medium and longer term.
Thank you. Next question. Operator. [ speaking french ]
Voice of Interpreter:
Good morning, Mr. Trudeau. I just wanted you to comment on something, because earlier this week it was said that it was unthinkable to extend the confinement because it would be too much for the population. and particularly because it’s particularly elderly people dying of COVID-19. So what do you think of that statement?
The Rt. Honourable Justin Trudeau:
Well, first of all, at the federal level we are taking our advice from public health authorities who continue to stress just how important ittingto protect all Canadians against this disease. The fact is that seniors are more vulnerable and have more of risk of death because of COVID-19. But we have also seen deaths in all segments of the population, and we have to do our part in protecting the most vulnerable and all Canadians. We will continue to try to reopen the economy responsibly and gradually while basing ourselves on scientific principles and the protection ofcanadians, which is our top concern. We cannot have a Canadian economy without Canadians, so we need those Canadians, and those Canadians have to be healthy.
Follow-up.
(Question by Media):
Yes. On another topic, you talked about your call with the premiers yesterday, particularly with respect to the 10-day sick leave. Now, what was the reaction of the premiers? did you sense that they were not necessarily in favour? and a week ago, you offered to provide people to take telephonecalls. You said they could take 23, 000 calls a day. Did any of the premiers take you up on that offer?
The Rt. Honourable Justin Trudeau:
Yes, some premiers did take advantage of the offer for the purposes of contact tracing, and we continue to work with all the premiers in order to enhance their capacity, because we know that both testing and contact tracing will be absolutely critical if there’s a second wave or even if there’s a local resurgence of COVID-19 in various communities in the coming months.
With respect to paid sick leave, we did have some very good discussions about this again last evening. and there is a variety of opinions acrossdy – among the premiers. Some people are concerned about the possibility of our not forcing businesses to carry even more costs during this period ofuncertainty, but I reassured them, saying that the federal government would be assuming the responsibility for most of that support because we know that in the fall people may want to hide the fact their sneezing and coughing and go into work in order to be able to support their families, and that is not good for them or the place they work or Canadian society. So we have to avoid any situation where Canadians would have to decide between their health or going into work. [ end of interpretation ]
(Question by Media):
Prime Minister, Julie van dusen, CBC. You mentioned that obviously soldiers blew the whistle on the horrors that are going on in seniors homes that a lot of families already know about, butthey’re not the long-term solution. Your letter here that you put out today after meeting with thepremiers, you talk about agreeing to take action. I haven’t heard any action. I mean, you can’t go back on thesoldiers, but you’re saying they’re not the long-term solution. Can you be have specific? when you say they’re there to help, they actually want to knowthe details. is it more money with strings attached? is it national standards? I mean, what do those words mean?
The Rt. Honourable Justin Trudeau:
We recognize fully thatlong-term care care and senior care is a provincial area of jurisdiction, but all Canadians are united in wanting to see better support for our seniors right now and in the years to come. So we have said at the federal level that we will be there to support the provinces, both in the immediate, whether it’s morerent money or resources or whatever it is that the provinces need to get control once again over their long-term care facilities. There are a number of provinces across the country where, although there have been challenges, they are not nearly the scale of problems we’ve seenin other places, so we recognizethere’s a great variance across the country. As a federal government, our jobis to look out for all canadiansand make sure that everywhere across the country people are supported and we will be there depending on what the provinces need, what their situation is tomake sure all seniors are protected. .
The Rt. Honourable Justin Trudeau:
We recognize that long-term care facilities and care for seniors comes under provincial jurisdiction, but because this is of concern to all Canadians, and because we must ensure that all Canadians are protected right across the country, we will be there to support the provinces and address their needs, in the medium term, in the long-term, and in the short-term we are there with canadian armed forcesand their discussions about the need for money and other resources. Because we want to help them regrain control of that you are system, which is not the case incertain provinces at this time.
[ end of interpretation ]
(Question by Media):
I need to ask you about mortgages, because you must be aware that some families are having to break their mortgage contracts early. Would you consider telling the banks to ease mortgage penalties for those Canadians who are stuck in this position because they have no work?
The Rt. Honourable Justin Trudeau:
We have seen banks take significant measures on helping Canadians who have difficulties with their morges, so we will continue to work with financial institutions right across the country to ensure they are thereto continue to help Canadians. We know that this is a very, very difficult time for many families, we’ve made available many income supports, but there’s always more to do and we are going to make sure that financial partners are part of the solution to make sure Canadians get through this.
[ speaking french ]
Voice of Interpreter:
We know in spite of all the help we’ve offered Canadians at the federallevel, there are other challenges ahead of us. and we expect the banks to do their part as well. They have already taken some steps to help people with their mortgages, but if there’s more to do, I know they will step up. [ end of interpretation ]
(Question by Media):
Good morning, Prime Minister, just to follow up on the specific action, let’s drill down. The federal government is there to support provinces. What did Ontario – what do theyneed, what does Quebec need beyond soldiers, what does New Brunswick need? can we hear more specifics about what the federal government will do in individual cases?
The Rt. Honourable Justin Trudeau:
The federal government will be there to support provinces, jurisdictions that need help managing their long-term care situations, whether it’s canadian armed forces in the short-term, whether it’s more resources or more money in the medium and longer term, we recognize this is a provincial area of jurisdiction that they are in control of, but we also know that having certain provinces lose control of the safety of their seniors means that we needto be there to support them as they regain control, and we willdo that. As you point out, there are a range of needs, a range of situations across the country, and one size fits all from the federal government is not the best way through this.
[ speaking french ]
Voice of Interpreter:
We will be there to support the provinces regain control of whatever falls within their jurisdiction. In the short-term, we are there with the canadian armed forces, but over the medium and long-term, we will be helping with more money, more resources, depending on their needs and depending on what the provinces ask for. [ end of interpretation ]
(Question by Media):
The federal government is playing a support role to provinces, but there are lots of places for the federal government to lead, and you have your own members of parliament, your own caucus, have written you a letter sayinglet’s have some national guidelines on this. What have you said to Yvonne baker, what’s your response? where are the national guidelines? when are they coming?
The Rt. Honourable Justin Trudeau:
Our members of caucus, not just those, but all members of caucus across the country are worried about the plight of seniors in this situation right across the country. They are more vulnerable to COVID-19, and they all want to make sure we are doing everything we can to support our seniors right across the country, and we are. There are of course going to be a need to have very real conversations, not just between order of governments, but as Canadians about how we make sure that we are properly supporting the seniors who built this country with their hard work, the seniors who deserve a secure and dignified retirement. These are things that all Canadians want to see us do better as a country, as a society on, and we will be therefor those conversations in the medium and long-term, but right now we’re still dealing with this emergency of getting peoplethe support they need faced withthis COVID-19 crisis.
[ speaking french ]
(Question by Media):
Yesterday there was decision of reopening the border before june21st, the border between the United States and Canada for family reunification. Mr. Higgs, the premier of New Brunswick, has already said he is dubious about this, so where are the discussions on that, andwhat is on the table? now, is that proposal being seriously considered?
The Rt. Honourable Justin Trudeau:
We are currently looking at a situation where permanent residents or citizens have a spouse or children or relatives with a very close – of a close relationship who are separated by the Canada-United States border and who cannot join theirfamily members. I mean, he have seen a number ofstories about this in the news lately.
[ please stand by ]
Why can’t the Canadian government commit to having the military assist in long-term care homes until at least the fall? is there something else the soldiers have to be stationed toor sent to. is there a reason that commitment to September can’t bemade?
Answer:
These are operational discussions ongoing between the government of Quebec and the government of Canada and the Canadian armed forces. We will continue to have those discussions and continue to do everything we can to support Quebec as it works to regain control over its long-term care facilities.
Question:
What discussions have you had with premier Doug ford? his government cut $34 million to long-term care funding and now they are asking the federal government for funding assistance. Where does that leave the federal government in helping ifthere have been cuts to the residences?
Answer:
I think those questions are around the medium and long term on what we need todo to properly support our seniors. At the same time, right now we are focused on helping in an emergency situation, helping seniors, helping Canadians get through a very difficult situation. We will continue to be there forthem. We will continue to work closely with provinces and give federal support wherever necessary. I just want to make a quick point on what is happening in the United States. Many Canadians of diverse backgrounds are watching like all Canadians are the news out of the United States with shock and with horror. Anti-black racism, racism is real. It’s in the United States, but as also in Canada. We know people are facing systemic discrimination, unconscious bias and anti-black racism every single day. We need as a society to stand together, stand up against discrimination, be there for each other and respect, but alsounderstand that we have work to do as well in Canada, in our systems that we need to work forward on. I all on all Canadians, whether it’s anti-black racism or anti-asian racism, or racism of any type, to stand together in solidarity and be there for eachother and know how deeply peopleare affected by what we see on the news these past few days. [voice of interpreter] I would just like to take a moment to say to Canadians who are seeing with horror what is happening in the United States, that even though this is taking place in the United States, Canada is not free of discrimination and racism. Therefore, we have to do better, whether it is anti-black racism or anti-asian racism or systemicracism, we have work to do here in Canada and we have an obligation now and in the futureto be together and to work with each other and show compassion and respect. Because understanding the realities of various people can be a challenge, but I know that Canadians will stand together. We see that every single day in this pandemic, and we will continue to do that. [end of translation] thank you very much. Julie, I just wanted to wish youall the best in your next chapters.
Vassy:
The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, there outside ofrideau cottage on this Friday, concluding his press conference with remarks about the situation south of the border in Minneapolis. a developing situation where protests have turned violent, a number of buildings turned down because of those protesters’ feeling and discontent about what happened to George Floyd, aback man who died in police custody on Monday. We are expecting the governor of that state to speak later this morning. The Prime Minister commenting that racism exists in the United States, but also in Canada, that Canada is not free of discrimination or racism and we have to do better.
a number of other topics on this side of the border addressed by the Prime Minister, many of which revolved around that conversation last night with premiers, a now weekly conversation. I want to bring in My colleague Catherine Cullen, who has been following along. Let’s begin with long-term care. a lot of questions about what the Prime Minister says about when we will be there, what was conveyed to the premiers, and what did the Prime Minister say about that?
Catherine:
Well, Vassy, it seemed like he was putting the ball back in the court of the provinces and territories, saying broadly that the federal government is willing to provide the support that they need, but they need to decide what their specific needs are. Certainly that was part of the discussion last night, the Prime Minister listening to the premiers about what those needs are. Long-term care is provincial jurisdiction. The provinces are in control of the long-term care facilities. I thought the language the Prime Minister was using was does go, talking about getting back control of the long-term care facilities. They are receiving help, ontarioand Quebec, from the canadian military. That is some of the support the federal government is providing. The Prime Minister noting they are providing economic assistance in the form of a wagetop-up for essential workers. Members of the Prime Minister’s own team calling for national standards for long-term care facilities that are enforceable. Once again, as we find ourselves in so many issues in Canada, there are questions of jurisdiction here. is the federal government going to impose something on the provinces and territories? that certainly doesn’t seem to be the approach the Prime Minister is taking right now. He is looking for collaboration, but one province in particular, you think of Quebec, does want more, one specific thing from the federal government. They want those canadian armed forces members to stay until September 15. You heard the Prime Minister being asked about that, saying there is operational analysis going on to determine how long we can stay. We got more from your interview with Minister sajjan on “power & politics,” where he explained there are limited number of medical personnel and they are working seven days a week, 12-hour shifts. There is only so long they can sustain this. They will not be able to do whatquebec is asking. The question is how long will they be able to say. Quebec’s taxpayers also said to be paying for the military and they need help.
Vassy:
There wasn’t a lot of clarity on how long they will bethere, but Minister sajjan clear that there is no way it will be like this for the next four months. I thought the Prime Minister was speaking interestingly about the jurisdictional issues and this is a thorny part of the long-term care discussion, but he was talking about the discrepancy sort of in what one province needs versus another. That’s true. The situation in Ontario and Quebec is not the situation in every other province. Even when addressing the idea ofa solution, he made the point that one size wouldn’t fit all.
Catherine:
There was an excellent piece on “the national” by Ashley Burke, where they take a look at British Columbia and how they were so successful in managing their long-term care facilities. B.c. Was hit hard. We talked day in and day out on this special about the fact thatthere are regional outbreaks across the country. B.c. is different and they took measures including, and a lot ofpeople have touched on this, right away saying workers in those facilities could not continue to work in multiple facilities. When we talk about the solution to long-term care, it is acknowledged part of the solution is going to involve money. Paying the workers who are in the facilities perhaps a better wage so there can be more staffing, changing the setup so people can work perhaps in one facility. Some of the discussion has been should we bring the entire system under the Canada health act, make it part of the public health system, no longer privatize it. Really what you hear the Prime Minister saying, not talking about taking national control. The laundry list of issues that need addressing, financially in particular in the wake of this COVID-19 outbreak, right. There is an enormous bill to paywhen it comes to rebuilding the economy, how big a burden, let’ssay, a financial burden is the government willing to take on and balancing that with the urgency of this issue. The stories out of Quebec and Ontario, they are horrifying. They are, as it has been said time and time again, not new. People working in these facilities have known there are in particular instances terriblethings happening that are wrong it happen it’s taken this outbreak to shine a spotlight onthis. What do we do about this. There have been many reports. What does the shape of that action look like. I don’t think we got much clarity on that, other than the discussions are ongoing and the Prime Minister and looking for more clarity from the premiers.
Vassy:
Some breaking news from the Prime Minister after Blair Higgs said that part of the discussion involves the possibility of loosening the restrictions for family reunification.
Catherine:
Can we call it semi-breaking news? we learned a little bit more in the comments from the Prime Minister. a bit more of the specifics of what the federal government is eyeing. He made it clear, it sounded to me, this is not something that is going to happen tomorrow or the day after. That they do want to look at andthe Prime Minister was trying to be specific about this. They want to look at specific circumstances where, for instance, a parent could be re United with a child or storiesof couples split up, because of the border, those too, perhaps ahusband and wife could be re United. This is something he’s committedto talking to the premiers about. We heard blair Higgs saying thisis a concern for him as they aremanaging a new outbreak in New Brunswick, a particularly concerning one. The Prime Minister seemed to indicate he wanted more unanimity from the premiers.
Vassy:
and that unanimity is not there. Thanks, Catherine, we appreciate your time and your insights. That was the cbc’s Catherine Cullen.
I want to head over to New Brunswick. One of the previously labelled success cases in the provinces as far as getting a hold of the spread of the coronavirus. There were very few new cases. That changed over the last few days when it was discovered a doctor working in campbelldon, community in New Brunswick, crossed into Quebec, came back and did not self-isolate. As a result, kept practising medicine and came into contact the public health department there believes with at least 150people. There are six confirmed cases now of coronavirus due to this one individual. Reaction continues to pour in. We want to get more of it from stephanie anglehart poland. She joins us from campbellton. Thanks for doing us.
Interview:
Thank you for having me.
Vassy:
I can only imagine how frustrating this is to find out this is the case and what you’repossibly dealing with there.
Interview:
Oh, absolutely. We all figured it was gone away. We got a couple of weeks, three weeks almost, a month without it. Everybody did think it was gone.
Vassy:
So how widespread do you think it is? do we even know how many people this doctor was in contact with?
Interview:
Not really, but initially 50 at the outpatient department, which would have meant staff, other doctors, nurses, janitors, anybody in contact with the e. R. department. They did testing, and of that testing there were six new cases as a result. That’s about 12% of all the tests.
Vassy:
One of those cases is a second health care worker, I believe, one of those six cases.
Interview:
Right.
Vassy:
What does it mean for campbellton? are you going to have to withdraw or roll back the reopening? that’s what the premier said last night when I spoke to him. What does it mean for campbellton?
Interview:
We rolled back to the orange. The rest of the province is yellow. I honestly believe we should roll back to the red until they know to what level this spread is. You see, we have three pharmacies and two grocery stores at the 20, 000 regional population go to. Even if it was two weeks ago, we may have people that have it that don’t know they have it. It’s going to be a mass testing for sure.
Vassy:
When you say roll back to red, what does that mean in laymen’s terms, how much of a shutdown is that?
Interview:
Stay home. Back to not having restaurants open. Stay home unless they can do takeout and what have you. One person to do the essential groceries once a week and no bubble. So we’re afraid they may take our bubble away.
Vassy:
and how do people in campbellton – how are they feeling right now? they must be pretty frustrated?
Interview:
They’re mad. They’re peeved. They can’t believe someone who is a professional could have made that bad of a decision. Everyone makes a mistake and we all think it won’t happen to us. We thought it would never happen to campbellton, and here we are today. It’s like a horror movie.
Vassy:
I want to be sensitive because it’s a small place. Do people know this individual? do you know this individual? what’s your message there?
Interview:
On Facebook they’re passing around a picture with names. I personally don’t know him. I know he’s a doctor in the community, which is a good thing. What’s going on on Facebook is pretty horrendous, if you ask me. The comments. People in campbellton are known to be friendly, accommodating, helpful, and hard-working. Some of these comments are deplorable and hateful. They shine a light that we don’tdeserve to have a light shone on, because we are quite happy when we get new doctors in this region and we don’t care where they’re from. They blend into the community and they become us. No, it’s – social media is cruel and I’ve seen some pretty rotten messages since all of this has started anyway.
Vassy:
What’s your message to people composing those message? what do you want them to hear right now?
Interview:
You’re making all of campbellton look bad. There’s only a few, and it’s always only a few. I understand their frustration. By all means, we all have it because we’ve been able to flatten our own curve. If we look at how many cases there may be, there could be 18 to 100 cases, but the reason we’re hoping that there isn’t is we only have four I. C.u. Beds and there’s already two being taken. So these are comments that we don’t need because we’re going to need help from other doctors from other regions. Regardless where they’re from, if they’re a new brunswicker, for me, they’re welcome home anytime.
Vassy:
Have you been tested? have people in your circle been tested? I listen to the premier say anyone who thinks they might have been in contact can be tested. Tell me how that is playing out in campbellton?
Interview:
It’s playing out they’re spending two hours on the 811 call. I’m getting Facebook messages saying they can’t get tested. They go through the press 1, press 2, press 3, and a nurse is going to call you back in 24 hours. I did reach out to the department this morning and Saudi don’t know what your 811 people are doing, but we need to be tested. I have not been tested yet. I tried to get through earlier, but after 47 minutes I gave up. I’ll try again. I believe that – I was out of the country for March break in the United States I don’t mind getting tested, just to show no one there is no shame in getting tested. We may all have it. We don’t know.
Vassy:
Just so I’m aware because it’s different in every province, do you have to call 811 first and figure out if you qualify to get a test, is that how it works?
Interview:
What they want to avoid is a mass bunch of people all at once arriving for testing. They’re trying to set them at 15-minute intervals so the other one can be gone before the next comes in. It’s all about public safety and spreading stuff.
Vassy:
I imagine the system, though, maybe wasn’t designed for this kind of event. Does it feel that way?
Interview:
No, but I believe they’re more ready today than they would have been two months ago.
Vassy:
Right.
Interview:
So I’m confident that they will catch – even if the 150 only visited five people, that’s still too many for this little region. We don’t want 12% of 20, 000, because that’s 3, 000 people. We would not have any room for 3, 000 people.
Vassy:
Have you had any conversations with premier blairhiggs? is.
Interview:
No, none. I’ll wait for the press conference at 2:30 like everybody else. No, they – as long as they’re doing what they have to do and get the hospital ready, I don’t have anything to say. Get er done and we’re here to support the infrastructure. The testing can be easy in one door and out the other. That kind of stuff. I know they’ve been preparing the ice palace in dalhousie as well as the civic centre here incampbellton.
Vassy:
They’re preparing that for what?
Interview:
Mass testing.
Vassy:
When it comes to the hospital you mentioned your community has four I. C.u. Beds, is that correct?
Interview:
That’s right. We only have four I. C.u. Beds inthe hospital.
Vassy:
Two are already now occupied due to two of the people who were diagnosed?
Interview:
That’s right.
Vassy:
What happens if capacity is reached? is there a plan to deal with that?
Interview:
Well, I’m sure they’re going to start planning that or having already dug out their plans on that. I know dalhousie has a clinic that was a former hospital. There is a possibility to bring patients to dalhousie and not have to bring them to bathurst or anywhere else.
Vassy:
Before I leave you, I know that it’s hard for people. It’s trying, it’s tiring. For those watching right now, what do you say to them? what is your message of encouragement when it comes to what they might have to do over the next few weeks?
We flattened the curve the first time with 12 cases. We only have six right now. If we only get 18 or 20, we will be all right, we will get this done. As long as we don’t move, the virus doesn’t move. So we have two weeks, two weeks to 21 days. I know the state of emergency has been placed for another two weeks. From there we’ll know how many cases we get in the next few days with all those who get tested. Don’t be afraid to get tested. Call 811. The system is overwhelmed right now with calls. Just for your family and for your community, get tested. It doesn’t hurt. It’s not blood. It’s not like they’re sticking needle in our arm.
Vassy:
I’ll leave it there, mayor. Thanks for sharing some of your time with us. I wish your community the best.
Interview:
Just have a great thought for us. For those who have prayers, please say a prayer for us. We don’t need this with 50% of the population over the age of 60, I really don’t want this around.
Vassy:
We certainly are thinking of you. That’s Stephanie anglehart-paulin, the mayor of campbellton in New Brunswick. That does it for our broadcast in ottawa. I’m Vassy kapelos. You can join me at 5:00 eastern on “power & politics”. john northcott is up next with all the day’s stories and coverage of COVID-19. Stay with us here on cbc news