Parses captions for PM Trudeau's daily speeches and presents them in a more human readable format
October. That will obviously have a big impact on the tourism sector in this country. He deflected questions to the tourism Minister about how the government will deal with that, rather, but they are certainly thinking about ways they can help the tourism sector. From Minister Marc miller, $650 million announcement for indigenous communities in this country. That’s all new money. and the biggest portion of that, about $285 million is going towards health services in thesecommunities. It will boost staff, the Minister says, by up to 40%, and those health services are of course aimed at dealing with the spread of coronavirus. As I mentioned, the Prime Minister is expected – I think we might have a live look at Rideau college in about 20 minutes. That’s where we anticipate he will emerge and speak to reporters as he does almost daily now and has for two months, and he will talk a bit more about what we heard from Minister Marc miller as well as Minister Marc garneau. Last night the Prime Minister was on a call with premiers. The primary subject of that call, long-term care in this country, and especially in Ontario and Quebec. That follows devastating reportsfrom the military out of those provinces. The military stationed in a number of homes. Five homes in Ontario, in particular describing pretty horrific conditions. One of those homes, eatonville care centre. We want to talk about that rightnow with jacqueline mitchell. Jacqueline’s mom lives in that home. She joins us now to talk about what the province has announced about long-term care as well as the federal government. Jacqueline, can you hear me okay?
Yes, I can.
Vassy:
Nice to see you again.
Thank you.
I spoke with you a few days ago, and I was really struck by your story, and a lot of viewers were as well, that I want to check in with you now that the premier of Ontario, Doug ford, has announced four of those fivehomes, the province will actually take over, and that includes the home your mom lives in. What were you feeling when you heard that, and do you feel a bit better, I guess, about the situation?
When I heard the announcement, I felt good. I felt that at last he’s listening. At last the message hat has gotten through that these are human beings who have been me reflected and abandoned throughout the system. We are left to die, and I had felt that My mother could just get COVID-19 at any time. I do feel relieved, I do feel better, and I must say that eatonville in the last night, last night they announced 6 residents were positive and one staff. So I mean that’s good news. The numbers are going in the right way. and that is hopeful. But I’m still cautiously optimistic that I can see My mother soon. I know it’s maybe a pipe dream, given that it’s a pandemic, and we want to keep them safe. But I AM more optimistic about that. I was in a state that I will never see My mother again.
Vassy:
That’s such a big part of all of this, that people who have family members in these homes have not been able to actually get in to see them because of the pandemic. What has that aspect of this been like for you?
You know, I had never had to deal with child gone missing or something. But I could well imagine what it must be like. Because what I was feeling then was what it must be like to get up every day and know your love done must be out there somewhere, but you can’t connect with them, you can’t touch them, you can’t see them, you can’t find them, and they might be lost to you forever. That is what I was feeling. Andes I say, with the new announcement, I AM now feeling much better, that maybe I will see My mother again.
Vassy:
When we spoke a few days ago right after that report from the military had been released, you said that you were not surprised by the contents ofit. and I think it was important, it really struck me. I’m wondering if you can explain for people watching right now why that didn’t surprise you. It doesn’t surprise me, because for My own mother, as I have said before, unfortunately, I believe the person who My mother was in the same room with that that person had passed away. I tried – is My mother in a room with a person who has COVID-19? they hid behind privacy. Has the person who is one of the people who has died, has My mother roomed with such a person? we can’t tell you. We have to protect the privacy of that person. and I’m thinking, yeah, okay, protect that privacy, but what about My mother’s right to be safe? quhabt her safety and security? that’s a basic human need, a human right. Under guise of someone else’s privacy, which I respect, you were violating My mother’s right? what’s the balance we have to strike in terms of making sure that everyone’s rights are protected. So those are the things I saw. I know My mother wasn’t bathed. She didn’t get cleaned. She didn’t leave her bed for the period March to very recently. and I don’t even know if she has really been into a washroom to get a shower. Her hair hasn’t been shampooed. She hasn’t been lifted up and down. She had a bed sore that reemerged. You know? and those things I know are happening. So now I’m hoping that, because the hospital has taken over, that she’ll get real medical care that she deserves. You know, My mother cannot express that she’s in pain. I don’t know that she hasn’t been lying there in pain, unable to say can I have a Tylenol. You know? because of this bed sore. I don’t know what – how they have measured pain for My mother. I’m hoping now that, because the hospital is there, that you have true medical personnel – because the paws are not medicalpersonnel. They’re there to – as personal support workers. It is unfair to ask them to administer medical attention. My mother – I don’t know if she’s been seen by a doctor. What – if her geriatric needs, if they’re being met in that home. Those are the things that worry me. As I say, I’m hopeful those things will be attended to now.
Vassy:
and as far as the long-term situation goes, and I mentioned Prime Minister, we’re looking at a shot right now at Rideau cottage where we expect him to address this subject and the fact it was talked about with premiers last night, when you look to the government at what a solution looks like, morein the long term recognizing it’s so hard on you and your family right now, what would youtell them?
I say the solution is really very easy. and the reason I say that is because I know what I would want if I get to the that stage of mylife. I know what I promised My mother and father. Because they were afraid. My parents did not ever want to go in a home. They wanted to die at home. They wanted to die in their own home. and I promised them that I will take care of them and the system will take care of them. The ccsc model, which takes care of people in their homes, that worked really well, and they had all – they met all the needs of my parents while they were living in their own home. From the day My mother and father left their home and went into the – the long-term care system, there was no bridge to bridge over and to bring over all the resources and the tools that the ccac and the lin systemhad to support people in their home. We just need consistency of care. Because it’s already there. The red cross, the ccsc, the other contractors that work for the ccsc and the lynn, they are doing an – and I’m speaking anecdotally – they did a wonderful job when My parents were in their home. I don’t know where the ball drpdbetween My parents leaving theirhome and arriving at a long-termcare facility. a lot of needs were not met whenthey got into there. They got food, shelter, clothing. They didn’t get safety, they didn’t get security, their need for love, belonging, those humanneeds are not being met. and if we can build a system around those basic human needs, and the need for a person to be seen and loved and belonging, then we can build a system for that. That’s what I think. There are no exercise facilitiesas far as I know in that building. Something as basic as that.
Vassy:
I appreciate the information. I appreciate sharing their time with us today, and I really do wish your mom the best. Thanks, Jacqueline.
Jacqueline came to us at sudbury. Her mother is a resident at eatonville care centre. I want to head straight to the streets of Minneapolis, the state’s governor has called in the national guard and declared a state of emergency in response to protests over the deaths of George Floyd. I want to head straight to nadiaromero, who is live with CNN there. I believe. Nadia, can you hear me okay? can you tell us what the latest is?
Reporter:
Yeah, I can hear you, thanks for having me. We are here in the morning hours of Minneapolis, and finally with some daylight you can see the damage that was done overnight. So finally showing up is state patrol. We didn’t see them last night. Here they are. The national guard is out here on the ground as well. and they have been trying to push back protestors, push back crowds. You can see that they’ve put up with more barricades, these windows have been boarded up on these different businesses for quite some time now, business owners who were concerned and worried about what would happen to their business during all the looting and the rioting that didhappen. It’s unfortunate, because we were talking about protesting racial inequality that we’ve seen in this country, black men and women being killed by policeofficers, and how we as a society stop that from happening and move forward. Instead, we had bad actors that came in, lighting fires all across the area, burning down the third precinct, this is what happens when that frustration boils over. We have gone over the tipping point. We are now on the other side of that tipping point.
Vassy:
All right, thank you very much, in AD why – Nadia. Really appreciate that update. That is a situation we continue to track and in fact we anticipate the governor of Minnesota will hold a press conference a little later this morning, and we will make efforts to bring you that live when it happens. Earlier today, of course, one ofnadia’s colleagues, Omar jimenezwas arrested by police. It was done while he was doing alive report. He’s been released now but we will continue to follow developments on that front, while we wait for – as you can see on the screen next to me – the Prime Minister to step out in front of the microphone at Rideau college to deliver his daily update. He spoke with premiers last night about a number of subjects, and one subject that has been a topic of conversation with at least two of those premiers in Alberta and BC is the possibility of the NHL resuming at least its play-off season in one of three possible hub cities. Vancouver, toronto, and edmontonare all being considered to be ahub city by the nhl. I want to bring in the mayor of edmonton to get his take on how that’s all unfolding. Don iveson joins us now from that city. Hey hi, mayor iveson. Thanks. I got this off your desk the last time I saw you in person.
Excellent mug choice pup I want to ask you where things sit with the bid right now, I know you’re a big proponent of Edmonton being chosen as one of the hub cities.
Lots of questions from our public, first and foremost, and the right questions too, about public health, will there be special treatment or will players be held to the same standards we’re all expected to be held to. That was one of the caveats going in, Dr. Hinshaw, the chief public health officer will be there to protect all the public and players and transparency and hospitality staff who might interact with the teams will need to be satisfactory to public health officials. That’s one of the things that’s still being worked through. That’s a firm commitment from the NHL to achieve that goal and firm commitment from the boilers too to us that they’ll honour that caveat. The other big question is costs for this, at a time when cities across the country on the one hand are screaming that we’re seeing unprecedented operating shortfalls, please are asking me how can we go after this, or put any money into this. The answer is very clear we’re not putting money into it. We don’t expect to subsidize it. If anything, I’m really hopeful I’ll have some external source of funds to hire back some rec facility staff and Zamboni drivers to host the NHL in some of the best civic recreation facilities built anywhere in the world in recent years that we would love to show off to the world and showcase as part of hosting.
Vassy:
I want to delve in a bit with you, mayor, to the public health aspect that you touched on there, because there has been a lot of conversation lately about what that looks like. Will players get any preferential treatment. and I know the premier has asked, for example, the Prime Minister to consider this cohortquarantine, which sort of gets – bypasses the idea that most of us who come over the border have to self-quarantine for 14 days. Dr. Hinshaw talked about the cohort quarantine, which is basically the team quarantines as a team. They have to stay together, theyhave to operate as a unit, and they stay quarantined from otherpeople in larger society. Premier Horgan in bc, isn’t really on the same page. The Prime Minister hasn’t resisted giving a thumbs up to that concept. How would you address concerns that, no matter what, that team is being treated different to a regular albertan?
Well, I think if they’ve all had tests five days ahead and all fly together on a charter flight as opposed to interacting with other people, then the idea of putting a bubble around any grey cup of people – I mean, this is essentially what we’re asking households to do – in this case the bubble is a little bit bigger, but it being a sports team that needs to be able to mix together on the ice and practice, as long as that containment bubble is intact, for the duration of the time, then the logic follows that, if there’s no virus inside the bubble and there’s no opportunity for the virus to getin, or the other reason people are being asked to quarantine was to ensure that, if they were bringing the virus, but it didn’t get out. If that bubble is sealed in bothdirections, then – which requires extraordinary measures, beyond what people would normally, I think, sign up for and endure. If you’re an NHL player and you’re being paid accordingly, perhaps you will endure staying inside that bubble for weeks or months to complete the season as a professional obligation, which is again different from what we would ask people to say, you know, they won’t be able to go to the grocery store, they won’tbe able to just go for a walk necessarily on their own. and so I think there are some corresponding obligations that come with that that are above and beyond what regular isolation would look like for the average person as well.
Vassy:
I just wanted to see if you had any indication from the NHL they’re open to that. Earlier in the week, Gary bettman, the commissioner of the league had said quarantine was anonstarter.
Well, I think – I support the federal government’s position that the border has to have integrity and people crossing it need to demonstrate that they’re safe, travelling in any direction. I think the Canadian position on the border has been appropriate risk management all the way along, and that needs to be sustained. We don’t want to be off side with provincial or federal requirements. This is an opportunity for provincial and federal governments to work together to get on the same page to support this quality of life and economic opportunity for our country and for our city, and obviously we’ve been consistent in saying that public health and worker safety for these players and their attendance needs to Bethe fiction priority – first priority, so I’m confident I’ll find a protocol that will work.
Vassy:
I’ll leave it there. Thanks, mayor iveson.
Don iveson is the mayor of the city of Edmonton. The Prime Minister is expected to come down those steps in 2 minutes’ time to address Canadians in her almost daily briefing. I want to bring in My colleague Catherine Cullen, Catherine, what are you anticipating to hear from the Prime Minister this morning?
Reporter:
Certainly we expect him to touch on the announcements earlier by ministers garneau and miller, but I think we’ll want to focus on the discussion around long-term care facilities in this country. As you mentioned earlier, the Prime Minister had his now regular weekly phone call with the premiers. The Prime Minister has said after the meeting in the form ofa statement, you all agreed to take action to do more to protect Canada’s vulnerable seniors, but the question reallybecomes what form is that actiongoing to look like? what is it that the provinces and territories need from the federal government in order to improve the state of long-term care facilities in this country. Obviously those reports from thecanadian forces this week have put the situation clearly in thespotlight, disturbed a lot of Canadians, your guest earlier jacqueline mitchell really drovethe point home. What is going to be done to helpthem. Interestingly, three liberal mpshave actually sent a letter, oneto Ontario premier doug ford butanother one to the Prime Minister and one of the things they are calling for is nationalstandards, enforceable national standards to improve the situation in Canada’s long-term care facilities. I will mention quickly Vassy, another interesting issue that came up on the call last night, we learned from New Brunswick’s premier blaine Higgs a discussion about programs loosening some of the Canada-United States border restrictions. Premier Higgs told our colleagues in New Brunswick the discussion is about allowing forsome level of family reunification, not after June 21st, because that’s the latest border extension we’ve heard publicly, but premier Higgs saysthis is something that could be coming in the coming weeks and days. I spoke to a contact with another province who acknowledges that discussion didhappen, not a lot of details. It will be interesting to see ifthe Prime Minister was asked about that today.
Vassy:
We’re about to find out. The Prime Minister just stepped down the stairs, and here he is. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Let’s take a listen.