Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks in the in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Thursday, Dec. 3, 2020. Photo by: The Canadian Press/Justin Tang
OTTAWA Conservative Leader Erin O Toole says it s not appropriate for former governor general Julie Payette to receive the customary benefits afforded to those who ve left the post.
Payette resigned last week ahead of the release of a report concluding she oversaw a highly toxic work environment at Rideau Hall.
Former governors general are entitled to a pension and also get a regular income paid to them for the rest of their lives, and O Toole demanded to know Monday whether Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had raised that subject with Payette when they last spoke.
Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press
The Liberal government is expected to be pressed by opposition parties when Parliament resumes Monday on the availability of vaccines for COVID-19, the recession caused by the virus and when Ottawa intends to put forward a detailed account of federal spending in a budget.
The pandemic, which has dominated Justin Trudeau’s second mandate, has kept the government in crisis-response mode since last March. As of Sunday, the Public Health Agency said there have been 742,531 cases of COVID-19 to date in Canada and 18,974 deaths. There were 146 fatalities reported on Sunday.
With Parliament coming back after the holiday break, Mr. Trudeau’s government is expected to face questions about its handling of the crisis and the pace at which the country is receiving vaccines.
Fresh Starts at the Top in Both Washington and Ottawa
A day after Joseph R. Biden Jr. became president, resetting Canada’s relationship with its neighbor, Governor General Julie Payette quit as Queen Elizabeth’s representative as head of state.
Jan. 22, 2021
This week saw two transfers of power in North America. One involved direct, actual power while the other was more symbolic.
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President Biden and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau have a warm relationship, in part from Mr. Biden’s eight years as vice president.Credit.Chris Wattie/Reuters
As my colleague Catherine Porter reports, the swearing-in of Joseph R. Biden Jr. as president of the United States on Wednesday is widely expected to bring a reset to U.S.-Canadian relations after a tumultuous four years under former President Donald J. Trump.
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