MONTREAL Quebec Liberal MNA Pierre Arcand is sorry, but he won t resign from office. The member of the National Assembly for the Mont-Royal-Outremont riding returned to Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport Friday night after taking an ill-advised trip with his wife to Barbados that received criticism from many including the leader of his party. I probably made a mistake by going there, obviously, and I regret that mistake, he told CTV News at the airport. Will he step down? No, said Arcand. Liberal leader Dominique Anglade said she tried to dissuade him from taking the trip and has now asked him to pack his bags and head home.
OTTAWA The federal government says it plans to require air travellers to test negative for COVID-19 before landing in Canada in response to concerns that people vacationing abroad could bring the novel coronavirus home with them.
Cabinet ministers met Wednesday morning following criticism from the premiers of Canada s two largest provinces that federal efforts at the border were too loose, and allowing new cases and strains of the virus to enter the country.
Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc said all passengers on flights entering Canada will soon be required to have a negative PCR test three days before their arrival. PCR tests are designed to detect minute amounts of the virus that causes COVID-19, usually through a swab up the nose or in the mouth.
A prominent member of the federal New Democrats has lost her cabinet critic positions after travelling to Greece in spite of widespread travel restrictions meant to curb the spread of COVID-19.
The party released a statement saying Manitoba member of Parliament Niki Ashton travelled to Greece recently to visit a family member who was seriously ill.
It says Greek officials, who currently only permit visitors to enter the country if they can prove their trip is essential, approved Ashton s visit.
The NDP says Ashton reached out to Canadian officials for best practices, but did not notify leader Jagmeet Singh or the party whip of her travel plans.
NDP strips Niki Ashton of critic roles after recent trip to Greece theglobeandmail.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from theglobeandmail.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.