Mr. Champagne dismissed suggestions that he made the decision because of concerns that the optics were “problematic,” responding to a question from NDP MP Don Davies (Vancouver Kingsway, B.C.).
“I took out a mortgage many years ago with a bank in London, that’s what I’ve disclosed,” he said to Mr. Davies. “I feel very transparent, because as a lawyer, I take my ethical responsibility very carefully. I read the letter of the law at all times. This is a bank in London, with branches in London.”
Chief Public Health Officer Theresa Tam has called the 14-day quarantine for arrivals from abroad a “cornerstone” of pandemic policy, New Democrat health critic Don Davies noted.
“When we start to relax our standards, we may be actually just be walking into a second phase,” he said, citing flare-ups in Australia, New Zealand and multiple U.S. states following looser restrictions.
"I think people who are associated with slavery or other odious policies or crimes against humanity shouldn't have buildings named after them," said East Vancouver MP Don Davies, who points out the man never stepped foot in Canada and has no ties to the area. "History does change and our values change and we can't be afraid to change with them. I think we have to be prepared to act because it's not just about words, it's about having the courage as a society."
As calls to decolonize B.C. grow against the backdrop of anti-racism and Black Lives Matter movements, NDP MP Don Davies says Gladstone Secondary School needs a new name.
"I think it's time that we looked at renaming institutions of higher learning and other important buildings that have been named after people associated essentially with crimes against humanity and really odious policies," said Davies about the school in his Vancouver-Kingsway riding.
The school's namesake, William Ewart Gladstone, belonged to a family that owned over 2,000 slaves who worked on Caribbean plantations where the Gladstones made their fortune.
Davies said truck drivers crossing the border should be tested and data should be collected at a federal level so as to know the risks involved in fully reopening the economy.
"That's important not only for the health and safety of the truckers and their families, but for the community at large."
The crisis in Canada's long-term care facilities has revealed the danger of putting profit ahead of the health of our seniors.
This week, I spoke with CBC's As It Happens about what needs to be done, including federal leadership and bringing long-term care under the Canada Health Act.
Our COVID-19 Emergency Report is landing on doorsteps across Vancouver Kingsway. In order to enable greater accessibility, we will now also be publishing all of our print communications online. You can check it out here!
The long-term care crisis is a national problem. We would never tolerate this kind of treatment in our hospitals.
It is time bring long-term care under the Canada Health Act.
Federal funding must be tied to strong national standards that are enforced, good working conditions, proper patient-care ratios and public delivery.
NDP health critic Don Davies says the heartfelt reunions raise some concerns, given the couples don’t technically have to self-isolate since the lines for the border are staggered at that crossing.
“Folks in B.C. may remember that one of the epicentres for COVID-19 in the U.S. was Washington state, and we’re seeing some of the transmission patterns in B.C. did come from that state. So you know we’ve done a great job in B.C. so far in following public health guidelines. We got to just keep following them now and it would be a shame if after that sacrifice we got a flare-up of transmission because of loopholes like this,” he tells NEWS 1130.
A loophole in the Canadian Emergency Response Benefit that doesn’t prohibit people charging fees to help others get relief funds needs to be closed to prevent scams, an NDP MP says.
Don Davies, who represents Vancouver Kingsway, says 77 seniors at a residence in east Vancouver were approached by an individual offering to register them for the relief funds in exchange for a 10 per cent cut of the money.