338 MPs are not going to Ottawa today

Our nation's politicians still have a few hours to figure out how to do their job

Did someone forward you this newsletter? Sign up here to get it delivered weekday mornings.

Tragedy in Nova Scotia. A gunman killed at least 13 people in Portapique, N.S, on Sunday, including one RCMP officer, Constable Heidi Stevenson. The alleged killer, a 51-year-old Caucasian denturist, worked in the Halifax area but owned three properties in Portapique, a quiet town of just 100 year-round residents. Here's what we know so far.

No, 338 MPs will not return to Parliament Hill today. But it's unclear how exactly Parliament will resume. On Sunday afternoon, Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer rejected a proposal agreed to by the federal Liberals, NDP, Bloc Quebecois and Greens, which would have seen 32 MPs meet in the House of Commons every Wednesday, with two 90-minute meetings held virtually starting a couple weeks later. Scheer pointed out that MPs in rural areas would suffer connectivity issues, while the virtual setting would be difficult to defend parliamentary rules, such as those that protect MPs from defamation. His preference is to have three in-person meetings per week. Technically speaking, lack of an agreement between all four major parties means that all 338 MPs should return to the Hill today, and the Twitterverse erupted in chaos for a few hours as "338 MPs " trended in bafflement and anger. But nobody is actually talking about that realistically, and nobody's getting on planes. The parties still have time this morning to figure something out, and Scheer is scheduled to speak at 10:15 a.m. to address the issue.

In the meantime, decisions must be made. The NDP and Bloc have both vowed to only send three MPs to Ottawa. And regarding actual governing, members of the Procedure and House Affairs committe, through their virtual meetings this week, will continue investigating how MPs can continue to carry out their parliamentary duties during the pandemic. The Senate, meanwhile, will not return until June 2 at the earliest.

Is no governor general safe? On Saturday, former governor general Michaëlle Jean announced on Twitter that her aunt died of COVID-19 in a long-term care home in Montreal. "The family could neither assist nor accompany her in her last moments," she wrote. "The funeral services are responsible for cremating her remains. No farewell ceremonies. Confined in sorrow." The news comes a few weeks after the current governor general, Julie Payette, announced her cousin died of cancer, but also in isolation due to quarantine restrictions.

Cleaning up. On Friday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the government would spend $1.7 billion to clean up old oil wells. Across Canada, there are more than 5,000 orphan wells, which are abandoned by companies that have gone bankrupt or disappeared; about 4,700 of those are in Alberta. On top of that, there are more than 100,000 inactive wells across the country. Each well will cost anywhere from $100,000 to several million dollars to close up, depending on its size and complexity. The blight has long been a pain for everyone, and this year seems as good a time as any to clean them up. Read the full transcript of Trudeau's announcement here.

The move is touted as a triple whammy: it's a win for environmental activists, oil proponents and anyone hoping for useful economic stimulus. Alberta Premier Jason Kenney thanked Trudeau on Twitter, later tempering his excitement by adding that "more needs to be done." Some oil executives are even harder to impress: one told the National Post, "This is not going to do anything ." The industry's main concern is liquidity, with many executives requesting industry-specific lines of credit to help manage operational and regulatory costs. For his part, Minister of Natural Resources Seamus O'Regan addressed the problem directly on Global's The West Block on Sunday. "You're talking about a barrel out West that's cheaper than a footlong sub," he said, adding that the government is in fact offering cash directly to small and mid-sized oil companies. "I know the headlines caught orphan wells, but the industry is, I think, relatively pleased with what we've done on liquidity."

True north strong and vulnerable. While Nunavut has yet to record a single confirmed case of COVID-19, it stands to be one of the hardest-hit regions of Canada. Travel is inevitable, given how many communities are fly-in only. And once the virus reaches one of those communities, the safety of locals becomes dire, writes Michelle Cohen in Maclean's.

Beyond the border. Despite contradictory words by US President Donald Trump earlier this week, Canada and its southern neighbour have reached a deal to keep the border shut for an additional 30 days, after the initial closure was set to expire on Tuesday. The United States government has also agreed to ease restrictions on exports to Canada and Mexico, effectively soothing the earlier mini-crisis when Trump ordered Minnesota-based 3M to stop sending masks our way.

And over the high seas, the Canadian government is monitoring 85 cruise ships currently sailing around with Canadian passengers or crew on board. One of those ships, the Costa Deliziosa, is finally docking in Europe after spending an agonizing 15 weeks at sea. The ship set sail in January with 1,831 passengers, none of whom have a confirmed case of the coronavirus.

Authors speak out. Maclean's has two new interviews with writers about how COVID-19 is affecting our lives. Briane Bethune interviews Tara Henley, author of Lean Out: A Meditation on the Madness of Modern Life, about how the lockdown is exposing the cracks in our society; and Jason McBride speaks with Mark O’Connell, whose new book happens to be called Notes from an Apocalypse, and was written about his anxiety over raising children in a crumbling world before anyone had even heard of COVID-19.

Cancelling Canada Day. The federal government officially pulled the plug on any Canada Day celebrations, but Heritage Minister Stephen Guilbeault is planning a virtual bash to be streamed on July 1 instead. What will Canada's version of One World: Together At Home look like? Gerry Dee and Ellen Page introducing two hours of soothing acoustic tunes by the likes of Joel Plaskett and Buffy Ste. Marie? The answer: Probably!

—Michael Fraiman

Politics News & Analysis