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Canada丨COVID-19 Global Outbreak Highlights(4.4~4.10)

来源: 红枫林新闻网  日期:2020-05-12 02:59:14  点击: 7400
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1. Canada's unemployment rate rose to 7.8% in March

 

Earlier Thursday, new data from Statistics Canada shows that job losses are mounting in Canada, where measures aimed at slowing the spread of the virus have caused businesses to close and employers to cut jobs.

 

The data showed that more than one million people lost jobs in March, sending the country's unemployment rate up to 7.8 percent. The 2.2 percent increase in the national unemployment rate marks the worst single-month change over the last 40-plus years of comparable data and brings the rate to a level not seen since October 2010.
 

The federal government has rolled out a range of programs to try and get cash moving to people who are out of work and businesses struggling to stay afloat, but opposition politicians have expressed concern that money isn't moving fast enough to meet the growing need.

 

2. Canadian Government Subsidizes to Help Laid-Off Staff by Airlines Return to Work

 

Late on April 8, Canada's second-largest airline, WestJet, said it would resort to financial help from the federal government to rehire some 6,400 employees who were laid off.

 

Affected by COVID-19, WestJet announced at the end of March that it would cut its 14,000-employee workforce in half, fire 6,900 employees, and take a 50% pay cut for the company's executives and 25% for its vice presidents and directors.

 

Ed Sims, CEO of WestJet, said that while there might not be as many jobs assigned to these rehired employees now, keeping them on the payroll could help them get through their current difficult lives.

 

The Federal Government of Canada's Emergency Payroll Assistance Program, originally introduced only for small and medium-sized businesses, was expanded in early April to include all businesses that lost more than 30% of their income due to the COVID-19 epidemic, providing financial assistance to those businesses of up to a maximum of 75% of gross wages.

 

The news comes on the heels of WestJet's announcement that Air Canada also announced earlier on the 8th that it would rehire 1.65 million laid-off workers with the help of a federal subsidy program.

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3. Canadian dignitaries diagnosed with COVID-19

 

On the evening of April 7, the Global Affairs Ministry of Canada confirmed that Marta Morgan, Deputy Minister of the Ministry, had been diagnosed with COVID-19. It is understood that she is currently suffering from mild symptoms, in a good mental state, and in self-isolation.

 

In late March, Canadian Federal Congressman Kamal Khera was diagnosed as positive.

 

On March 12, Sophie, wife of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, returned to Canada from the United Kingdom and then was diagnosed with COVID-19 infection. She was then self-quarantined and declared a full recovery on March 28.

 

As of 5 p.m. on April 9, there have been 20,703 confirmed and suspected cases, 5,218 recoveries and 504 related deaths in Canada.

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4. Canada recalls overseas military personnel due to COVID-19

 

Canada currently has approximately 2,000 military personnel stationed overseas for some 20 international military projects, some of which have been adjusted or even cancelled in response to the worsening COVID-19 situation.

 

Four Canadian warships in Africa, the Caribbean, and the Eastern Pacific, which have terminated their scheduled joint international operations against human smuggling or joint naval exercise missions with allies, have returned early and are expected to return to their home ports in Canada in between April and May.

 

According to statistics as of Nov. 30, there are 67,453 active-duty members of the Canadian Forces.

 

If the COVID-19 epidemic were to get out of control in Canada, the military would be the last remaining force to maintain social order and stability in Canada.

 

5. Real estate market plummets due to COVID-19

 

Spring is supposed to be the peak season for the Canadian real estate market, but due to COVID-19, the Canadian real estate market plummets.

 

Vancouver's home sales were up 46% in March compared to the same month last year, but that's essentially a contribution from the first half of March when the Vancouver real estate market saw only half as many sales as it did in the first half of March.

 

Toronto's real estate market is performing like Vancouver's with a surge in early March and a drop in late March.

 

A research report by analysts at Royal Bank suggests that sales in the Canadian real estate market may plunge to their lowest level in two decades, a 30% decline and, in the short term, a fall in home sales prices.

 

6. College graduates can’t find jobs due to COVID-19

 

Despite the federal government's announcement of adjustments to the Canada Summer Jobs program on April 8 to help college graduates find jobs, college students, especially those fresh out of school, are facing the problem of not being able to find jobs after graduation due to COVID-19.

 

At present, all universities have canceled their graduation ceremonies. Graduates have also lost out on interviews as most companies and institutions have been closed.

 

According to Canada’s statistics, nearly 1 million young people between the ages of 15 and 24 enter the job market each summer and nearly 100,000 students need to find co-op programs. But this year, those jobs are almost gone.

 

Ricardo Trajan, a senior researcher at the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, said many employers were unable to hire new employees and conduct training because of their financial capacity or because of job security regulations during the epidemic. He added that until the economy was fully recovered, students could only try out precarious part-time jobs and then look for more permanent employment once everything was back to normal.

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7. Canadian government shifted to wartime economic model due to COVID-19

 

Following the outbreak of the epidemic, the Canadian government significantly increased spending to cushion the impact on businesses and employees and stepped up intervention in the economy, such as closing down non-essential businesses and institutions and requiring manufacturing to shift production. This is the same as what the Canadian government did in the first year of WWII.

 

According to the Canadian Parliamentary Budget Officer's projections, government spending will account for 18.5% of total GDP in the fiscal year 2020-21. Increased spending can only come from debt if taxes are not increased. This fiscal year's deficit will be 30% of total expenditures, a proportion comparable to the fiscal year 1940-41.

 

At the end of World War II, the Canadian government was heavily indebted, with debt exceeding GDP, but the Canadian economy grew rapidly after the war. In 1947, two years after the end of World War II, the Canadian budget was in surplus.

 

8. Canadian Government Seeks Opinions from Provinces for Implementation of State of Emergency Act

 

The federal government of Canada is seeking opinions from the provinces on the implementation of the State of Emergency Act. It is understood that the Canadian State of Emergency Act has never been implemented after its passage in 1988. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has repeatedly said that the implementation of the act should be the last resort. But now, as the epidemic spreads, there is an urgent need for the government to secure supplies of critical medical supplies and equipment. The Canadian Federation of Nurses' Unions this week called on the government to impose a state of emergency in order to guarantee the supply of protective supplies for frontline health-care staff.

 

Following the state of emergency, the Federal Government would have greater powers to expropriate private properties, deploy personnel to ensure basic services, distribute supplies and build hospitals and reception centers.

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