Trudeau to unveil new cabinet Oct. 26,Parliament to return Nov. 22 COVID-19 restrictions: Changes to capacity limits coming for many B.C. venues

OTTAWA -- Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will unveil on Oct. 26 the roster of cabinet ministers who will shepherd his government into a third mandate focused on finishing the fight against COVID-19 and rebuilding the pandemic-ravaged economy.

His ministers will then have about a month to settle into their jobs before Parliament is recalled on Nov. 22 -- just over two months after the Sept. 20 election returned Trudeau’s Liberals with a second consecutive minority. The timing of Parliament’s return, announced Friday by the Prime Minister’s Office, was slammed by opposition parties who accused Trudeau of being uninterested in getting back to work. In a written statement, Trudeau’s office said the prime minister plans to talk by phone with opposition leaders early next week to discuss Canadians’ priorities and how the House of Commons should resume operations as the fourth wave of the pandemic continues to rage.

Among the first orders of business, the statement said, will be working with opposition leaders to ensure all members of Parliament are fully vaccinated before setting foot in the Commons -- an issue on which the Liberals, Bloc Quebecois and NDP are in agreement. But it creates a potential conflict with Conservative Leader Erin OToole, who has refused so far to disclose how many of his MPs have had two shots and who continues to defend the right of individuals to make their own personal health choices. At the same time, the Conservatives want the VANCOUVER - Capacity limits for B.C. Commons to resume normal, in-person oper- event venues will soon be lifted when the ations and are adamantly opposed to any con- province moves to the next phase of its vaccine-card tinuation of the hybrid model -- with only a program, the province’s top doctor small number of MPs physically in the cham- announced Tuesday. Dr. Bonnie Henry announced ber and the rest participating virtually -- used the changes to restrictions in B.C.’s during the earlier waves of the pandemic. live weekly COVID-19 briefing. As of Oct. Mandatory vaccination was a central pillar 25, indoor sporting venues, concerts, theatres, of the Liberals’ election campaign and, since dance and symphony events will be able the Sept. 20 vote, Trudeau has moved quickly to operate at full capacity. Indoor organized to deliver on his promise to require proof of events like weddings and funeral receptions vaccination for federal employees and anyone will also be able to have more guests. Rules planning to board a plane or train. limiting dancing at weddings and nightclubs His office said requiring MPs in the Com- are still in place, however. mons to be fully vaccinated is a matter of All those events are subject to proof-ofvaccination showing leadership.“Canadians expect their requirements. While guests currently elected representatives to lead by example only need to show proof of one shot in the fight against this virus, and the Prime Minister will be raising this with other leaders,” the statement said. Once Parliament is back, the statement suggested, extending pandemic support benefits will be high on the agenda ..........

Source: ctvnews.ca at those venues, starting Oct. 24, proof of full vaccination will be required. “We had always intended to lift the capacity restrictions in these seated events … once we got to the point where it was only fully vaccinated people who were in those settings,” Henry said. “It doesn’t reduce the risk to zero. It means that we are mitigating the risk.”

Over the weekend, operators of music venues in Vancouver told CTV News that business was significantly impacted by the capacity limits. “We’re probably making about a quarter or a third of our usual revenues right now,” owner of the Fox Cabaret, Darlene Rigo, said. Henry also announced Tuesday the restriction that required patrons of restaurants and bars to remain seated will also be lifted. The top doctor said officials got feedback from those business owners who said those rules were a challenge for them to enforce.“I will remind people of course that the other public health restrictions remain in place, including the indoor mask requirement when you’re moving about,” Henry said. “These changes are applicable where proof-of-vaccine status is being checked and also where there are no regional health orders in place.” ........ Source: bc.ctvnews.ca