A major winter storm is bearing down on Ontario and Quebec, with residents being warned to reconsider travel plans as conditions could be dangerous. Environment Canada has issued weather warnings for most of Ontario and Quebec. Forecasters are warning that parts of southern Ontario could be subject to flash-freezing conditions, with rain followed by plummeting temperatures, while other areas may face high winds and blizzard conditions. Several school boards, including the Toronto District School Board and boards in Ottawa and London, Ontario, have shut schools for the day.
Statistics Canada is set to release its latest economic reading for Canada’s economy in October, following September’s growth of 0.1 per cent. In a preliminary estimate released last month, Statistics Canada said real GDP was essentially unchanged for the month, with the economy neither expanding nor contracting. The agency said advance indications showed decreases in the manufacturing and mining, quarrying and oil and gas extraction sectors.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is heading to Jamaica after Christmas for a one-week vacation with his immediate family. The Prime Minister’s Office says Trudeau will remain in constant contact with Ottawa during the trip and continue to be briefed and updated on issues. The PMO also says it checked with the federal ethics commissioner ahead of the trip to make sure it follows guidelines. Trudeau must fly on a Royal Canadian Air Force plane for security reasons, even if it’s for personal travel.
Politicians including a Liberal MP and a senator say they fear allegations of Chinese interference in the 2019 federal election will lead to anti-Asian racism. But opposition critics, including some who say they have been subject to such racism themselves, are accusing them of deflecting legitimate questions that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau must answer. Global News reported last month that after the 2019 election, senior officials had briefed Trudeau about a “vast campaign of foreign interference” allegedly waged by China’s consulate in Toronto.