Canada

Canada announced Monday that the National Advisory Committee on Immunization is recommending that the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine should not be administered to people under the age of 55 due to safety reasons.

“There is substantial uncertainty about the benefit of providing AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccines to adults under 55 given the potential risks,” said Dr Shelley Deeks, vice-chair of the National Advisory Committee on Immunization.

"Following population-based analyses of VIPIT assessing risk of COVID-19 disease by age, and considering that alternate products are available (i.e., mRNA vaccines), from what is known at this time, there is substantial uncertainty about the benefit of providing AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine to adults under 55 years of age given that the potential risks associated with VIPIT, particularly at the lower estimated rates," committee officials said.

Health Canada regulators authorized Oxford University-AstraZeneca's Coronavirus vaccine for adults 18+ on Friday.

"This is very encouraging news. It means more people vaccinated, and sooner. Because for AstraZeneca, just like we were for Pfizer and Moderna, we are ready to get doses rolling," Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said. "Vaccines will keep arriving faster and faster as we head into the spring."

The Proud Boys, an all-male, far-right group, became the subject of intense scrutiny by law enforcement agencies in both countries in the wake of the Capitol insurrection on 6 January.

"Their violent actions and rhetoric are fueled by white supremacy, anti-Semitism, racism, homophobia, Islamophobia and misogyny, and unfortunately, often in combination of all of the above," said Public Safety Minister Bill Blair at a news conference Wednesday.

In addition to the Proud Boys, Canada also added The Base, Attomwaffen Division and the Russian Imperial Movement to its terror organisations' list.

Health Canada has authorized Moderna's Covid-19 vaccine on December 23.

"Today’s authorization is a critical step in ensuring additional COVID-19 vaccines are available to all Canadians in all parts of the country, Health Canada said in a statement," so the statement. "The different storage and handling requirements of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine mean that it can be distributed to isolated and remote communities, including the territories."

The Canadian province Ontario is imposing a hard lockdown before the Christmas holidays. Thousands of lives are at stake, said Ontario’s premier Doug Ford. Northern communities face two weeks of restrictions while densely populated cities in the south will be in lockdown for a month.

What will be closed: Most in-person education, schools, restaurants, bars, malls, entertainment venues, gyms.

The conservative party had demanded a committee to investigate alleged government corruption. During the pandemic, contracts have allegedly been awarded unlawfully to persons close to Trudeau. The government had declared the application a matter of trust and the liberal Canadian government of Prime Minister Trudeau has survived the subsequent vote of confidence.

The Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau has announced that all Covid-19 vaccines that will be approved in the future by Health Canada will be made available for free to all Canadians through the health-care system.

The government also indicated that first, the most vulnerable and essential workers should have access to a vaccine.

Trudeau’s Liberal Party has reintroduced a bill that would ban "gay conversion therapy", a pseudoscientific practise of trying to alter someone's sexual orientation or gender identity, on Thursday.

The legislation was previously introduced back in March before parliament had to close due to Covid-19.

"Conversion therapy is harmful, degrading, and has no place in Canada … I hope that all parties will do the right thing by supporting this bill," so PM Justin Trudeau on Thursday.

According to a Twitter announcement by acting United States Homeland Security Department Secretary Chad Wolf the borders to Canada and Mexico will stay closed for until the 21 of September.

He wrote that "we continue to work with our Canadian and Mexican partners to slow the spread of #COVID19. Accordingly, we have agreed to extend the limitation of non-essential travel at our shared land ports of entry through September 21". The ban does not include air travel as well as trade.

In 2019 Canada has revealed a program to grant Canadians an easy way to be granted a pardon if they have a criminal record for simple possession of cannabis.

Since the creation of the program, 458 people have applied for a pardon at the Parole Board of Canada (PBC). Out of these applications, 194 have been returned because of ineligibility or incomplete files. 257 have been granted and two have been discontinued. Five cases are still in the process.

In 2018 Canada has passed the Cannabis Act legalized and regulated the possession, distribution, consumption and cultivation of marijuana for recreational used.

The Nova Scotia Premier Stephen McNeil announced Thursday he is stepping down and leaving public office after 17 years.

Initially elected in 2003, McNeil, as a member of the legislative assembly for Annapolis, a town of Nova Scotia, and has been the Premier of the province for the last seven years. In a news conference, McNeil said: "17 years is a long time, and it’s long enough".

McNeil said he had decided to resign from office before the Covid-19 pandemic, but reconsidered his decision when the virus reached Nova Scotia earlier this year.

Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau has turned down an invitation of the White House to celebrate the USMCA deal signed by the U.S., Canada and Mexico. The USMCA (United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement) is replacing NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement).

"We wish the United States and Mexico well at Wednesday’s meeting. While there were recent discussions about the possible participation of Canada, the prime minister will be in Ottawa this week for scheduled cabinet meetings and the long-planned sitting of parliament," so Trudeau's office.

Canadian pilot Dimitri Neonakis took a different approach to show his support for the BLM movement: he designed a flight path that 'drew' the outline of the raised BLM fist. In a post to Facebook, the pilot shared a screenshot of his path alongside a photograph of George Floyd and adding "For George". FlightAware also shared the route timelapse on Twitter.

The unemployment rate in Canada hits 13% due to the coronavirus lockdown, after three million jobs were cut in the last two monts. Only during the 1982 recession, there was a higher rate (13.1%).

"These numbers tell us what we already know: Canadians are hurting because of this pandemic. Everyone has their own story. But it all boils down to a very difficult time for a lot of people," Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told a daily briefing.

In a Facebook post Sophie Grégoire Trudeau has announced that she has successfully recovered from the coronavirus. Her husband and prime minister of Canada Justin Trudeau has said that his family had self-isolated for the recommended 14-day quarantine period, but will continue to stay at home during the pandemic.

Dr. Jennifer Russell, New Brunswick’s chief medical officer of health, has announced that the Canadian Province New Brunswick has no new confirmed or presumptive cases of the coronavirus and remains at eleven. She also announced that schools will continue to stay closed until April 10th and that blood donations are needed. She assured that blood could be donated safely and additional precautions are in place, but that blood donations are especially needed during pandemic times.