Survey of Canadians on health care and a BoC interest rate update

Here is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to
bring you up to speed on what you need to know today…

Poll shows lack of faith in future of health care

A new survey suggests seven out of 10 Canadians worry they won’t be able to get good quality medical care if they or a family member need it.

The poll by Leger (LEH-zhay) comes nearly a year after the federal government signed a new health accord with the provinces to address the severe shortage of health-care workers. 

Of the 15-hundred thirty-six Canadians surveyed last weekend, 37 per cent rated the health-care system in their province as poor or very poor, while 26 per cent rated it as good. 

People in Alberta and B.C. were more likely to say their health-care systems were good, while people in Atlantic Canada and Quebec were more likely to rate them as poor. 

A whopping 87 per cent of people surveyed in Atlantic Canada said they worry they won’t be able to get the care they need.

BoC to announce interest rate decision today

The Bank of Canada is set to make its first interest rate announcement of the year this morning.

Economists widely expect the central bank will continue holding its key interest rate steady at five per cent.

But all eyes will be on governor Tiff Macklem for any hints on when the central bank plans to pivot to rate cuts. 

The Bank of Canada has held its key interest rate steady at its last three announcements as economic data suggests monetary policy is slowing inflation.

However, Canada’s annual inflation rate ticked back up in December to 3.4 per cent, complicating the central bank’s path.

Singh says a Trump presidency would be trouble

Federal New Democrat Leader Jagmeet Singh says former U.S. president Donald Trump is completely in his own world, and if he makes it back to the White House it could spell trouble for Canada.

During the NDP’s caucus retreat in Edmonton, Singh said Trump operates in his own league, and likened him to an egomaniac who is seeking vengeance on his political enemies. He added that it’s incredibly disturbing to watch it unfold. 

“The things that he has done, the things that he has said, the type of person he is, there is no other comparison to someone who is as bad for democracy, as bad for people, as bad for the planet as Donald Trump,” Singh said Tuesday.

Trump’s rematch with U.S. President Joe Biden became more likely Tuesday after he won the New Hampshire primary, tightening his grip on the Republican presidential nomination.

U.S. execution masks made by Canadian-owned firm

Justice advocacy groups say masks made by the subsidiary of a Quebec-based company are being used for executions in the United States.

U.S.-based non-profits Worth Rises and the Responsible Business Initiative for Justice say Alabama plans to execute inmate Kenneth Smith on Thursday by nitrogen hypoxia with a mask and hose typically used as a respirator.

They say the equipment is made by Allegro Industries, a subsidiary of Quebec-based Walter Surface Technologies, which in turn is partly owned by Toronto private equity firm Onex Corp.

Earlier this month, the United Nations Human Rights Office said this method of execution, which deprives the body of oxygen by forcing the prisoner to breathe only nitrogen, is untested and may cause serious pain.

Update expected on deadly N.W.T. plane crash

The Northwest Territories coroner’s office is expected to provide an update this morning into a deadly plane crash near the town of Fort Smith.

The condition of those on the plane was not immediately available, but the coroner’s office says there were fatalities.

The plane took off on Tuesday from the airport in Fort Smith, near the Alberta boundary, when it lost contact and crashed near the banks of the Slave River.

Mining company Rio Tinto says a number of its staff were on the plane, which was headed to its Diavik Diamond Mine, about 300 kilometres northeast of Yellowknife.

The aircraft was registered to Northwestern Air Lease, which said it had been chartered.

Metro Vancouver bus services set to resume

Bus and SeaBus services in Metro Vancouver are set to resume this morning after the end of a 48-hour strike by supervisors that ground Coast Mountain Bus Company routes to a standstill.

The union representing more than 180 transit supervisors has said they’ll be back at work by 3 a.m. and Coast Mountain says it expects services to be running before the morning rush hour.

A new statement from TransLink says regular bus and SeaBus service is expected to resume by 5:00 a.m., but there will be no NightBus service prior. It also noted that SkyTrain, WCE and HandyDART services are not affected and will continue operating as normal.

While it is back to work this morning, there’s no resolution in sight for the contract dispute behind the shutdown that the bus company says affected 300,000 riders each day. Talks between the Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 4500 and Coast Mountain broke down on Sunday.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 24, 2024

The Canadian Press