Wednesday July 1, 2020 ~ NATIONAL & BC
by Mary Brooke ~ West Shore Voice News
This morning CBC carried a few moments of Canada Day on air chat with the prime minister and BC’s public health officer, broadcast on TV and livestreamed onto phones, tablets and computers everywhere.
With no celebrations in crowd scenarios anywhere across Canada this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, virtual visits with government and public health leaders have quickly become the norm.
This morning Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his wife Sophie Gregoire-Trudeau spent a bit of on-air family time at a farm near Ottawa, chatting with CBC’s host of The National, Andrew Chang. Chang was on-air from Toronto Island with the CN Tower in the background.
Ahead of speaking to the prime minister, Chang chatted on-air briefly with Dr Bonnie Henry who as BC’s Provincial Health Officer has made a name for herself nationally and globally for her calm and measured approach to the public health management of the pandemic.
===== Here is Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s statement on Canada Day 2020:
“On Canada Day, we celebrate the amazing place we call home – and the people we share it with. Whether you are firing up the barbecue or playing outside with the kids, this is a chance to reflect on where we are as a country, and where we are headed.
“The last few months have been difficult for all Canadians, but throughout this pandemic, we have been there for one another. We are neighbours helping neighbours, small businesses being there for their communities and their staff, Armed Forces answering the call to help protect our most vulnerable, and doctors and nurses keeping our families healthy. Because that’s what it means to be Canadian.
“Canada’s success is because of its people. People who strive to live up to our shared values of peace, equality, and compassion, and know that diversity is our strength.
“People who know that, only together, we can build a better country, where every senior has a safe place to live, and where we say no to racism, injustice, and hate. A country where we understand that our work to ensure everyone has an equal and fair chance at success is never finished.
“What makes Canada special is not the belief that this is the best country in the world – it’s the knowledge that we could be, and that we will keep working to build that country. Because no challenge we face will be too great, if we face it together.
“I invite all Canadians to join this year’s virtual celebrations and the #CanadaDay conversation online. Today, we celebrate the country we share and tomorrow, we look to the future and move forward, together.
“Happy Canada Day, everyone!”
