The politics of lockdowns

10/01/20 • 23 min

The second wave of the pandemic has begun, according to the prime minister and the premier of Ontario. That doesn’t cover the whole country, of course — hat tip to the Atlantic bubble — but it does turn up feelings of apprehension in Canada’s hardest-hit areas. Are tighter restrictions around the corner? And if so: is there enough political will to lock things down again, or will it be too tough a sell? Elamin and Rosie also sift through the new CERB-replacing economic aid measures that were fast-tracked through the House of Commons in the wee hours of the morning on Wednesday. The NDP have made it clear they played a big part in making it all happen — what does it say about their role in this minority parliament, going forward?

Previous Episode

Party in the U.S.A: The stage is set

The Trump campaign has spent months setting expectations low for Joe Biden, from nicknaming him “Sleepy Joe” to outright questioning his mental capacity. Now, on the eve of the first Presidential debate, the pressure is on for the challenger to show up sharp and steady — and do much more than position himself as the “not Trump” of the election. Also top of mind: Trump’s refusal to commit to a peaceful transfer of power. If he loses in November, the incumbent says “we'll have to see what happens.” But if he refuses to accept the results, the U.S. will have to confront a historic first in extremely divided times. To make sense of this and more, Elamin calls up Kadia Goba, politics reporter for Buzzfeed News who has been covering the Trump campaign for the last few months.

Next Episode

Party in the U.S.A.: October surprise

Breaking at the tail end of one of the strangest and most unpredictable election years in recent memory, news that Donald Trump tested positive for COVID-19 — after months of downplaying the seriousness of the pandemic — has turned out to be the ultimate October surprise. As questions swirl around Trump’s condition, and he remains in hospital, an already fragile election’s been thrown into even more chaos, with little clarity around if and when he’ll be able to resume campaigning. On this special episode of Party in the U.S.A., Elamin calls up Josh Wingrove, who covers the White House for Bloomberg News, to make sense of this rapidly evolving story.