Politics This Morning: Feds revive push to ban single-use plastics, setting 2021 as target date

Good Thursday morning, Environment Minister Jonathan Wilkinson revived the government's plan to ban some single-use plastics, unveiling a list that includes straws, plastic cutlery, certain takeout containers, and checkout bags. Regulations to reduce the volume of plastics that wind up in landfills would go into effect by the end of 2021. Mr. Wilkinson said the government is also working on establishing new standards for other items made of plastic, with an eye to setting thresholds industry must meet so those products will contain recyclable materials. It's part of the government's plan to have zero plastic waste by 2030. Mr. Wilkinson's office said the proposed ban, which is subject to consultations until December, would not impact access to PPE and the government is working with provinces, territories, and industry "to keep PPE out of our environment." According to the departmental estimate, some 1.8 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions a year would be reduced if the plan were adopted. Federal privacy commissioner, Daniel Therrien, is set to release his annual report, which will feature "lessons learned about privacy" in the context of the pandemic. Mr. Therrien's office has been busy fielding questions on privacy considerations around the development of a contact-tracing app. Along with his provincial counterparts, he set out a series of principles that would ensure privacy rights wouldn't be undermined in the name of public health. The report also includes findings related to an investigation into a leak last year tied to Supreme Court nomination. A behind-the-scenes-tussle spilled out into public view when a report, citing confidential sources, broke that ex-attorney general Jody Wilson-Raybould allegedly clashed with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau over the suitability of Justice Glenn Joyal as a nominee for the top court. Ms. Wilson-Raybould disputed the account, while Mr. Trudeau denied that his office was the source of the leak. The Parliamentary Budget Officer is dropping three more reports today at 10 a.m., including one that examines the carbon-pricing regime and its impact on efforts to hit Canada's Paris climate targets. The office's released four costing notes yesterday, pegging the cost of the new COVID relief programs at upwards of $14.6-billion, while the four-week extension to CERB could cost an additional $5.36-billion this year. Green Party Leader Annamie Paul expressed doubt that the upcoming vote in Toronto Centre, Ont., would go ahead as scheduled on Oct. 26, because the city is contending with a concerning uptick in cases, according to National Observer. The riding she is vying to represent is also home to low-income residents, many of whom come from racialized backgrounds. She questioned whether the current conditions would serve constituents well and ensure a "free and fair and democratic election." The city's chief medical officer Dr. Eileen de Villa has been calling on the province to enforce tighter restrictions; she appealed to residents last week to limit outings to just shopping for essentials. People's Party Leader Maxime Bernier, meanwhile, plans to announce at 10 a.m. the candidates his party will field candidates in the upcoming byelections. Last month, he said he himself would be vying for one of those seats, though it was unclear whether he will, in fact, carry his party's banner in either Toronto Centre or York Centre. His party failed to win any seats in the last election. In scheduled events, Indigenous Services Minister Marc Miller is set to hold a presser alongside Dr. Tom Wong, chief medical officer of health, to provide an update on the pandemic's impact on Indigenous communities. Governor General Julie Payette is scheduled to hold two virtual conversations (one in French, one in English) centred on her favourite subjects—the universe. (In the last Throne Speech, Ms. Payette couldn't resist adding space references; she remarked that "we are all on board the same planetary spaceship.") The first, in English, session kicks off at 1:30 p.m. and features physics professor Victoria Kaspi of McGill University. The French session starts an hour later and features René Doyon, physics professor at the University of Montreal. The Hill Times

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Politics This Morning: Feds revive push to ban single-use plastics, setting 2021 as target date

Plus, the privacy commissioner is set to table the office's annual report.

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Politics This Morning: Feds revive push to ban single-use plastics, setting 2021 as target date

Plus, the privacy commissioner is set to table the office's annual report.

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