Justin Trudeau

American lawmakers refer to emergency COVID measures as economic stimulus. In Canada, as in Europe, they are more likely to consider such measures to be simply social programs.

Based on the speech, it is hard to believe that there was any need to cut the previous parliamentary session short -- except to put a stop to committees that were looking into the WE affair.

Some Ottawa insiders have speculated that the government will pull back from any overly ambitious new programs, be they in energy, social welfare or even health, to focus on the pandemic.

In Canada, parties do not form coalitions with other parties when they fail to win a majority of seats. It might be time to take a different approach.

If there is any threat to Trudeau's leadership, it comes from his own party. A good many Liberals are growing weary of the prime minister's questionable judgment.