Trudeau admits in-person meetings are more effective after shutting down Parliament

Justin Trudeau addressed media on Wednesday, providing updates on the federal response to the coronavirus pandemic in Canada, as well as updates on the state of long term care homes in Ontario and Quebec.

Yesterday, a shocking report was released revealing the horrendous conditions of multiple long term care homes across Ontario. Trudeau said that he will be offering the government's support to both provinces, saying that the issue will be raised to both Ontario Premier Doug Ford, and Quebec Premier Francois Legault.

The report was released by the military following their deployment to nursing homes across the provinces. It was reported that members of the Canadian Armed Forces became "whistleblowers" and went to the press to reveal multiple shocking cases of mistreatment of seniors in long-term care homes because of inaction on the part of the Trudeau government.

Trudeau has said that he will respect provincial jurisdiction, saying that for the time being, the priority is getting help to seniors through the armed forces, or other means.

Trudeau said he read the report last night, calling it "concerning," saying he was proud of the armed forces in their action in protecting the most vulnerable Canadians.

Regarding a national inquiry into the matter, Trudeau said it was "absolutely" necessary to have a conversation about how elderly care is conducted across Canada, while respecting provincial jurisdiction.

The Trudeau government has had expanded spending power since the pandemic started, without Canadians being able to vote on the choices being made. To the matter, Trudeau deflected, saying he hasn't heard many Canadians calling for an election at the moment. Trudeau said the focus moving forward was to help Canadians, saying there will be challenges on improving the economy, saying debates would take place until an election is held.

Earlier today, a vote passed in Parliament to limit debate in the House of Commons, with the opposition accusing Trudeau of lacking transparency. Trudeau said that his government will continue to be "open in transparent," saying that he was looking forward to the hybrid approach the government would be moving forward with.

The motion passed by a vote of 28-23 in an abbreviated House of Commons, with Liberal, NDP, and Green MPs supporting the motion.

Conservative and Bloc Quebecois MPs had argued for a resumption of normal Commons operations with a reduced number of MPs in the chamber, and as such they voted against the suspension.

Despite this, Trudeau would later say that "in-person meetings, in an ideal situation, are more effective than even virtual meetings."

Later today, the Supreme Court of British Columbia will come to a decision on Meng Wangzou. Trudeau said he will wait until a verdict is found before he speculates on the next steps or any potential decisions.