A U.K. border snub Did someone forward you this newsletter? Sign up here to get it delivered weekday mornings. The United Kingdom announced Wednesday that as of Aug. 2, vaccinated visitors from the European Union or United States will be exempt from quarantine but Canadians will not, the CBC reports. The U.K. Department for Transport didn't say why Canadians are unwelcome: "We are taking a phased approach to restarting international travel while protecting public health. We want to welcome all international visitors back to the U.K. and are working to extend our approach to vaccinated passengers from important markets and holiday destinations." No mask mandate: Four provinces—B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan and P.E.I—say they have no plans to tighten mask mandates, despite the urging of health experts pointing to rising COVID cases, the Globe reports. Chief Public Health Officer Theresa Tam said in a statement Tuesday that Canada saw a 36-per-cent increase in pandemic cases between July 20-26 compared with the previous week, while severe illness resulting from COVID-19 has continued to decline. She said the Delta variant, which has infected vaccinated people on rare occasions, is one of the most prevalent strands in the country. The spread of Delta forced Israel to reimplement a mask mandate in late June, just 10 days after lifting it, when daily cases rose from zero to triple digits. B.C. announced Wednesday that a mask mandate will return in one region. In Alberta, the Calgary Stampede may not have helped although Jason Kenney says it's time for the media to stop spreading fear. Singh drags GG into it: Justin Trudeau attacked Jagmeet Singh Wednesday after Singh wrote to new Governor General Mary Simon not asking her not to call an election, the Star reports. In St. John's, NL, Trudeau said Parliament isn’t working and the NDP isn't helping: “When Conservatives in the House used every procedural tactic to try and delay, to block, to slow things down, the NDP stood aside and watched. They could have stood with us to move forward faster on these important progressive pieces of legislation. They didn’t.” In his letter to Simon, Singh said Parliament is working just fine: “In the present sitting of the House of Commons, the government has won every confidence vote they have put to the House—including on the speech from the throne and on the budget.” Ottawa University law professor and constitutional expert Errol Mendes said Simon is likely to agree to a request from Trudeau to call an early election in line with constitutional convention. Get ready: Reuters reports that Trudeau "is poised to trigger a snap election two years ahead of schedule, betting that high COVID-19 vaccination rates and a post-pandemic rebound will help him prolong and strengthen his grip on power." Pollsters who talked to Reuters think Trudeau has a good shot at a majority, but Shachi Kurl of Angus Reid Institute warned that if he fails to get there, it could trigger talks of succession: “There are still a number of Canadians who like Justin Trudeau very much, but in terms of that mania, that fever, that passion for Justin Trudeau—that is long gone.” Greens near broke: If there is to be an election shortly, as everyone expects, the Green Party may not have enough money to run much of a campaign, the Star reports, based on a recording of a financial report by some of the officials who are engaged in a lawsuit with the party's leader. Fires motivate voters: Wildfires have convinced voters that climate change needs to be addressed, says a new Ipsos poll for Global News. The poll says 49 per cent of Canadians say recent extreme weather events have made them feel more strongly. Four in 10 said that their opinion had not changed. As of July 21, there were some 263 uncontrolled active fires burning in different provinces, according to data from the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre. The country is at national preparedness level 5, with British Columbia and Ontario requiring full commitment of resources, followed by Saskatchewan and Manitoba at level 4. A total of 4,579 wildfires has been recorded so far—which is above the 10-year average, according to CIFFC data. The total area burned is 2.15 million hectares, which is also above the 10-year average. Bailout on the Rock: In St. John's on Wednesday, Trudeau and Andrew Furey announced a $5.2-billion deal to backstop the over-budget Muskrat Falls project and keep electricity prices from going through the roof, Saltwire reports. Power rates will still go from from 13.5 cents per kilowatt-hour to 14.7 cents, not the 23 cents that would have been the rate without a mitigation plan. Not timely: A requester seeking access to a week’s worth of emails and messages from the head of the Public Health Agency of Canada was recently informed that the agency needs an extension of up to 1,950 days—over five years and four months, CP reports. Publication note: The Maclean's Politics Insider will take a brief mid-summer break, and will return to your inboxes on Aug. 3. — Stephen Maher | 
