Providence finds a vaccine buyer Did someone forward you this newsletter? Sign up here to get it delivered weekday mornings. When Brad Sorenson of Providence Therapeutics spoke to your newsletter correspondent for the most recent Maclean's cover story on the mad dash for vaccines, the Calgary-based vaccine manufacturer mentioned having conversations with three provinces about his company's fledgling mRNA candidate. Sorenson was keen for any interest at all after Ottawa gave him the cold shoulder last summer. Well, Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister was the first to announce a deal with Providence : 2 million doses if the vaccine, currently undergoing Phase 1 clinical trials, eventually gets Health Canada approval. Any guesses on the other two provinces in talks? This isn't what Jason Kenney came back for: Five years ago, Alberta's premier was an opposition MP in Ottawa with grand plans. Kenney would leave the nation's capital, unite a fractured right in his adopted province and then vanquish the New Democrats who had so rudely interrupted decades of Conservative rule. And then he did all of those things. Nothing got in his way. Now, writes Jason Markusoff, the premier has hit a wall. And there's no obvious way out: Nearly two years into Kenney’s stint as Alberta premier, nothing is what it seemed. The disorientation runs deeper than the common, pandemic-induced challenges and public malaise that has undone the political agendas of leaders around the world; deeper even than the profound hardship and unemployment inflicted by the downturn of the energy economy. Albertans are coming to realize they’re in the midst of a deeper, structural change, not another bust to be succeeded by another boom. Kenney has taken halting steps toward that new era. But he’s largely stuck with his pre-pandemic agenda—drawing outcry from Albertans angry about cuts to the public sector or government spending on private interests. François Legault is in control: 338Canada's Philippe J. Fournier writes in Maclean's that Quebec's premier would easily win a majority government if an election were held today. Legault's party leads among all age groups, men and women, and has substantial support all over the province. The opposition parties can't find much good news in recent polls: Many observers outside Quebec may be dumbfounded to explain how the government of a province which accounts for the highest numbers of COVID-19 infections and fatalities could enjoy such wide and lasting support. They may wonder whether Legault could actually walk on water across the St. Lawrence River. Yet, over and over since the pandemic reached Canada’s borders, public opinion data shows that Legault’s effective communication skills and perceived steady hand at the wheel may be just what most Quebec voters need at the moment. One province, two elections: Newfoundland and Labrador was gearing up for a Feb. 13 election in which new Liberal premier Andrew Furey, whose party has led a minority parliament since 2019, would try to hold off Ches Crosbie's Progressive Conservatives. But that was before the province's COVID-19 caseload exploded from 16 on the weekend to 210 yesterday. Now, the province's chief electoral officer has postponed in-person voting in 18 of 40 electoral districts for at least two weeks—if case numbers improve. Viva Italia: Global Affairs Canada is on the lookout for groundskeepers who can tend to Canada's embassy in Rome and sprawling official residence. The ambassador's home, known as Villa Grandi, was nearly sold off by the feds in 2014 when the Harper government put fancy foreign lodgings in its budget-cutting crosshairs. Certain corners of the retired diplomatic corps erupted in protest , insisting that Villa Grandi—said to be paid for by Italian reparations from World War 2—is a solemn tribute to Canada's military dead. When the Liberals took power, they took the villa off the market. Maclean's did the math on groundskeeping costs since that about-face, which add up to at least $611,658.35. (The residence's gated entrance, seen here on Google StreetView, fronts onto a narrow Rome laneway called Via di Porta Latina—just a 20-minute stroll from the Colosseum.) Sen. Mike Duffy won't have his day at the Supreme Court. The former broadcaster who hails from P.E.I. had claimed his 2013 suspension from the Senate, amidst a damaging expense scandal, was "politically motivated, unconstitutional, procedurally unfair and contrary to his Charter rights." The top court refused to hear his case against the Red Chamber, which constitutional expert Philippe Lagassé called a "longshot" for the senator. In a statement, Duffy lawyer Lawrence Greenspon said his client—who was "disappointed" in the outcome—will still pursue a civil case against the RCMP. The parliamentary budget office, which has published reports at a steady clip this week, dropped another on Indigenous housing. The PBO identified "an annual $5,000 gap between what Indigenous households in housing need can afford to pay for shelter ... and what they would have to pay for suitable and adequate housing." Multiply that gap by more than 120,000 Indigenous households in need and the sum is staggering: $636 million. Daily roast: Canada's new chief of the defence staff, Admiral Art McDonald, logged onto Twitter with the best intentions. He tweeted, seemingly harmlessly, about the importance of inclusiveness. The problem: A photo attached to the tweet featured eight white men on the admiral's senior leadership team. A two-part follow-up promised change. "We are there in mindset but know there is still a lot of work to do, and we are committed to doing it." Michael Fraiman, writing in Maclean's, wondered what the heck McDonald was thinking. What did McDonald mean in the first place? What diversity was he referring to? Who deserves applause? Most curiously, how did nobody on the admiral’s staff see that tweet and say, “Wait a minute”? Then again, maybe the tweet accomplished its goal. McDonald wanted to start a conversation about diversity in the Forces. And so he has. Did you know? The elegant centennial-year dollar bill is no longer legal tender. On Jan. 1, the Bank of Canada stripped that status from $1, $2, $25, $500 and $1,000 banknotes—but maintains a nostalgia-filled gallery of all the retired bills. —Nick Taylor-Vaisey | 
