The oil war is over

A historic international agreement between OPEC+ and the Americas

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As the world continues its war against COVID-19, another war ended Sunday evening: the Russian-Saudi oil war. A late-game agreement on Easter Sunday, following a marathon video conference with representatives from 23 nations, will see the world's biggest oil producers reduce their output by an unprecedented 9.7 million barrels a day. The pandemic has reduced demand for oil significantly, and analysts expect pump prices won't jump back up immediately, but Monday morning oil markets should see increased valuation. It's good news for Canada and Alberta, the latter of which has been limiting its production for over a year to maintain competitive pricing.

In other news to make Albertans smile, its government is apparently sitting on a surplus of stockpiled medical supplies, and they're planning on sharing them with their Canadian friends. Premier Jason Kenney announced Saturday that Alberta was beating its projected COVID-19 case load by about 25 per cent, giving them no use for their millions of spare face masks and ventilators lying around. They will send 250,000 masks each to Ontario, Quebec and B.C, 50 ventilators to Ontario, and millions more pairs of procedural masks, goggles and gloves.

It's welcome news for Ontario in particular, which is "certainly bending the curve," according to its chief medical officer of health, David Williams. He made the comment on Saturday, when he announced 411 new COVID-19 cases, marking a four-day decrease in new cases. Nationally, as of Sunday night, Canada has around 25,000 cases and more than 700 deaths.

Collaboration nation. Speaking of national unity, the House of Commons (truncated down to a couple dozen members) unanimously passed Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS) on Saturday night. Formally known as Bill C-14, the legislation means the government will dole out $73 billion to businesses who don't lay off their employees because of the pandemic. Retroactive to Mar. 15, employers will be compensated for up to 75 per cent of workers' wages, capped at $847 per week. If you're wondering whether you'll qualify or get rehired, Bryan Borzykowski breaks down the implications in Maclean's.

Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer took the bipartisan moment to urge more regular in-person meetings of the microcosmic Parliament, insisting the government needs an Official Opposition to keep it in check, and that physical distancing could be respected with 20-some politicians spread across the floor. (It's a good point.) Liberal House Leader Pablo Rodriguez argued that regularly scheduled House meetings would endanger not just the MPs, but also the security, cleaners and support staff, and that the government would come off as hypocrites by telling others to stay at home while they keep going to work. (Also good points.)

A tale of two speeches. Scheer also attacked the government for its initially slow response to the outbreak, and used his time on the floor to reiterate Tory wishes right now, including a small-business GST rebate and specific plans to help the energy sector. Read his full remarks here. And when you're done, you can read what Trudeau focused on during his floor time: comparing the current pandemic to the Second World War, in a nod to Vimy Ridge Day. Read Trudeau's full speech here.

Meanwhile, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh appeared on CTV's Question Period Sunday morning to repeat his call for Trudeau to simplify the Canada Emergency Response Benefit by removing all means testing from the application process. The CERB offers $2,000 a month to anyone laid off due to COVID-19, with a few stipulations: they can't qualify for Employment Insurance, they must have earned at least $5,000 in 2019 and they aren't expecting to earn any income in the next two weeks. Singh says this discriminates against students and part-time workers whose hours or wages have been cut, but who are earning less than they need to survive. Universal access would essentially turn the nation into a universal basic income pilot project, though Singh shied away from saying so directly.

Can't they figure out Zoom? Alberta Senator Scott Tannas wants the Senate to become more tech-savvy. Insisting virtual conferencing and electronic voting should be viable options in the 21st century, he put forward a motion for a review of technological options including videoconferencing and electronic voting. Government has never been known for lean business models, but it's never too late to start.

A tragedy prolonged. One uniquely distressing result of an international lockdown has been Iran's handling of the black boxes from the downed Flight 752, which resulted in dozens of Canadian deaths. The head of Iran's investigation team had invited representatives from eight countries to travel to Europe and begin analysis, but for obvious reasons, that meeting had to be postponed indefinitely.

Feeling restless? Take a walk. If you're beginning to feel claustrophobic, remember that walking is still allowed (as long as you keep six feet away from others). Norwegian explorer and writer Erling Kagge details the quiet beauty of walking in Maclean's:

—Michael Fraiman

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