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Blanchet, O’Toole return to Parliament, urge Canadians to guard against COVID-19

Sep 30, 2020 | 8:32 AM

OTTAWA — Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-Francois Blanchet says he is lucky to have caught a mild case of COVID-19, but that many Canadians aren’t so lucky, which is why everyone needs to keep their guard up against the illness.

Blanchet made the comments this morning as he returned to Parliament Hill for the first time since he and his wife, Nancy Deziel, tested positive for COVID-19 earlier this month.

Blanchet says the experience showed him that there is no absolute protection from COVID-19, but there are ways to reduce the chances of catching it and giving it to somebody who might be more at risk than him.

Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole made similar comments ahead of a meeting with members of his caucus this morning, after he and his wife Rebecca also tested positive this month.

O’Toole says everyone needs to be cautious, particularly with Ontario and Quebec in the midst of a second wave of the pandemic.

Ontario alone is reporting 625 new cases of COVID-19 today, with new modelling predicting that the province could see 1,000 new cases each day by the first half of October.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 30, 2020.

The Canadian Press