The Bill Kelly Show Podcast: 

As the 12-member task force met to decide whether to recommend the GSK-Sanofi vaccine, its two leaders each arguably had conflicts of interest. While one recused himself, the other chose not to step away.

Those decisions — revealed after the fact under media pressure — underscore festering concerns about a volunteer committee that has operated largely in secret, and with clear ties to the vaccine industry.

GUEST: Dr. Joel Lexchin, Professor Emeritus with School of Health Policy Management and Faculty of Health at York University, and a former consultant to the Federal Government and World Health Organization

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Mental Health Polling:

In the midst of a cold snap in many parts of the country and a second wave of COVID-19, Canadians are feeling the toll on their mental health. Canadians are feeling more anxious, more stressed, and increasingly lonely due to physical or social distancing. The largest increases are in Saskatchewan/Manitoba and Ontario, where caseloads have increased and stricter lockdowns have been put in place, as well as among younger Canadians aged 18-34 and those with children at home. As job anxiety, especially among younger Canadians, has taken hold and as homeschooling has persisted in many jurisdictions, Canadians in these groups are feeling particularly vulnerable with some turning to drugs, alcohol, or other substances to help cope. 

Travel Polling:

With vaccine roll-out well underway around the world, many are starting to see the light at the end of a nearly year-long tunnel. As Canadians dare to imagine what post-lockdown life may look like, it is clear that this vision does not include international travel until at least 2022, according to a new Ipsos poll conducted on behalf of Global News. With Canada having closed its borders to non-essential travel for the greater part of a year and recently implementing stricter requirements for those looking to enter Canada, stir-crazy Canadians experiencing wanderlust as well as those reliant on the country’s travel and tourism industry are left wondering when Canadians might start to feel comfortable travelling abroad again. 

GUEST: Sean Simpson, VP of IPSOS Public Affairs

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The Texas blackout is an environmental justice disaster.

The burden of this storm – and the years of neglect that led up to it – has not and will not fall equally. There are reports of low-income neighborhoods and communities of color having their power cut before wealthy neighborhoods. Tent camps of asylum seekers along the border had to endure freezing weather while being detained. In the Rio Grande Valley, which has some of the highest rates of Covid-19 in the country, farm workers are facing the prospect of an entire season’s worth of crops ruined by the ice. Kids were admitted to the hospital for carbon monoxide poisoning as families burned what they could to keep warm. And those who were lucky enough to keep their power are facing astronomical electric bills running into four digits.

GUEST: Dan McTeague, President of Canadians for Affordable​ Energy, Former MP

It's time for Tech Talk with Adam Oldfield!

The Bill Kelly Show Podcast:

Ontario’s Health Minister Christine Elliott says a decision on whether or not the province will pause the reopening in Toronto and Peel will be made this afternoon.

GUEST: JP Soucy, Infectious Disease Epidemiology PhD student & Vanier Scholar at University of Toronto

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In IPSOS polling exclusively for Global news if an election were held today, Justin Trudeau’s Liberals would get 33% of the vote nationally, with Erin O’Toole and the conservatives sitting at 30% support. The New Democrats under Jagmeet Singh would get 20% while the Green Party and the Bloc Quebecois would garner 8% of ballots cast. A full 20 % of Canadians don’t know who they would vote for or would not vote. 

Across the country, regional support is holding steady for each of the parties… The Liberals lead in Atlantic Canada and Ontario…. While the conservatives are strong in the prairies… and the two parties are in a relative tie in B.C. In Quebec, the Liberals trail the Bloc Quebecois by 5 points. 

It also appears the pandemic is beginning to have an effect on the prime minister’s personal popularity… a slim majority – 54%  say they approve of his handling of the pandemic… that’s down 6 points in a single month. 

In stark contrast, provincial premiers have much higher pandemic approval levels than the Prime Minister – with a 73% approval rating as a whole. But not all premiers are created equal… the highest approval ratings were seen in Atlantic Canada and Quebec at 83 and 80 per cent respectively… while Alberta’s Jason Kenney is the only premier getting a failing grade at 42 per cent.  

GUEST: Darrel Bricker, CEO of IPSOS Public Affairs

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Lawsuits involving Donald Trump tore apart the Supreme Court while he was president, and the justices apparently remain riven by him.

For nearly four months, the court has refused to act on emergency filings related to a Manhattan grand jury's subpoena of Trump tax returns, effectively thwarting part of the investigation.

The Supreme Court's inaction marks an extraordinary departure from its usual practice of timely responses when the justices are asked to block a lower court decision on an emergency basis and has spurred questions about what is happening behind the scenes.

GUEST: Elliot Tepper, Emeritus Professor of Political science, Carleton University

Africa has surpassed 100-thousand confirmed deaths from COVID-19 as the continent praised for its early response to the pandemic now struggles with a dangerous resurgence.

The 54-nation continent of some 1.3-billion people has barely seen the arrival of large-scale supplies of COVID-19 vaccines.

GUEST: Dr. Christopher Gill, Infectious Disease Specialist and Professor of Global Health at Boston University