UK

Cross-party MPs say there is ‘no clear evidence’ £22 BILLION Test and Trace scheme contributed to reducing coronavirus infection levels citing third lockdown

• Cross-party group of MPs decried the 'unimaginable' costs of Test and Trace
• They said It has not proven its worth as there is little evidence of effectiveness
• The MPs said ministers had justified the vast expenditure on preventing a second national lockdown, but noted England is currently living under its third
• They also urged the scheme led by Tory peer Dido Harding to 'wean itself off' reliance consultants and temporary staff, with some receiving £6,624 per day

By CHRIS JEWERS FOR MAILONLINE and WIRES

PUBLISHED: 19, March 2021 

There is 'no clear evidence' Britain's £22 billion Test and Trace scheme contributed to a reduction in coronavirus infection levels, a cross-party group of MPs have said.

On Wednesday, the British parliament's Public Accounts Committee decried the 'unimaginable' costs of the programme, saying the system has not yet proven its worth as there is little evidence of its overall effectiveness.

Meg Hillier, Labour party lawmaker and the chair of the Commons Public Accounts Committee (PAC) behind a critical report, urged the Government to justify the 'staggering investment of taxpayers' money'.

The MPs said ministers had justified the vast expenditure on preventing a second national lockdown, but noted England is currently living under its third in questioning the programme's effectiveness.

They also urged the scheme led by Tory peer Dido Harding to 'wean itself off' reliance on thousands of 'expensive' consultants and temporary staff, with some receiving £6,624 per day. 

There is 'no clear evidence' Britain's £22 billion Test and Trace scheme contributed to a reduction in coronavirus infection levels, a cross-party group of MPs have said. Pictured: Dido Harding, chair of the National Institute for Health Protection and head of the NHS Test and Trace system and Health Secretary Matt Hancock leave 10 Downing Street

'Despite the unimaginable resources thrown at this project Test and Trace cannot point to a measurable difference to the progress of the pandemic,' Hillier said.

'The promise on which this huge expense was justified - avoiding another lockdown - has been broken, twice.'

Prime Minister Boris Johnson last year promised a world beating test and trace system as part of the route out of the pandemic, though attention has now shifted to the rollout of vaccines.hares

He has laid out plans for a cautious but irreversible route out of the third national lockdown which began on January 5, based on an aim to give everyone a first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine by the end of July, as well as more regular testing.

Last year scientific advisers said Test and Trace was not significantly reducing the spread of the coronavirus. England then entered a second lockdown in the autumn.

Asked about the current impact of the system, Chief Scientific Adviser Patrick Vallance on Tuesday said the testing system was now good, and while the test and trace programme worked less well when infection levels were high, the system would take on renewed importance in the coming months.

Meg Hillier (pictured right speaking in the House of Commons) Labour party lawmaker and the chair of the Commons Public Accounts Committee (PAC) behind a critical report, urged the Government to justify the 'staggering investment of taxpayers' money' on Test and Trace

The PAC said the programme does publish a significant amount of weekly data, including some that shows full compliance with the self-isolation rules relied upon by the scheme can be low.

But it criticised the data for failing to show the speed of the process from 'cough to contact' and therefore not allowing the public to judge the 'overall effectiveness of the programme'.

The MPs also criticised the scheme for struggling to consistently match supply and demand for the service, and therefore 'resulting in either sub-standard performance or surplus capacity'.

And they said it remained 'overly reliant' on contractors and temporary staff after having to initially act quickly to scale up the service rapidly.

The report said the scheme admitted in February that it still employs around 2,500 consultants, at an estimated daily rate of around £1,100, with the best paid consultancy staff on £6,624.

'It is concerning that the DHSC (Department of Health and Social Care) is still paying such amounts - which it considers to be 'very competitive rates' to so many consultants,' the report said.

Baroness Dido Harding says most of funding is spent on testing

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Prime Minister Boris Johnson last year promised a world beating test and trace system as part of the route out of the pandemic, though attention has now shifted to the rollout of vaccines. Pictured: Johnson during a media briefing in Downing Street on Monday, March 8

general view of the entrance to the lateral flow testing centre February 22, 2021. The MPs said ministers had justified the vast expenditure on preventing a second national lockdown, but noted England is currently living under its third in questioning the programme's effectiveness

After England's chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty warned of another 'surge' in the virus later in the year, the PAC called for ministers to set out how the scheme will 'cost-effectively maintain a degree of readiness'.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak's Budget last week included an additional £15 billion for Test and Trace, taking the total bill to more than £37 billion over two years.

Labour's shadow chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Rachel Reeves said the report shows the significantly outsourced system has 'failed the British people and led our country into restrictive lockdown after lockdown'.

'It underlines the epic amounts of waste and incompetence, an overreliance on management consultants, taxpayers' cash splashed on crony contracts, all while ministers insist our NHS heroes deserve nothing more than a clap and a pay cut,' she said.

Trades Union Congress general secretary Frances O'Grady said the Government's refusal to increase statutory sick pay had 'massively undermined Test and Trace'.

Pictured: Graphs showing the number of coronavirus infections per day in the UK (top) and number of coronavirus-ralted deaths in the UK (bottom)

Royal College of Nursing general secretary Dame Donna Kinnair said nurses 'will be furious to hear of the millions of pounds being spent on private sector consultants'.

The Government said a further 231 people had died within 28 days of testing positive for the virus as of Tuesday. There were a further 5,766 lab-confirmed cases in the UK.

Data up to March 8 shows that of the 23,773,959 jabs given in the UK so far, 22,592,528 were first doses - a rise of 215,273 on the previous day. 

Climate change drives malaria transmission in Africa, study shows

New research has confirmed the link between climate change and malaria prevalence. File Photo by Kitsadakron_Photography/Shutterstock

March 10 (UPI) -- The brief global warming slowdown measured at the end of last century hastened a decline in malaria transmission across the Ethiopian highlands, according to a new study published Wednesday in the journal Nature Communications.

The findings could help settle the ongoing debate over the influence of climate change on malaria transmission.

Scientists have previously hypothesized that cooler temperatures across the highlands of East Africa have helped limit the abundance of malaria-carrying mosquitoes, yielding only periodic and seasonal disease outbreaks.

"We see that malaria epidemiology in these areas is strongly under climate control at all scales -- months, years and even decades -- which settles once and for all the debate on whether climate change is affecting or not the dynamics of malaria in Africa," first author Xavier Rodó, bead of the climate and health program at the Barcelona Institute for Global Health, said in a news release.

RELATED Asian tiger mosquito presents limited risk for Zika virus outbreaks

The slowdown in global warming, observed between 1998 and 2005, offered scientists a chance to test this hypothesis.

Scientists analyzed changes in the number of malaria infections -- caused by both P. falciparum and P. vivax parasites -- recorded in the Ethiopian region of Oromia between 1968 and 2005. Oromia is a densely populate region of the Ethiopian Highlands located between 1,600 and 2,500 meters above sea level.

Using sophisticated statistical models, researchers teased out the relationship between malaria incidence and both regional climate conditions, local temperatures and precipitation, and global climate patterns, such as El Niño and the Pacific Decadal Oscillation on the Pacific Ocean.

RELATED Genetic mutations that cause malaria drug resistance common in Asia, Africa

The analysis showed infection rates are strongly correlated with local temperature changes.

The data confirmed malaria cases begin declining shortly after the warming slowdown measured at the end of last century, before authorities redoubled malaria control measures.

The warming slowdown and decline in malaria cases across Oromia coincided with El Niño and the Pacific Decadal Oscillation, highlighting the links between global and regional climate trends -- and their effects on disease vectors.

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"The coupling between disease dynamics and climate conditions is so strong that it is evident at multiple temporal scales, from seasonality to multi-annual cycles to decadal trends," said co-author Mercedes Pascual, researcher at the University of Chicago.

"Malaria incidence not only tracked changes in temperature, which we had demonstrated before, but also in the decrease at the turn of the century, the focus of this work," said Pascual.

Researchers suggest public health officials and policy makers must account for the influence of climate change when preparing for outbreaks and planning disease mitigation efforts.

RELATED Warming climate to shift threat of West Nile virus in the U.S.

Previous studies have shown that the effects of climate on mosquito-borne diseases are unlikely to be uniform.

In different parts of the world, arming trends are expected to benefit certain mosquito species while inhibiting others. But while nuance is expected, researchers predict that warming, on the whole, will accelerate the transmission rates of a number of debilitating diseases, including yellow fever, Zika, chikungunya and dengue feve

WOMAN Brazilian adventurer traverses lava lake for Guinness record

March 8 (UPI) -- A Brazilian adventurer broke a Guinness World Record by using a rope to traverse a distance of 329 feet, 11.76 inches over the volcanic lava lake Erta Ale in Ethiopia.

Karina Oliani, a medical doctor and adventurer whose previous accomplishments include becoming the first Brazilian woman to climb the mountain K2, was suspended in a protective suit over the lava lake in Afar and climbed across the rope while the lava boiled below at a temperature of 2,168 degrees.

"Since I was a very little kid, I was always fascinated by nature and big challenges. And I thought, what could be a bigger challenge than traversing the largest lava lake on Earth?" Oliani said.

Oliani was awarded the Guinness World Record for the world's longest tyrolean traverse over a lava lake. The record was announced Monday to coincide with International Women's Day.

"I hope that all the things I have accomplished in my life today can empower girls and women from all over the world to go after their dreams. I hope by watching me they go: 'if this girl was able to do that, I can also do whatever I put my mind to!' If they want to be president, climb a mountain, Traverse a volcano, or something else that has never been done before -- they can and should do it," Oliani said. Women's Day.

"I hope that all the things I have accomplished in my life today can empower girls and women from all over the world to go after their dreams. I hope by watching me they go: 'if this girl was able to do that, I can also do whatever I put my mind to!' If they want to be president, climb a mountain, Traverse a volcano, or something else that has never been done before -- they can and should do it," Oliani said.

Study: Fossil fuel pollution behind almost 

1 in 5 total deaths worldwide


Emissions from a coal-powered plant and industrial facility are seen in Datong, Shanxi Province, China, on December 12, 2018. File Photo by Stephen Shaver/UPI | License Photo


Feb. 9 (UPI) -- Air pollution created by fossil fuels was responsible for almost 9 million deaths in 2018 -- nearly twice as many as previously thought, according to a new study from Harvard University and other institutions published Tuesday.

The research from Harvard scientists and those at Britain's University of Birmingham, University of Leicester and University College London shows that more than 8.7 million deaths in 2018 were attributed to the pollution.

The study found that regions with the highest concentrations of fossil fuel-related air pollution, southeast Asia (30%), Europe (17%) and eastern North America (13%), had the highest mortality rates.

According to the study, almost one out of every five deaths (18%) that occurred in 2018 were attributable to the burning of fossil fuels like oil, coal and natural gas.

RELATED Open ocean 'surface slicks' serve as nurseries for dozens of fish species

Researchers called the pollution a "key contributor to the global burden of mortality and disease."

The study shows more than twice as many fossil-fuel related deaths than were previously reported in The Lancet in 2019, which then put the death toll at 4.2 million.

"We were initially very hesitant when we obtained the results because they are astounding, but we are discovering more and more about the impact of this pollution," study co-author Eloise Marais said in a report by The Guardian Tuesday.

RELATED EPA nominee Michael Regan pledges to focus on environmental justice

"It's pervasive. The more we look for impacts, the more we find."

Researchers used new mapping methods to correlate the presence of tiny particulate matter emitted from power plants, vehicles and other fossil fuel sources. The particles become lodged in the lungs and have been linked to respiratory disease and other ailments, including more severe COVID-19.

Other studies have shown that eliminating fossil fuels would add a year to human life expectancy and reduce health-related economic costs by about $3 trillion per year.

RELATED Court orders Shell to pay Nigeria farmers for oil pollution

"We don't appreciate that air pollution is an invisible killer," said Dr. Neelu Tummala, a physician at George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences.

"The air we breathe impacts everyone's health but particularly children, older individuals, those on low incomes and people of color. Usually people in urban areas have the worst impacts."

Researchers used a global 3-D model to map known emission sources and compare mortality rates. The study used data from 2012, and compared it with data in 2018, when China had said it would cut fossil fuel emissions in half.

RELATED GM says it will be carbon neutral by 2040

The study said Beijing's move to reduce emissions saved more than 2 million lives worldwide, mostly in mainland China.

"Our study adds to the mounting evidence that air pollution from ongoing dependence on fossil fuels is detrimental to global health," Marais added.

"We can't in good conscience continue to rely on fossil fuels, when we know that there are such severe effects on health and viable, cleaner alternatives.

The study was also published in the journal Environmental Research.

Carbon emission decreases must grow tenfold to avoid climate disaster


Researchers say that while many countries have reduced the pace of their carbon emissions -- including China, pictured -- pledges made in recent years must be linked to clearer, effective actions. File Photo by Stephen Shaver/UPI | License Photo


March 3 (UPI) -- Across the globe, many of the world's biggest economies are slowly reducing their carbon footprints. Unfortunately, many developing economies are emitting more carbon today than they were five years ago.

Current rates of greenhouse gas emissions reductions won't be enough to limit global warming to less than 2 degrees Celsius.


According to a new study, published Wednesday in the journal Nature Climate Change, countries will need to boost their emissions reductions tenfold to meet the Paris Agreement's prescription for avoiding climate disaster.

Since the Paris Agreement was first drafted in 2015, 64 nations have successfully reduced their carbon emissions -- but only at a rate of 0.16 billion tons of CO2 per year.

RELATED Scientists explore how to recalculate the social cost of carbon

To limit catastrophic levels of warming, climate scientists estimate annual reductions of between 1 and 2 billion tons are necessary.

"Countries' efforts to cut CO2 emissions since the Paris Agreement are starting to pay off, but actions are not large-scale enough yet and emissions are still increasing in way too many countries," lead study author Corinne Le Quéré, professor of environmental sciences at the University of East Anglia in Britain, said in a news release.

The latest accounting effort -- part of the Global Carbon Project, an effort to track emissions reductions progress -- showed lockdowns and other policies intended to slow the COVID-19 pandemic led to a 7% reduction in CO2 emissions in 2020, compared to 2019 emissions.

RELATED More aggressive emissions reductions required to meet global temperature goals

But the authors of the new study said the reductions measured in 2020 are unlikely to last, especially as the pandemic wanes and economies around the globe begin to rebound.

"The drop in CO2 emissions from responses to COVID-19 highlights the scale of actions and of international adherence needed to tackle climate change," Le Quéré said. "Now we need large-scale actions that are good for human health and good for the planet. It is in everyone's best interests to build back better to speed the urgent transition to clean energy."

Researchers found that among the 36 wealthiest countries -- nations with the highest average income -- 25 emitted less CO2 between 2016 and 2019 than they did between 2011 and 2015.

Nearly a third of the 99 upper-middle income countries reduced their emissions between 2016 and 2019.

Even nations that emitted more carbon during the years following the Paris Agreement, like China, have managed to slow the growth of their carbon footprints. Still, the progress is too slow.

Climate scientists estimate 2 degrees Celsius of warming above preindustrial averages is the threshold where warming and climate instability is likely to trigger catastrophic amounts of intolerable heat, prolonged drought, extreme weather and devastating sea level rise.

To stay below that threshold -- closer to 1.5 degrees of warming -- the world's economies must find ways to reduce their carbon emissions by 1 to 2 billion tons per year.

To do that, the authors of the latest study argue countries must start marrying their actions with their verbal commitments and investing in eco-friendly transportation and green energy production.

"Commitments alone aren't enough," said Le Quéré. "Countries need to align post-COVID incentives with climate targets this decade, based on sound science and credible implementation plans. This pressing timeline is constantly underscored by the rapid unfolding of extreme climate impacts worldwide."

Heavy rains overflow dam, force evacuations in Hawaii

"I've lived here for 30 years and I think this is the first time that I have seen so much rain," Makawao resident Lydia Toccafondi Panzik said, according to NBC News. "I've seen hurricane times. I've seen flooding. But this was really a bad one.

March 9 (UPI) -- Heavy rains brought widespread flooding to Hawaii on Tuesday, with flash flood watches issued across all islands and evacuation orders on Maui.

Maui Mayor Mike Victorino urged some residents to evacuate for fear that the overflowing Kaupakalua Dam near Haiku may break, CNN reported. Others were urged to stay home and shelter in place.

"The current weather situation has created very dangerous flooding situation throughout the county of Maui, especially in east Maui," Victorino said during a news conference.

The National Weather Service has issued a flash flood watch throughout the state until 6 a.m. Wednesday, warning of the potential for significant flooding due to the overflow of streams and drainages, property damage in low-lying areas and landslides as deep moisture was expected to continue throughout the night.
RELATED Study: Global warming could make survival in tropics impossible

"If the Kaupakalua Dam were to fail, a life-threatening flood wave could occur downstream of the dam," the National Weather Service said.

At least half a dozen homes were damaged by flooding, and the Maui Fire Department received more than a dozen calls for help from residents trapped in their homes. The Maui Emergency Management Agency urged residents to report any damage caused by the flooding.

Power outages were reported in the Haiku area, and schools were moved to full distance learning, KHON-TV reported.

RELATED Damages from February winter storms could be as high as $155 billion

Paia Community Center and Hana High School were designated as emergency shelters, according to the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency.

"The state is standing by to support the county of Maui as residents and visitors downstream of the Kaupakulua Dam evacuate at this hour," Gov. David Ige said in a statement. "Please stay out of the area until the danger has passed and continue to monitor local media for updates."

Peahi Bridge in Haiku was destroyed and Kaupakalua Bridge was heavily damaged, NBC News reported.

"I've lived here for 30 years and I think this is the first time that I have seen so much rain," Makawao resident Lydia Toccafondi Panzik said, according to NBC News. "I've seen hurricane times. I've seen flooding. But this was really a bad one."

USA
House passes sweeping pro-union legislation to protect workers' rights

Rep. Bobby Scott (C) called his bill, which passed the House on Tuesday, "a critical step to secure workers' rights to join a union." Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License Photo


March 9 (UPI) -- House Democrats on Tuesday passed sweeping pro-union legislation to protect workers' rights to organize and to allow for employers to be punished over wrongful termination.

The bill passed the Democrat-controlled House 225-206 along party lines on Tuesday, said Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Va., the bill's sponsor, who called it "a critical step to secure workers' right to join a union."

"The Protecting the Right to Organize Act makes the most significant upgrades to the [National Labor Relations Board] in 85 years by providing new tools to protect workers from intimidation and retaliation, introducing meaningful penalties for companies that violate workers' rights and allowing workers to hold free, fair and safe union elections," he said in a statement.

According to the bill, it will support unionization through streamlining access to justice for workers punished for exercising their rights, giving workers the power to override so-called right-to-work laws that prevent unions from collecting dues for those they represent, allowing workers to seek justice in court against employers who interfere with their rights and enhancing workers' right to support boycotts, strikes and other acts of solidarity.

It also enables the National Labor Relations Board to assess monetary penalties for each violation of a worker being wrongfully fired while closing so-called loopholes that permitted employers to misclassify employees while preventing immigrants from being exploited. Employers will also be prohibited from subjecting their employees to anti-union propaganda and allow workers to vote away from their places of work, preventing employer interference.

President Joe Biden, who has previously voiced support for the bill, urged Congress on Tuesday to send it to his desk so he can sign it into law so "we can summon a new wave of worker power and create an economy that works for everyone."

"I believe every worker deserves a free and fair choice to join a union -- and the PRO Act will bring us closer to that reality," he tweeted.

He also published a statement on Tuesday, stating rebuilding unions with help deliver "America's promise in full."

"The middle class built this country, and unions built the middle class," he said. "Unions give workers a stronger voice to increase wages, improve the quality of jobs and protect job security, protect against racial and all other forms of discrimination and sexual harassment and protect workers' health, safety and benefits in the workplace."

A similar bill sponsored by Scott in 2019 passed the house in February of last year by failed to make it out of the then-Republican-controlled Senate. It now faces a split Senate, but will require 10 Republicans to cross the aisle to avoid a filibuster.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has railed against the bill, stating on its website that the PRO Act "would destabilize America's workplaces and impose a long list of dangerous changes into labor law."

"The proposal ... is a litany of almost every failed idea from the past 30 years of labor policy," the chamber said. "The PRO Act would undermine workers rights, drag employers into unrelated labor disputes disrupt the economy and force individual Americans to pay union dues regardless of this wishes."

Nonpartisan think tank the Economic Policy Institute cheered the House's passing of the PRO Act, stating helps "bring U.S. labor law into the 21st century."

"The Senate should pass the PRO Act Immediately and ensure that all workers have a voice on the job," Celine McNicholas, director of government affairs at the EPI and its policy analyst, Margaret Poydock, said in a joint statement.

PATRIARCHIAL EVANGELIST WAR ON WOMEN

Arkansas governor signs near-total abortion ban

US state of Arkansas bans abortions even in cases of rape or incest

Anti-abortion activists PAID FOR BY THE CATHOLIC CHURCH

gather behind the Supreme Court in Washington, D.C. in January. Photo by Ken Cedeno/UPI | License Photo

March 9 (UPI) -- Arkansas on Tuesday enacted a near-total ban on abortion, setting the stage for a Supreme Court battle over reproductive rights.

Gov. Asa Hutchinson signed SB6 into law, allowing providers to only perform abortions "to save the life of a pregnant woman in a medical emergency" while providing no other exceptions for instances such as rape, incest or fetal anomalies.




The law also institutes a fine of up to $100,000 and up to 10 years in prison for medical practitioners who violate the ban.

The bill is not set to take effect until 90 days after the Republican-held state legislature adjourns this year's session, currently set to end on May 3.

The Arkansas ACLU said on Twitter that it would sue to challenge the law before that date.

"This extreme abortion ban is cruel and unconstitutional and it will have accomplished nothing but cause stress for patients while ignoring the pressing challenges Arkansans face," it said.

Hutchinson issued a statement saying he signed the bill due to his "long-held pro-life convictions" while acknowledging it was likely to face challenges in the Supreme Court.

"SB6 is in contradiction of binding precedents of the U.S. Supreme Court, but it is the intent of the legislation to set the stage for the Supreme Court overturning current case law," he said. "I would have preferred the legislation to include the exceptions for rape and incest, which has been my consistent view and such exceptions would increase chances for a review by the U.S. Supreme Court."

USPS mail truck contract hits snag as lawmakers ask, 'Why not totally electric?'

Sean Szymkowski 

Lawmakers on Capitol Hill have questions following the USPS' decision to award its future mail truck, the Next Generation Delivery Vehicle, to Wisconsin-based Oshkosh. Reuters first reported Tuesday that three members of the House of Representatives want to freeze the USPS contract until they can get some answers.

© Provided by Roadshow Lawmakers have some questions. USPS

Rep. Marcy Kaptur, chair of the House Appropriations Committee, and Reps. Tim Ryan and Jared Huffman, all Democrats, called for a halt to the process to investigate possible political influence in the awarding of the contract. They also want to see if the contract meets President Joe Biden's pledge to transform the entire federal fleet into electric vehicles.

The latter is a question I dug into previously, noting odd language in the announcement that noted Oshkosh will build "fuel-efficient low-emission internal combustion engine vehicles," as well as electric mail trucks . We later learned the USPS planned for just one in 10 of the new trucks to feature an electric powertrain -- a statement at odds with the Biden administration's EV pledge. Notably, the USPS did not select Ohio-based EV-maker Workhorse, a contender for the NGDV contract. Reps. Kaptur and Ryan both represent districts in Ohio.

Rep. Huffman also expressed concern to Reuters that he's been unable to view the Oshkosh contract in its entirety. The USPS plans to spend $482 million initially on the new trucks, but the sum could grow to $6 billion over the 10-year-long contract, according to the previous announcements. Oshkosh could get the green light to build up to 165,000 new mail trucks in the current deal. While the lawmakers question political influence, the bigger question is why not go completely electric? Huffman told the publication Oshkosh would build these vehicles for "obsolescence," adding it's "insane."

A USPS spokesperson told Roadshow, "We imagined an electric vehicle future, committing $482 million at contract award to prepare for it. The challenge remains the Postal Service's billions in annual operating losses."

House Democrats this week introduced a bill, sponsored by Rep. Huffman, to serve the USPS up to $6 billion to purchase a totally electric fleet of mail carriers. US Postmaster General Louis DeJoy said at a previous congressional hearing the agency would need $3 or $4 billion more beyond its current investment to achieve something like a 90% EV fleet.

"We welcome and are interested in any support from Congress that advances the goal of a Postal Service vehicle fleet with zero emissions, and the necessary infrastructure required to operate it," the USPS spokesperson said on the possibility of more funding. "With the right level of support, the majority of the Postal Service's fleet can be electric by the end of the decade."

The White House did not immediately return Roadshow's request for comment.
USPS, Oshkosh Defense reveal Next Generation Delivery Vehicle






a close up of a truck: The United States Postal Service (USPS) has contracted with Oshkosh Defense to manufacture a next-generation postal delivery vehicle.

6 SLIDES © Provided by Roadshow

The United States Postal Service (USPS) has contracted with Oshkosh Defense to manufacture a next-generation postal delivery vehicle.

This was originally published on Roadshow.

#ABOLISHMONARCHY 

IT'S NOT WORTH IT IF IT AIN'T DIFFICULT

Abolishing the monarchy in Canada would be ‘enormously difficult,’ experts say

Emerald Bensadoun GLOBAL NEWS

Calls for Canada to rethink its relationship to the monarchy have been mounting after an explosive interview between Prince Harry, Meghan and Oprah Winfrey on Sunday.

© Provided by Global News LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM - NOVEMBER 25: Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau meets Queen Elizabeth II during a private audience at Buckingham Palace on November 25, 2015 in London, England. This is the first visit of Trudeau in Britain since his election as Canadas Prime Minister. (Photo by Yui Mok - WPA Pool/Getty Images)

In a damning tell-all, Meghan revealed living with the royals left her feeling suicidal and unsupported, prompting her and her husband's royal departure in January of last year. She also indicated there were racist undertones in Buckingham Palace, claiming there were discussions where concerns were expressed over how dark the colour of her son's skin would be.

"I think it's clear. I've said it in the past: I don't see the benefit of the monarchy in Canadians' lives," NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said Tuesday.

"There's no benefit to them and now even more so with concerns about racism in the institution that were raised, and pressures that were placed on Meghan Markle."

Read more: Unaired ‘Oprah With Meghan and Harry’ clips shed more light on royal rift

Canada first became part of the British Commonwealth in 1931 as an independent state, and remains one of 54 Commonwealth nations to this day. The country is considered a constitutional monarchy, a system which allows the monarch -- in this case, Queen Elizabeth II -- to exercise power in accordance with Canada's Constitution.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has refused to comment directly on the interview. Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, he said he wouldn't comment on "what's going on over in the U.K., but I will continue to endeavour to fight against racism and intolerance every single day in Canada."

"There are many institutions that we have in this country, including that big building right across the street from us, parliament, that has and is built around a system of colonialism, of discrimination, of systemic racism in all of our institutions," he said.

"But the answer is not to suddenly toss out all the institutions and start over."

But even if it were, experts say it would be a near-futile effort for the federal government to extricate itself from the monarchy, and a process that could take years to complete.

The monarchy versus the Royal Family

First and foremost, what the Royal Family does differs greatly from the monarchy's role in Canada.

"Most often, people will just associate the fact of Canada's status as a monarchy with the queen and with the rest of the royals, but they actually play almost no role whatsoever in Canadian governance," Emmett Macfarlane, an associate professor with the University of Waterloo, told Global News.

"Even the Queen herself, almost all of her duties are actually accomplished in practice by the Governor-General as her representative in Canada."

Read more: Meghan Markle, Prince Harry’s comments raise race issue in Commonwealth nations

What does the monarchy do for Canada?

The monarchy plays two roles in Canada: constitutional and ceremonial.

Much of Canada's Constitution is based on unwritten customs and traditions. The Queen possesses emergency powers that are there to be used by the Crown if need be, such as refusing royal assent or dismissing a government.

"Our constitution vests executive power in the Queen. Not Parliament, not the people; it's vested in the Queen. Of course, that doesn't mean she actually governs," Robert Finch, dominion chairman and president of the Monarchist League of Canada, told Global News.

The Queen acts solely on the advice of elected politicians.

Video: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle interview: The most shocking revelations of the night

"The notion that the prime minister and cabinet governs by using power that belongs to a non-partisan monarch is a fundamental feature of Canada's system of government," he said.

The monarchy also acts as a symbol. Finch said the Queen and the Crown can be a "wonderful force" for national unity and Canadian identity, which is why awards such as the Order of Canada are given in the name of the Queen, for instance.

A good example of this is the Royal Tour, he added.

"Look at the crowds that come out to see the Queen or a member of the Royal Family when they are in Canada," said Finch.

"Nobody else can garner such a crowd — diverse in age, ethnicity, politics, language, social-economic background, etc. — as they can. That's the ceremonial role of the Crown."

Read more: Royal Family remains ‘stoic and silent’: Experts react to tell-all Oprah interview

Abolishing the monarchy could prove a royal pain

According to Section 41 of the Constitution Act, the full abolition of the "office of the Queen" would require Parliament, the House of Commons, the Senate and all 10 provinces and territories to unanimously agree to amend the Constitution.

Macfarlane said this process could take years, and there would also need to be "intensive consultations with Canada's Indigenous populations," given the historical connections between the Crown and Indigenous peoples as part of the treaty system.

"Politicians are enormously reluctant, even unwilling to touch the Constitution because it's automatically seen as a national unity issue," Macfarlane said.

"It would be an enormously difficult undertaking, especially in the case of full abolition."

In fact, it would be easier to get rid of the monarchy in the U.K. than it would be in Canada, as Britain's governing structure requires fewer permissions before making fundamental changes.

Video: The Queen reacts to Meghan and Harry interview, says issues raised including race ‘concerning’
What would replace it?

If Canada were to abolish the monarchy, Macfarlane said the next natural step would be from a constitutional monarchy to a republic, like that of the United States.

In a republic, the head of state is elected separately from the legislature in what is known as a "diffusion of power."

According to Macfarlane, this is the core distinction between a parliamentary constitutional monarchy and a republic.

"By having a separate elected head of state, you have another locus of power separate from the legislative branch, where(as) in our system, traditionally the legislature or the elected parliament is the supreme locus of power in that it is what determines who serves in government," he said.

However, Macfarlane noted that republics don't always produce good governance. He said interactions between the White House and Congress can be "unhealthy" and "divisive," and make it harder to get things done.

An example of this is the use of executive orders, which political leaders use to issue directives without having to put them to a vote of any kind.

"We saw Trump initiate basically a ban on immigration or travel from certain countries. We saw him reallocate funds designed for other purposes to be put towards the border wall. Many of these things were done with legislation in mind," he said.

"Through executive orders and when you have elected actors (or even unelected actors), there's always a threat in state governance for expanding that locus of power beyond its its proper limits."

Rising number of Canadians support dropping monarchy: poll

A new B.C. poll suggests more and more Canadians are ready to rethink our royal relationship. Kylie Stanton has more on what may be driving the shift to ditch the monarchy and reaction from those defending the Canadian Crown.

Rising number of Canadians support dropping monarchy: poll | Watch News Videos Online (globalnews.ca)

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