Science needed to combat disinformation in COVID fight: Champagne
Posted March 26, 2020 12:03 pm.
Last Updated March 26, 2020 12:06 pm.
OTTAWA — Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne says Canada and its G7 counterparts are concerned about the spread of disinformation in the COVID-19 fight.
He says Canada and its international allies need to rely on science to make proper decisions in combating the outbreak now, and in the post-virus recovery phase.
Champagne’s comments come in a wide-ranging interview today with The Canadian Press on the global challenges in fighting the pandemic.
Champagne was speaking one day after he and his G7 counterparts met via videoconference with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo following President Donald Trump’s heavily criticized pledge this week to end the American pandemic lockdown by Easter Sunday.
Champagne says they stressed the need to act in tandem to contain the virus, and to stick to science and support international institutions at a time of historic crisis, including the G20, whose leaders held a teleconference today.
Champagne says the flights for Canadians stranded abroad are continuing into next week, but it is becoming hard to sustain them.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 26, 2020
The Canadian Press
