Words to remember: Canadian newsmakers have their say on COVID-19

A look at some of the top quotes from on Sunday in relation to COVID-19 in Canada:

“I was like, ‘Oh yeah, okay, fine.’ Because there’s an arrogance to humanity that we couldn’t possibly be taken to our knees by a virus, like we know so much more than they knew a hundred years ago, right? And here we are.” — Health Minister Patty Hajdu, recalling her time when she first started in Thunder Bay public health unit. The epidemiologist there kept warning that the globe was due for “the big one.”

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“It’s absolutely scary. These are your friends. These are people that you’ve worked with for 10, 15, 25 years … Now it’s personal.” — Newfoundland’s Craig Dyer, who attended a funeral last month that has been linked to 75 per cent of the province’s COVID cases.

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“Living this right now is just crazy. Our town was really starting to thrive. Now driving around it’s like a Stephen King novel. It’s like ghost towns.” — Aldo DiCarlo, the mayor of Amhertsburg, Ont., a short drive from the Windsor-Detroit border.

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“On Friday, I told all of you to stay the blazes home. You had some fun with it and … after all, we could all use a bit of humour now.” — Nova Scotia Premier Stephen McNeil, acknowledging that his quaint Maritime turn of phrase is now being printed on T-shirts, coffee cups and all kinds of memorabilia.

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“In 2001, our province stepped up in the biggest way possible. When the United States was in crisis … Newfoundland and Labrador accepted with open arms thousands of people from around the world. With no questions asked, with no prompting, Newfoundlanders and Labradorians acted fast and did what was necessary.” — Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Dwight Ball, who went on to express his disappointment in U.S. President Donald Trump after an American company said it couldn’t export its medial supplies during the crisis — a charge the White House denies.

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“My parents and grandparents lived through the First and Second World Wars and the Spanish flu. There’s no reason I can’t get through this.” — Pierre Faucher, who operates a sugar shack west of Montreal.

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“We’re going to break the back of this virus if we do this.” — Toronto Mayor John Tory, stressing the need to stay home.

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“The hardest thing right now is trying to help my kids be a little bit flexible in when they get to see their friends again. The unknown is the biggest thing, trying to break down for kids that everyone is trying to do the best they can, and maybe they won’t go back to school this year.” — Erin D’Intino of St. Catharines, Ont.

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“We will succeed. And that success will belong to every one of us. We should take comfort that while we may have more still to endure, better days will return. We will be with our friends again. We will be with our families again. We will meet again.” — The Queen.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published on April 5, 2020.

The Canadian Press