Canada and the U.S. are extending the closure of the border to non-essential travel for another 30 days, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Saturday. Read more about what’s happening in Canada, the U.S. and around the world.
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The latest:
- Closure of Canada-U.S. border extended for another 30 days.
- Trudeau pledges $306M for Indigenous businesses.
- Armed Forces members arrive in Quebec to help in long-term care homes.
- B.C. prepares to ease some COVID-19 restrictions in May, after data suggests province has flattened the curve.
- Air passengers will be required to wear non-medical masks starting April 20.
- Hundreds of cases confirmed at Alberta meat plant.
- Experts warn COVID-19 may attack more than the lungs.
- As COVID-19 deaths mount in Ontario long-term care homes, families demand more timely information.
- Trudeau announces help for struggling energy sector, including $1.7B to clean up orphan wells.
- INTERACTIVE | See the latest figures on COVID-19 in Canada.
Canada and the United States are extending the closure of the border to non-essential travel for another 30 days, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Saturday.
The government also pledged $306 million to Indigenous businesses, for interest free loans and non-repayable contributions, he said.
Trudeau’s latest update comes as more than 2.27 million people have been reported to be infected by the novel coronavirus globally and 156,076 have died, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University. Infections have been reported in more than 210 countries and territories since the first cases were identified in China in December 2019.
Trudeau also stressed he does not think it is a good idea for the House of Commons to resume business as usual Monday — with all 338 MPs, along with their staff, clerks, interpreters, security and cleaners.
An agreement needs to be reached before then on scaled-back sittings if the plan is to change. Federal political parties are to continue negotiating Saturday about when and how Parliament should reconvene in the middle of the pandemic.
This funding will help thousands of Indigenous businesses access short-term, interest-free loans and non-repayable contributions so they are better positioned to rebound after this crisis. For all the details, click here: https://t.co/UUqKsD2RSn
Trudeau’s Liberals are proposing one in-person sitting each week, with a small number of MPs and extended time for longer questions and more thorough answers than would normally be allowed during the daily question period. More sittings would be added as soon as the technical and logistical requirements for virtual meetings can be worked out.
All opposition parties appear satisfied with that proposal, except for the Conservatives.
Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer is demanding up to four in-person sittings each week, with fewer than 50 MPs in the chamber, to hold the government to account for its response to the health crisis and the resulting economic fallout.
Except for two single-day sittings to pass emergency aid bills, Parliament has been adjourned since mid-March.
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Across Canada, more than 507,000 people have been tested for COVID-19 with about six per cent confirmed positive, Jean-Yves Duclos, president of the Treasury Board, said Saturday.
About 7.6 million applications for financial assistance under the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) have been processed, Duclos said.
- COVID-19: Your coronavirus questions answered
- COVID-19 deaths surpass federal projections due to outbreaks in care homes: Trudeau
As of Saturday afternoon, Canada had 33,183 presumptive and confirmed coronavirus cases. The provinces and territories that provide data on recoveries listed 11,154 cases as recovered or resolved. A CBC News tally of deaths linked to COVID-19 based on provincial reports, regional public health information and CBC reporting listed 1,506 deaths in Canada. There have also been two reported coronavirus-related deaths of Canadians abroad.
For travellers, the federal government is rolling out new rules requiring that all air passengers wear face masks covering their noses and mouths while in transit.
Transport Minister Marc Garneau announced a package of new measures Friday that also will require people flying in Canada to wear masks at all Canadian screening checkpoints whenever maintaining two metres separation from others is not possible.
Separately, British Columbia and New Brunswick have floated the idea of lifting some restrictions linked to the outbreak in May, citing a flattening in the curve of new cases.
Here’s a look at what’s happening in the provinces and territories
The federal government is planning virtual Canada Day celebrations in place of the traditional gathering on Parliament Hill. It is working with Canadian artists to put together a program, and promises more details soon.
British Columbia reported 43 new COVID-19 cases — but no new deaths — on Friday. A joint statement from Health Minister Adrian Dix and provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says B.C. now has a total of 1,618 COVID-19 cases. The statement says 119 people are in hospital with 52 of those people in intensive care. Earlier Friday, Henry and Dix released modelling data showing B.C. is flattening the COVID-19 curve to the point where plans are underway to loosen some provincial restrictions. Read more about what’s happening in B.C.
Alberta reported 239 new cases on Friday, a spike Premier Jason Kenney said is the result of expanded testing. Alberta’s chief medical officer also confirmed hundreds of cases are linked to a meat packing plant in High River, accounting for 15 per cent of the province’s total. The plant run by Cargill is one of the two primary beef suppliers for McDonald’s Canada. Read more about what’s happening in Alberta.
Saskatchewan now has care homes in two communities where more than one person is infected with COVID-19, health officials said Friday, after there had been no coronavirus cases in the province’s intensive care beds for several days in a row. The provincial government predicts the pandemic could lead to a $3.3 billion decline in provincial revenue. Read more about what’s happening in Saskatchewan.
Manitoba reported three new cases on Saturday. The new number comes a day after the Manitoba announced the province’s number of recovered cases surpassed its active cases for the first time. Read more about what’s happening in Manitoba, including an analysis of how the provincial government is handling the outbreak.
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In Ontario, Toronto Mayor John Tory met with city officials Saturday to discuss how and when businesses and municipal services can reopen. No clear timeline was announced. Ontario’s current set of emergency measures last until May 11. Read more about what’s happening in Ontario, where 485 new cases were reported Saturday, bringing the provincial total to 10,010.
In Quebec, Canadian Armed Forces members with medical training are arriving to help in the province’s long-term care homes. About 125 nur