Statistics Canada says the economy lost 207,000 jobs in April as a new rise in COVID-19 cases led to renewed public health restrictions that closed businesses. The unemployment rate rose to 8.1 per cent from 7.5 per cent in March. Statistics Canada says the number of employed people in April working less than half their usual hours increased by 288,000 or 27.2 per cent. The losses in April nearly wiped out the 303,000 jobs added in March when the economy outpaced expectations and put the country about half a million jobs below pre-pandemic levels. More losses were seen in full-time work than

Canada's expert panel on vaccines upset numerous doctors and health professionals this week when they expressed a preference for Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna. But a new survey from Proof Strategies suggests lots of Canadians feel the same. More than eight in 10 people say that vaccines are safe and effective when asked specifically about Pfizer-BioNTech, and almost as many for Moderna. But trust falls to under 50 per cent for both Oxford-AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson. Proof President Bruce MacLellan says weeks of warnings about a new and rare blood clotting syndrome have clearly taken

Canada achieved a new milestone in its vaccination program Wednesday, surpassing the vaccination rate in the United States for the first time. The Our World in Data project that tracks vaccinations given around the world, says on May 5, the United States injected doses at a rate of 6.4 doses for every 1,000 people. Canada injected 6.6 doses for every 1,000 people. Canada has been inching closer to the U.S.'s rate for weeks now, as supplies of vaccines shipped into Canada increased in April, and the United States has been slowing, after getting at least one dose to 44 per cent of Americans, an

Opposition parties rejected a call from Conservatives for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to fire his chief of staff over the handling of a complaint against Canada's former top soldier. The Tories' motion called for Katie Telford to lose her job after a committee heard from a former Trudeau adviser suggesting that in 2018 she knew of a complaint involving former defence chief Jonathan Vance. Trudeau has defended Telford by saying no one in his office knew the issue was of a ``Me Too'' nature. The Conservatives contend that is not true and say if Telford failed to tell her boss about the complai

Canada is sending desperately needed medical supplies to India as the COVID-19 pandemic there spirals out of control. Global Affairs Canada says a shipment will include 25-thousand vials of the antiviral drug remdesivir and up to 350 ventilators from its emergency stockpile. The Canadian military will airlift the supplies to the subcontinent. India's COVID-19 deaths reached a new high of three-thousand, 780 in the last 24-hours as daily infections rose by more than 382,000. Foreign Policy CAN on Twitter: Minister Garneau and his Indian counterpart @DrSJaishankar had a warm virtual meeting at

Health Canada's chief medical adviser says her advice is still to get vaccinated against COVID-19 as soon as you can, with whatever vaccine you can. Dr. Supriya Sharma says the risk of a new blood clotting syndrome from the Oxford-AstraZeneca shot is extremely low. A third Canadian has now died of the syndrome, a New Brunswick resident in their 60s. This morning, Canada became the first country in the world to authorize the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for kids as young as 12, effective immediately. Dr. Sharma says that as early as next week, Health Canada could begin examining whether people who

An Alberta woman in her 50s is the country's second reported death from a rare blood clot disorder linked to the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine. The province's chief medical officer of health says the woman's death is tragic. But Dr. Deena Hinshaw says it's important to remember the risks of dying or suffering other severe outcomes from COVID-19 are far greater than the risks associated with the drug. Alberta continues to battle the highest case rate of COVID-19 infections in all of North America. Premier Jason Kenney held a news conference today to provide more details about new public

Health Canada says the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine can now be given to kids as young as 12.The vaccine was previously authorized for anyone at least 16 years of age or older.A trial of more than 2,200 youth in that age group in the United States recorded no cases of COVID-19 among vaccinated kids.Health Canada's chief medical adviser Dr. Supriya Sharma says the evidence is there that the vaccine is safe and effective in that age group.It is the first vaccine approved for children in Canada, and Sharma says it is a significant step forward in Canada's fight against COVID-19.The trial used the same

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says his government's advice that people should get vaccinated as soon as it's their turn has not changed. He made the comment after a federal panel said vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna are ``preferred.'' Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the only way Canada brings the pandemic to a close is for everyone to get vaccinated as soon as possible. Amid a flurry of fear and frustration over new advice from the National Advisory Committee on Immunization, Trudeau says he's glad he was given the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine. Trudeau also announced that one-milli