The world figure skating championships in Montreal have been cancelled because of the spread of COVID-19. The championships were scheduled to run March 18 to 22 at the Bell Centre. It is the latest sporting event that has been wiped out by the novel coronavirus. The world women's hockey championship, which was scheduled to start later this month in Nova Scotia, was cancelled on Saturday. The other major winter world championship event in Canada remains on schedule. The women's world curling championship is to start Saturday in Prince George, B.C.

Health Minister Patty Hajdu says the Liberals one billion dollar package to mitigate impacts of the spread of COVID-19 is aimed at finding the balance between keeping the country ready, and also functioning. She says a decision to make it easier for people forced to stay home due to the illness to collect unemployment insurance was rolled out for that reason. The money announced by the Liberals will also be spent on purchasing medical supplies for front line workers, research towards a vaccine for the virus and bolstering provincial and territorial health care responses. The Liberals' package

Finance minister Bill Morneau has set a date,30th March,for the next federal Budget. He made the announcement in the Commons this afternoon. Morneau says the budget will recognize real challenges in the economy, a reference to things like the new coronavirus and low oil prices.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the government is creating a one billion dollar COVID-19 response fund. He says he wants all premiers and Canadians to know that the government will make sure they have everything they need to keep everyone safe.Trudeau says the government is also waiving the current one-week waiting period for employment insurance. He says ``we get it and we're on it.''Trudeau says today's announcement is significant, but that the government is prepared to do more if need be.

Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne says he is in regular contact with his counterpart in Italy to try to learn from that country's experience with the novel coronavirus. Italy has gone into total lockdown, as officials restrict travel to 60 million people to limit the spread of the virus. The country has confirmed more than 9,000 cases of COVID-19, and has reported more than 460 deaths.

Air Canada is suspending flights to and from Italy, saying Italian regulations and ``ongoing health and safety concerns'' prompted the decision. The airline's last flight to Rome is scheduled to take off from Toronto today, with the final return flight departing Rome for Montreal on Wednesday. Air Canada hopes to restart service May 1. Meanwhile, it says affected customers will be notified and offered a full refund. In January, Canada's largest airline halted all direct flights to China, the epicentre of the virus, as it braced for a hit to revenues. Its shares have fallen about 40 per cent i

The government wants to make sure workers don't feel they have to go to work if they have symptoms of COVID-19. Federal Labour Minister Filomena Tassi says if the government starts hearing that's happening, it will take action, but she didn't offer any specifics. Tassi says the government's special cabinet committee chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland will continue to monitor the situation. Canada has recorded 80 confirmed and presumptive cases of the novel coronavirus, including a BC man in his 80s who died of the virus Sunday night.

Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne confirms there were 228 Canadian passengers and crew from the Grand Princess cruise ship who arrived this morning at CFB Trenton, Ontario.There were 237 Canadians aboard the ship that had multiple cases of the novel coronavirus.Champagne says some stayed in Oakland, California due to unrelated medical conditions and that some of the Canadian crew members who tested positive are still aboard the ship.He didn't say how many of the seven Canadian crew members have been diagnosed with the virus.

Finance Minister Bill Morneau says the Canadian economy is strong enough to weather the economic impacts of the novel coronavirus. He says the federal government has enough wiggle room in its finances to help individuals and businesses deal with the fallout. But he is still not sharing any details of those plans or the date when the federal budget will be released. He also would not reveal whether he expects the deficit to be bigger than previously projected, given the sharp decline in oil prices and the hit the markets are taking today. In an appearance on Parliament Hill, Morneau says the f