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

Canada's main stock index has closed down 10.3 per cent to its lowest level in 14 months as a collapse in oil prices triggers a plunge. The TSX composite index lost 1,660 points to close at 14,514. In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was down two thousand points or 7.7 per cent at 23,864.

Canada's top public health doctor now recommends Canadians avoid travelling on all cruise ships to protect against the spread of the novel coronavirus.Dr. Theresa Tam previously advised Canadians to think twice about cruises but toughened her warning in a Monday morning news conference.Tam says the ships may voyage to areas with confirmed or undiagnosed cases of the coronavirus and its associated respiratory disease, COVID-19.There are six cases of the virus in Canada linked to a previous voyage of the Grand Princess cruise ship out of San Francisco.Other Canadians, stuck on the ship's curren

Ottawa says it has chartered a plane to bring home Canadians stranded on the Grand Princess cruise ship off the coast of California. Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne says Canada made the decision after the U.S. government asked for help. The ship is carrying 3,500 people, including 237 Canadians, and it's expected to dock in Oakland, Calif., tomorrow. U.S. Vice-President Mike Pence announced Friday that at least 21 people aboard the ship, including 19 crew members, have tested positive for the virus. The chartered plane will bring passengers from San Francisco to Canadian F

The Alberta government says the province has a second presumptive case of the novel coronavirus. Dr. Deena Hinshaw, chief medical officer of health, says the second case is a man in his 40s in the Edmonton area who had travelled on business to Michigan, Illinois and Ohio. Hinshaw says the man returned to Alberta on Feb. 28 and is currently isolated at his home. Alberta's first case was announced Thursday, a woman in her 50s from Calgary who is expected to make a full recovery. Hinshaw says the woman works at ATB Financial, Alberta's Crown-owned bank. She says ATB has closed two Calgary branch

The Public Health Agency of Canada is trying to find more than 260 Canadians who were on the last voyage of the Grand Princess cruise ship. This after fellow Canadian passengers were diagnosed with COVID-19 upon their return last month. Currently, the ship is being held off the coast of California with 237 Canadians on board, as some passengers are tested for the virus.

The federal government is increasing funding for COVID-19 research from the initial $7 million level to $27 million. Health Minister Patty Hajdu says applications for the initial amount were overwhelming. 47 research teams will now receive money to work on everything from treating the new coronavirus to getting useful information out on it. The latest patient in Ontario recently travelled to Las Vegas and used public transit in Toronto for several days before he was tested, but officials say transit riders without symptoms do not need to seek medical help. Canada's first apparent case of comm

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says misinformation about COVID-19 is hurting the ability of some communities to keep their people safe. He says Canada plans to stay focused on co-ordinating with health authorities in all provinces and territories to ensure our response is active and up to date, rather than make any ``knee-jerk'' reactions. Australia has banned travellers from South Korea who aren't Australian citizens or permanent residents, following similar bans for China and Iran, but Trudeau says Canada has no plans to follow suit.

Federal Industry Minister Navdeep Bains says the government is moving forward on its commitment to reduce wireless prices with quarterly progress reports and spectrum set aside for smaller carriers in an upcoming auction. He says the incumbents Bell, Telus and Rogers have two years to reduce prices for their wireless plans in the two to six gigabyte range by 25 per cent from where they were at the start of this year, or face further regulatory action. The commitment comes as a 2019 pricing report showed regional carriers had plans substantially lower than the big three carriers, though the wi