Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says even if every possible precaution is taken, the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic could get worse before they get better. He says Canada's determination to fight the virus and the country's commitment to look out for one another might be put to the test, but believes Canadians are up to the challenge. Speaking in the House of Commons today during a special sitting of Parliament to pass the Liberals' massive wage subsidy program aimed at helping businesses and workers through the COVID-19 downturn, Trudeau delivered a speech outlining the challenges the pandem

Quebec has seen another spike in the number of deaths in the province and now has 289 deaths linked to COVID-19. Premier Francois Legault says the province also has 12,292 confirmed cases and 778 people are hospitalized 211 in intensive care. Legault is also resassuring Quebecers that he won't reopen schools and daycares without public health's blessing. There were strong reactions from parents and teachers' unions after Legault suggested Friday those institutions closed by the government until May 4, could reopen ahead of that date as Quebec looks at ways to restart the economy.

India has cleared the first list of 13 countries for hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) which includes USA, Spain, Germany, Bahrain, Brazil, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Maldives and Bangladesh, the sources said. They said USA had asked for 48 lakh tablets of HCQ and India has sanctioned 35.82 lakh tablets, sources said. Hydroxychloroquine is an anti-malarial drug deemed to be useful in dealing with COVID-19. The sources said that India has also sent nine MT of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API) to the US in line with its request. They said Brazil and Canada are expected to get 50 lakh tab

There are 22,147 confirmed and presumptive cases in Canada. Quebec: 11,677 confirmed (including 241 deaths, 1,341 resolved) Ontario: 6,237 confirmed (including 222 deaths, 2,574 resolved) Alberta: 1,500 confirmed (including 39 deaths, 713 resolved) British Columbia: 1,410 confirmed (including 55 deaths, 879 resolved) Nova Scotia: 407 confirmed (including 2 deaths, 93 resolved) Saskatchewan: 283 confirmed (including 3 deaths, 136 resolved), 1 presumptive Newfoundland and Labrador: 239 confirmed (including 3 deaths, 103 resolved) Manitoba: 215 confirmed (including 4 deaths, 92 resolved), 15 pre

British Columbia is reporting five more deaths due to COVID-19, along with 40 new cases. That brings the provincial death toll to 55 among 1,410 confirmed cases in total. The province says 128 people are hospitalized, including 65 in intensive care. It says there have been no new outbreaks at long-term care facilities since the last update on Thursday.

Alberta is reporting seven new deaths related to COVID-19 today, its highest single-day death toll to date. They include four new deaths at the McKenzie Town continuing care centre in Calgary, bringing that facility's total to 17. Alberta's chief medical officer Dr. Deena Hinshaw says new mandatory mask requirements are being put in place for health workers at long-term care sites, and staff at continuing care homes will be prevented from moving from facility to facility starting next week. The province reported 49 new cases of COVID-19 today for a total of 1,500.

Indigenous Services Minister Marc Miller has unveiled new support for First Nations communities as they battle COVID-19. Miller says 305-million-dollars in funds will be distributed to Indigenous communities across the country. He says the funding is designed to give communities the flexibility to address each of their unique needs. Miller says he recognizes the funds announced so far are not sufficient, but says the government is also working on shipping necessary protective equipment to reserves.

Figures from the federal government this morning show that 5.08 million people are receiving the Canada Emergency Response Benefit. The figure includes about two million workers who previously qualified for employment insurance benefits after March 15, but were moved to the new benefit when it became available on Monday. So far this week, 3.08 million people have filed claims for the benefit, including just over 615,000 claims alone on Thursday. The $2,000 a month benefit is available for up to 16 weeks for eligible workers affected by COVID-19.

President Donald Trump is bemoaning the ``horrible'' number of Americans who have died due to the coronavirus, while pointing to signs of hope. Trump says ``in the midst of grief and pain'' the country is seeing ``clear signs that our aggressive strategy'' is working. That includes a decrease in hospital admissions in some places. Trump's comments come on the same day as Johns Hopkins University's worldwide death toll hit 100,000. Trump, who is now weighing when to re-open the country's economy, is pointing to models that are now forecasting U.S. death rates far lower than originally estimate