Trudeau says economic statement will be put to confidence vote in House of Commons

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the vote on the tens of billions in new spending measures in the fall economic statement will be a confidence measure.

That means the minority Liberal government could fall, sending the country into a winter pandemic election if at least one of the opposition parties don't support it.

Trudeau doesn't think anyone wants an election now.

He says he's confident of opposition support given the need for many of the proposed measures.

PM says, 80 per cent of the money spent to support Canadians during the pandemic has come from the federal government

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says 80 per cent of the money spent to support and protect Canadians during the COVID-19 pandemic has come from the federal government.

The prime minister says that includes tens of millions of rapid tests that are starting to be distributed across the country, as well as billions of doses of yet-to-be-delivered COVID-19 vaccines.

Trudeau says Canada is guaranteed to receive some of the first doses of the vaccine produced by U.S. pharmaceutical company Moderna once it has been approved by Health Canada.

The Moderna vaccine candidate is one of four currently being reviewed by the department.