In response to the increasing spread of the COVID-19 (novel coronavirus) in February, and the declaration of a global pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) on March 11, a number of travel restrictions, business closures and physical distancing measures were put in place in Canada in March. The timing and extent of these measures varied by province, for example, the Ontario government announced a state of emergency on March 17 and the Quebec government mandated the closure of all non-essential businesses on March 23. Beginning on March 18, a number of economic benefit programs for people affected by COVID-19 ... (full story)

Canadian employment plunged by nearly two million people and the jobless rate surged to 13 per cent in April as companies were forced to slash payroll in response to restrictive lockdown measures aimed at curbing the spread of the novel coronavirus. Combined with March’s results, about three million people have lost their jobs over a two-month span and millions of others have seen their hours significantly affected, according to Statistics Canada’s Labour Force Survey. The unemployment rate jumped from March’s 7.8 per cent. The job losses, while historically bad, were also considerably better than many expected. ... (full story)