OTTAWA—In the shadow of an international declaration that the coronavirus outbreak is now a global pandemic, the federal government rushed out a $1-billion aid package to buttress Canada’s health-care systems against the spiralling crisis.

The Trudeau government’s spending push came less than three weeks before the 2020 federal budget, as Ontario marked what is believed to be its first case of transmission inside the province, and the federal health minister acknowledged for the first time that the virus could infect millions of Canadians before the outbreak is over.

At a morning press conference Wednesday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau noted that many Canadians are shaken by the ongoing spread of the deadly virus and insisted his Liberal government will do what is necessary to protect them.

“We get it. We’re on it. We’re working with our international partners to contain the virus,” he said when announcing Ottawa’s decision to spend an extra billion dollars to respond to the crisis.

The aid package includes $500 million for “critical” health-care needs and mitigation in the provinces and territories.

It also puts $275 million — on top of $50 million already announced — to develop vaccines and antiviral drugs; $50 million to buy gloves, masks and other necessary medical supplies; and $17 million to more quickly provide employment insurance to quarantined workers and enhance the federal fund that tops up earnings when employees are knocked down to part-time work in an economic slump.

“We are pulling out all the stops to make sure Canadians stay safe, healthy and supported,” Trudeau said.

The Ontario government ramped up its own response to the outbreak Wednesday as well, setting aside $100 million to fight the virus. The province is also prepping out-of-hospital assessment centres and might offer drive-thru screening options, and ordering long-term care homes to screen staff, visitors and residents.

The federal response plan was announced mere hours before the World Health Organization declared that the novel coronavirus that emerged in China’s Hubei province late last year — and officially named COVID-19 — is now a pandemic. Top WHO officials in Geneva stressed the word “pandemic” refers to the scale of the virus’s spread and urged people not to panic.

Dr. Michael Ryan, head of the WHO’s emergency response program, said it is a “call to action, not a call to give up.”

The Public Health Agency of Canada, created in the wake of the 2003 SARS outbreak, is still assessing that the risk of the virus in Canada is low, but cautions that this could “change rapidly.”

Canada’s top health officer, Dr. Theresa Tam, told the federal health committee Wednesday that the WHO’s “key message is all countries can still change the course of this pandemic.” She said the WHO is urging countries to take steps to be prepared, and “I believe we are already doing this.”

Meanwhile, authorities in Toronto confirmed a man attending an international mining conference in the city — where Trudeau and Ontario Premier Doug Ford also appeared — likely contracted the virus at the convention, as the number of infections in Ontario climbed to 41 and the Canadian tally surpassed 100.

The virus has killed one Canadian, a man in his 80s who died at a seniors’ home in North Vancouver.

In Trenton, Ont., a Canadian under quarantine at a military base also tested positive for COVID-19, the Public Health Agency of Canada reported. The person was among the 228 Canadians airlifted from California for isolation at CFB Trenton, after they travelled on a cruise ship that docked in the American state during an on-board outbreak.

Outside the House of Commons, federal Health Minister Patty Hajdu acknowledged for the first time that 30 to 70 per cent of the Canadian population could end up infected with the virus. But she stressed that the scientific evidence behind that figure is not yet firm.

She also said the WHO’s pandemic declaration “was not surprising to us” because the government has been having daily discussions about possible scenarios around the outbreak. It will “not a trigger point that’s going to necessarily change, dramatically, what we do,” she said.

“We are stepping it up right now,” she said. “It’s making sure that, now that we understand where some of those deficits might be from a provincial health-care perspective, that we can quickly get the money out the door to provinces and territories.”

Opposition parties were quick to characterize the government’s measures as inadequate. NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh picked up on criticism from the Canadian Labour Congress that newly-announced decision to waive the one-week wait period for employment insurance won’t help workers without access to the program.

He called on Ottawa to make direct payments to individuals who say they need to miss work because of the virus — arguing it is no time to question whether people would take advantage of such an offer or quibble over how much it would cost.

“We need to make sure workers are able to say at home and that there is direct funding given to people who self-isolate,” he said.

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Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet welcomed the increased health funding to his province, but called for additional measures to support border agents screening travellers for the virus, and beefed up transfers to seniors amidst the crisis.

Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer attacked the Liberal government’s fiscal record, continuing his party’s assertion that — contrary to a recent report from the independent Parliamentary Budget Officer — Canada does not have the spending room to weather the coronavirus storm.

In Calgary, Alberta Premier Jason Kenney welcomed the additional federal funds for health care, but said he will be “pushing urgently” for more support as he travels to Ottawa for a summit of first ministers this week.

Pointing to the “total collapse” of oil prices that triggered Canada’s largest single-day stock market plunge since 1987 on Monday, Kenney said the federal government should speed up planned infrastructure spending as major energy companies in his province slash their own capital budgets in response to the downturn. Kenney is also pushing for Ottawa to lift the cap on federal transfer payments designed to prop up provincial budgets when revenues collapse during an economic recession, and called Wednesday for “emergency support” for workers he expects will be laid off in the coming weeks.

“We are facing an economic crisis in Canada and we need the national government to act accordingly,” said Kenney.

Meanwhile, business groups welcomed the new federal fund, even as some called for further action to stave off damage from the economic downturn. Perrin Beatty, president and chief executive of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, said he expects to see further supports in the upcoming federal budget, including possible “targeted measures” for aviation, tourism and hospitality industries especially hard hit amid travel advisories and restrictions in other countries.

Other groups, such as the Canadian Federation for Independent Business, called on Ottawa to delay increasing employers’ required pensions payments and accept late filing of sales tax contributions.

“It very clearly is a first step,” Beatty told the Star by phone on Wednesday.

“There will be much more that will need to be done to weather this storm, but it’s a good first step.”

Trudeau and his government left the door open to further action, as the prime minister insisted Canada is “very lucky” to have an already-strong health-care system and the ability to increase spending in the face of economic headwinds.

That could include funnelling more money to federal lending agencies like the Business Development Bank of Canada and Export Development Canada, the government said Wednesday. A similar initiative after the 2008 financial crisis saw $11 billion in loans delivered to 10,000 firms so they had cash to stave off job losses and continue operating.

But health authorities warn the outbreak is likely to get worse before it gets better, especially south of the border where the U.S. government tried to use centralized testing early on, delaying the surveillance of just how widespread the virus is there.

Trudeau acknowledged Wednesday there is “real potential” for the virus to spread into Canada from the U.S., but added that both countries are taking steps to slow the rate of infection.

Asked about further restrictions in Canada — as jurisdictions in the U.S. limit the size of gatherings and Italy continues its nationwide lockdown — Trudeau vowed the government will do what is needed, but is urging Canadians to follow the advice of health professionals to curb the spread of the disease and prevent the need for more drastic action.

That includes regularly washing one’s hands, coughing into one’s elbow, and avoiding handshakes, Trudeau said.

“While we are prepared for a wide range of scenarios, we will focus on what needs to be done now,” he said.

The virus has infected than 118,000 people around the world and killed more than 4,200, the WHO reported Wednesday.

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