In his address to the nation Wednesday night, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said four of Canada's biggest provinces are in the midst of a second wave of COVID-19.
"The numbers are clear. Back on March 13th, when we went into lockdown, there were 47 new cases of COVID-19. Yesterday alone, we had well over a thousand," said the Prime Minister, adding, "We're on the brink of a fall, that could be much worse than the spring. I know this isn't the news that any of us wanted to hear and we can't change today's numbers or even tomorrow's. Those were already decided by what we did or didn't do two weeks ago, but what we can change is where we are in October and into the winter."
Trudeau remarked that family gatherings for Thanksgiving this year are pretty much a write-off for many Canadians, thanks to this second wave of the virus.
But he noted vigilance against the coronavirus could reduce case numbers in the months to come.
Meanwhile, Conservative leader Erin O'Toole reacted to Trudeau's comments, saying the virus possibly impacting the holidays is all thanks to the Trudeau Government, which he says has
been slow in adopting faster COVID-19 tests.
"When I spoke with Mr. Trudeau last week, I asked him to ensure that Canadians had better and faster access to COVID testing options. It is unacceptable that we trust countries like Japan, Germany and the U.S. with our national security intelligence, but don't trust their approval of 15 minute saliva tests. In March, the prime minister promised that rapid testing for Canadians would be his top priority. Half a year and half a trillion dollars later, Canadian families are lined up for hours for tests, because the prime minister failed to deliver.
This all comes following today's throne speech, in which Trudeau's government says it will do "whatever it takes'' to support Canadians during the pandemic.
The commitment came in a speech that outlines the government's priorities for a new session of Parliament.
The government says the economic impact of COVID-19 on Canadians has already been worse than the 2008 financial crisis.
If the three main opposition parties vote against the speech an election could be triggered.
With files from the Canadian Press