Timeline of the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada


The following is a timeline of the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada.

December 2019

On December 31, 2019 the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission in China, reported a cluster of cases of pneumonia in Wuhan, Hubei Province. A novel coronavirus was eventually identified.

January 2020

January 1, 2020 the WHO set up the IMST across all three levels of the organization: headquarters, regional headquarters and country level, putting the organization on an emergency footing for dealing with the outbreak.
On January 7, 2020, when it appeared that there was a health crisis emerging in Wuhan, Dr. Theresa Tam, Chief Public Health Officer of Canada, was quoted advising Canadians: "There has been no evidence to date that this illness, whatever it's caused by, is spread easily from person to person; no health care workers caring for the patients have become ill; a positive sign."
January 13 a person in Thailand is the first patient outside of China is confirmed to have COVID.
On January 17, the Canada Border Services Agency indicated plans were in progress "to implement signage" in the Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver airports to raise awareness of the virus, and that there would be an additional health screening question added to the electronic kiosks for passengers arriving from central China. The agency noted the overall risk to Canadians was low and there were no direct flights from Wuhan to Canada. The CBSA said it would not be, at that time, implementing extra screening measures, but would "monitor the situation closely".
On January 23, the federal Minister of Health, Patty Hajdu, said that five or six people were being monitored for signs of the virus. That same day, Dr. Theresa Tam was a member of the WHO committee that broadcast that it was too early to declare a public health emergency of international concern. The following day in Wuhan China construction began on a new hospital to treat COVID patients that would take only 10 days to build and was widely reported around the world.
On January 25, the first identified presumptive case in Canada was a male in his 50s who travelled between Wuhan and Guangzhou before returning to Toronto on January 22. Canada issued a travel advisory against non-essential travel to China due to the outbreak, including a regional travel advisory to avoid all travel to the province of Hubei. Federal health officials stated that the risk in Canada was low. On January 26, Tam stated "There is no clear evidence that this virus is spread easily from person to person. The risk to Canadians remains low."
Final testing conducted at the National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg, Manitoba confirmed the presumptive case on January 27. On January 27, Canada confirmed its first case. On January 29, Dr. Theresa Tam told Canadians that "It's going to be rare, but we are expecting cases."
On January 29, Minister of Foreign Affairs François-Philippe Champagne announced that an aircraft would be sent to repatriate Canadians from the areas affected by the virus in China.
On January 30, the WHO declared the coronavirus was a "public health emergency of international concern".

February 2020

On February 1, the government's position remained that it would be discriminatory to exclude travellers from China, the politico-geographical source of the disease.
On February 2, the Canadian Armed Forces announced that it planned to charter a plane to assist in the evacuation of Canadian nationals still in Wuhan once given authorization by China, intending to fly them to CFB Trenton for repatriation and medical screenings. Only those that had entered the country with a Canadian passport would be allowed to take this flight. The first plane landed at CFB Trenton on February 7. On February 21, a chartered flight of 131 Canadians who were quarantined aboard after an outbreak on the cruise ship in Japan, and who all tested negative for the virus, were brought to CFB Trenton for additional screening before being transported by bus to the NAV Centre in Cornwall, Ontario to be quarantined.
On February 3, at a time when the US and Australia had excluded foreigners who travelled from China, Hajdu denounced "the spread of misinformation and fear across Canadian society" and called on the opposition to "not sensationalize the risk to Canadians", while Tam endorsed the position by the World Health Organization, which "advises against any kind of travel and trade restrictions, saying that they are inappropriate and could actually cause more harm than good in terms of our global effort to contain" the disease.
On February 21, University of Regina psychology professor Gordon J. G. Asmundson and University of British Columbia psychiatry professor Steven Taylor coined the neologism coronaphobia in an editorial from the august Journal of Anxiety Disorders, and attempted to link this phobia to xenophobia and bad discrimination.
On February 26, Hajdu recommended that citizens stockpile food and medication, noting that it was "good to be prepared because things can change quickly ." The recommendation faced criticism from politicians: Manitoba health minister Cameron Friesen and Ontario health minister Christine Elliott both felt that there was no need for such aggressive stockpiling, while Friesen also felt that there needed to be more coordination between the federal and provincial levels in terms of information regarding the outbreak. Conservative Party shadow minister Matt Jeneroux opined that the suggestion incited concern and was lacking in transparency. Health Canada's website recommended against such bulk purchases, and explained that having supplies on hand was to "ensure you do not need to leave your home at the peak of the outbreak or if you become ill."

March 2020

On March 4, 2020, Trudeau announced his creation of the Cabinet Committee on the federal response to the coronavirus disease, chaired by Chrystia Freeland, "to limit the spread of the virus" and to protect "the health and safety of all Canadians".
Hajdu announced on March 6 that the federal government would offer $27 million in funding to 47 research groups at 19 universities to develop means of managing the outbreak. Minister of Finance Bill Morneau stated that the next federal budget would include measures in response to the outbreak, including an increase to the risk adjustment provision.
On March 8, Champagne stated that at the request of the U.S. government, Canada had chartered a EuroAtlantic passenger airplane to evacuate the 237 citizens that were still aboard the cruise ship. They were quarantined at CFB Trenton for two weeks when the plane landed on March 10.
Member of Parliament Anthony Housefather announced on March 9 that he was undergoing self-isolation as a precautionary measure due to possible contact with a person at an American Israel Public Affairs Committee conference in Washington. The next day, Minister of Natural Resources Seamus O'Regan stated that he was also in self-isolation while awaiting the results of a coronavirus test. He had seen a doctor regarding a "persistent" head cold, who recommended testing, but was "not aware of contacting anyone infected". The test came back negative.
On March 11, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced a $1 billion response fund, including $500 million to go to provinces and territories, a $50 million contribution to the World Health Organization and an additional $275 million to fund COVID-19 research in Canada. Minister of Economic Development and Official Languages Mélanie Joly stated that she had been discussing means of mitigating the outbreak's impact on the air travel industry.
Also on March 11, the WHO declared the existence of a global pandemic.
On March 12, after returning from a speaking engagement in London, England, Trudeau's wife Sophie Grégoire Trudeau tested positive for COVID-19. She and the Prime Minister went into self-isolation. The staff member is now thought to be Canada's first case of community transmission.
On March 13, Trudeau announced that the federal government was preparing a stimulus package to address those affected by the pandemic.
Also on March 13, Parliament agreed unanimously to shut its doors for five weeks because of COVID-19.
On March 16, Trudeau announced that new entry restrictions would be implemented shortly after midnight ET on March 18, restricting entry into the country to Canadian citizens and permanent residents and their immediate families. The United States was excepted from this policy but on March 18 travellers from the United States were also banned in a mutual agreement with the US government. Most international flights were routed to Canada's an arbitrary selection of four airports in order "to enhance screening measures". Minister of Foreign Affairs François-Philippe Champagne also announced that for citizens who are still abroad, the country would provide emergency loans of up to $5,000 to cover travel costs or basic needs until they are able to return.
On March 24, 35 members of parliament met in order to discuss Bill C-13, the COVID-19 Emergency Response Act. To maintain social distancing in the face of the highly contagious respiratory illness, only 35 of the 338 members of the House of Commons convened to debate the legislation. The Commons agreed "to see the application of Standing Order 17 suspended for the current sitting to allow members the practice of social distancing."
Meanwhile Dr. Theresa Tam was quoted as saying regarding Canadian's need to wear face masks: “most people haven’t learned how to use masks” and “there is no need to use a mask for well people.”
On March 28, Sophie Grégoire Trudeau announced her full recovery and thanked her well-wishers via social media.
The unemployment figures for the month of March were that the economy had shed 1,000,000 jobs, pushing the official jobless rate to 7.8 percent.

April 2020

On April 2, Trudeau said that he foresaw the expiry of the COVID-19 crisis to occur only in July.
On April 6, Trudeau introduced extra aid for the Canada Emergency Response Benefit, saying "there are groups of people who aren't benefiting from who probably should."
Also on April 6, the CPHO of Canada advised the use of a "non-medical face mask when shopping or using public transit" because "A non-medical mask can reduce the chance of your respiratory droplets coming into contact with others or land on surfaces". Tam offered advice on how to use "a cotton shirt combined with rubber bands" to create a DIY non-medical face mask.
On April 9, the federal government released modelling that, even with strong public health measures, showed between 11,000 and 22,000 deaths over the course of the pandemic, with that number being closer to 300,000 deaths if no measures had been taken. Trudeau warned that "normality as it was before will not come back full-on until we get a vaccine for this", and that residents would "have to remain vigilant for at least a year."
The same day, Trudeau sent a letter to the provincial and territorial premiers to consult about invoking the Emergencies Act. While consultation with the provinces is a required step before the Act can be triggered, the Prime Minister's Office said there was no present plan to enact it and that doing so remained a last resort. On a conference call between Trudeau and the premiers later that day, the premiers communicated their unanimous opposition to invoking the Act.
On April 10, the RCMP disclosed it has been asked to enforce the Quarantine Act, 2005. Penalties for violations can include a fine of up to $750,000 and imprisonment for six months. One reporter said that the RCMP "could enter homes to enforce Quarantine Act orders if Canadians don't self-isolate... will do physical checks to enforce it." It was reported that the Canadian Forces Intelligence Command Medical Intelligence Cell has submitted reports on the outbreak in Wuhan since January 2020.
On April 11, Parliament re-convened to pass Bill C-14: COVID-19 Emergency Response Act, No. 2, and thereby adopt the CEWS. As with the previous siting on March 24, 35 MPs stood in for the full complement of 338 members due to the need for COVID-19 social distancing. Government briefing notes detailed "a bureaucracy reluctant to put inbound China passengers in mandatory quarantine or close borders to arrivals from other hotspots." Yves-François Blanchet supported Trudeau when he "raised health and safety concerns over holding regular meetings to respect physical distancing". All that was needed to debate and to pass the bill to spend $73 billion were five hours.
On April 15, Trudeau warned against premature reopening of the economy, stating that "in order to get to that point, we need to continue doing what we are doing now for many more weeks".
on April 26.
On April 20, Parliament's temporary suspension for five weeks expired and it voted, over the objections of Andrew Scheer's Conservative Party of Canada, by a 22-15 margin to sit only once weekly on Wednesdays for as long as Trudeau can convince the nation that the coronavirus poses a grave health and safety risk.
On April 28, it was revealed that "79 per cent of all deaths in the country" were to that date connected with "long-term care and seniors' homes."
On April 30, the Parliamentary Budget Officer warned that the Federal deficit for fiscal year 2020 could be in excess of $252 billion, as Canadians of every stripe rushed for the lifeboats. Robyn Urback issued from her column in The Globe and Mail a blistering attack on Trudeau's Cabinet, entitled "Canadians have been gaslit on China". Also on April 30, the City of Ottawa allowed the Muslims an exemption on the noise bylaw that allowed them to use modern loudspeaker technology to amplify a five-minute recording of their call to worship because of the blanket ban on freedom of assembly during the coronavirus crisis. This followed similar exemptions in Toronto and Mississauga.

May 2020

On May 1, 2020, royal assent was granted to Bill C-15, to implement the Canada Emergency Student Benefit, after a cursory one-day consideration by 35 MPs. It established a subsidy programme for secondary school graduates and post-secondary students. Students who cannot find employment or are unable to work due to the COVID-19 pandemic are eligible for CA$1,250 per month from May through August 2020.
On May 1, it came to light that Shanker Nesathurai, Chief Medical Officer of Health for Haldimand County and Norfolk County both of which lie on the shores of Lake Erie, had issued an order under the provincial Health Protection and Promotion Act which reads:
Norfolk County Council was told that in order to remove the CMOH would require a two-thirds vote from Council along with approval from the provincial government.
On May 4, Trudeau discouraged Canadians from displaying complacency due to the lifting of economic restrictions by provinces, emphasizing that it was "extremely important" for citizens to continue practicing social distancing and personal hygiene to prevent the spread, and not go out "unless you absolutely have to". He explained that although the country was on a "positive trajectory", "we are not out of the woods, however, and it requires us to continue to remain attentive and vigilant and following the instructions set out by our public health officials."
On May 5, it came to light that the mayor of Huron-Kinloss township by Lake Huron in March 2020 ordered water service to seasonal properties shut off. Carling Township ordered its boat launch facility to remain closed, thus preventing access to anyone who needs it, including seasonal residents. Cottage-country mayors pleaded with the government of Ontario to legislate or somehow else to accept responsibility for their fate. In a memo circulated to his subordinate medical officers of health, Dr. David Williams was frightened by the advice of CMOH Nesathurai and said that
Premier Doug Ford weighed in and said that he would not take responsibility:
Also on May 5, the Canadian red meat industry was granted access to federal COVID emergency subsidies.
On May 6, columnist Rex Murphy voiced criticism of what he called the "Liberal Government at the Bottom of the Cottage Doorsteps". The LGBCD bestowed $850 million to an "international fund to research COVID-19." He questioned why this sum and not another, and pointed out that "Canada has top scientists and physicians itself". Murphy described this new form of government, in which such questions are avoided, as
It came to light on May 8 that 60 percent of COVID-19 fatalities were in Quebec, which has around 20 percent of the nation's population. Montreal was called "the epicentre of the pandemic in Canada." Also on May 8 the Quebec government was unhappy with the federal CESB programme, because the $1,250-per-month-per-capita subsidy would hinder the ability of the province to attract student labour to the province's farms, in the absence of foreign agricultural workers who cannot travel to Quebec because the international frontiers have been closed by the federal government.
On May 11, Trudeau, Morneau and Bains in a press conference said that "a bridge financing facility for large employers that need help to get through the economic downturn caused by the coronavirus." One stated goal was "to avoid bankruptcies of otherwise viable firms wherever possible... Companies that use the lending facility will have to commit to respect collective bargaining agreements, protecting workers’ pensions, and support national climate goals. Rules on access to the money will place limits on dividends, share buy-backs and executive pay." The Large Employer Emergency Financing Facility will only target companies with annual revenues in excess of $300 million.
It came to light on May 11 that problems at an oil sands plant in Kearl Lake, Alberta caused more than 100 COVID-19 illnesses across four provinces. Kearl Lake has more than 1,400 workers. The oil sands sector was declared an essential service by the Alberta government so that fly-in fly-out camps like Kearl Lake have continued to operate during the pandemic. Workers come from afar, typically for two week non-stop shifts. On April 15, Alberta Health Services declared an outbreak with three cases of the illness. On April 16, there were 12 cases. On May 8, the number of cases exceeded 100, including 23 located in British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Nova Scotia because the shift work allows interprovincial commuters to thrive. "At least three went back to the community of La Loche in Saskatchewan's remote north. More than 130 people have since been infected with the contagion in the Dene village of 2,800 people, about 600 kilometres northwest of Saskatoon. Two have died." Two-week self-isolation policies were erected on April 19 by the away provinces.
On May 12, Parliamentary Budget Officer Yves Giroux raised the possibility that the federal debt "will hit $1 trillion because of pandemic relief spending." Giroux said it was possible that pandemic programs could cost "more than what the entire federal government spent last year on everything", roughly $338 billion. Also on May 12, it was announced by Minister of International Development Karina Gould that $600 million would be contributed by the taxpayer to GAVI, "a vaccine alliance that improves vaccine access for vulnerable children around the world."
Also on May 12, Health Canada issued a press release with the announcement that the CCITF serological test would be administered to one million Canadians over the next two years. The government has selected DiaSorin to manufacture the tests.
On May 13, it was disclosed that while in the quarantine system imposed by the government of British Columbia on international arrivals, eight farm workers out of 1,500 had tested positive for COVID-19 disease. The province started allowing imported farmhands in April and is the only province to implement mandatory quarantine. Ontario has had dozens of cases with imported farmhands. In the west, "if the new arrivals have no symptoms when they land, they are sent to hotels near Vancouver International Airport. The province is paying for the rooms, food service and worker support costs during the 14-day self-isolation period. During that time, employers are responsible for paying their temporary foreign workers for a minimum 30 hours a week, at the hourly rate that they would make while working. As well, farm operators are required to demonstrate proof of an infection control plan with the Ministry of Agriculture. So far, 219 farms have submitted health plans online, and 133 inspections have been completed to make sure farms are safely equipped and organized to manage COVID-19 risks."
On May 14, the Globe and Mail Editorial Board endorsed restrictive measures on international travellers patterned on those implemented in the HKSAR. while the Lufthansa Group announced it would resume flights between Toronto and Frankfurt as of June 3, as part of its resumption of global business. Also on May 14, Sean Fine observed that Section 6 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms enshrines mobility rights, such as "the right to enter, remain in and leave the country; citizens and permanent residents may move to, pursue work and reside anywhere in the country."
On May 15, Conservative leader Andrew Scheer told a press conference that the Conservative caucus wanted Parliament to resume sitting as normal on May 25 and desired to withhold their consent to the 35-day rolling adjournment that prevents the regular operation of Parliament. Scheer observed that "Elected members of Parliament come here to be a voice for their constituents." Because all-party consent is required to suspend the animation of Parliament, it will need to resume sitting.
On May 19 it came to light during a press conference with Trudeau and Tam that the 20th week of 2020 versus the same figures in 2019 saw a drop of 88 percent in land border crossers, and a 98 percent drop in international air travel. The following day CPHO Tam reversed her decision from March on the wearing of masks and began asking Canadians to start wearing masks.
On May 20, a resident of Nova Scotia who was barred from attending her mother's funeral in Newfoundland gave notice to the province of her intent to sue in Newfoundland and Labrador Supreme Court because she felt that her rights under Section 6 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms had been violated, and that provinces cannot enforce bans because they have no enumerated powers to do so.
On May 21, it came to light that the Canadian Armed Forces, who had been tasked previously in Operation LASER with care for the senior citizens in the Long-Term Care Facilities of Ontario and Quebec had potentially been victimised by a COVID-19 SSEV. The disease affected 25 soldiers as of this date, but neither the CAF nor the DND would divulge details.
On May 22, Minister of Health Patty Hajdu interrupted a line of questions to the CPHO from an opposition MP because he was probing why the National Emergency Stockpile System had been underfunded while Canadians showered hundreds of times more money abroad. In 2006, Dr Theresa Tam, who was later to become the CPHO, was a lead author for the CPIP document. The 2006 report advises that there be a 16-week stockpile of medical supplies in the NESS to cover two pandemic waves.
On May 25, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence Anita Vandenbeld disclosed to the third sitting of the resumed 43rd Canadian Parliament that 36 soldiers from Operation LASER had been infected with COVID-19 disease. Vandenbeld corrected for the record Cheryl Gallant who had been under the mistaken impression that only 28 soldiers had been infected. Also on that day, Doug Ford announced that Ontario had a heat map of the outbreak locations, and that Brampton, north Etobicoke, Scarborough, Peel Region, Windsor and Essex County were "lighting up like Christmas trees". It was disclosed that Toronto-area public health units account for 65% of cases in Ontario.
The next day, it was disclosed that the Ontario OpLASER LTCFs suffered in human resources from a form of disrepair, decay and dilapidation. The DND chose this day to release a letter by Brigadier-General CJJ Mialkowski dated May 14 in which he reported the unvarnished truth as he and his soldiers found it. The five Ontario OpLASER LCTFs were:
On June 18, 2020, Canada reached 100,000 coronavirus cases, a little over three months since the suspension of Parliament for the same reason. A CBC News tally of reported deaths from COVID-19 on the same date was 8,348.
On June 24, Fitch Ratings Inc., a bond ratings agency, downgraded Canada's credit rating from triple-A to double-A-plus. The government had sported a triple-A credit rating with Fitch since the Martin government.
On June 25, former Clerk of the Privy Council of Canada Michael Wernick predicted that the one of the side-effects of the COVID-19 pandemic would be the shrinkage of the number of paid civil servants of Canada. He drew analogies to the debt problem in the 1980s which led "to a 1995 austerity budget that saw 45,000 public service jobs slashed, the elimination of 73 federal agencies, a 21 per cent reduction in foreign aid and the privatization of Canadian National Railways." Wernick said that:
On June 28, it was remarked in light of the March 18 COVID-19 closure of the Canada-US border, that the CBSA was practiced at separating common-law couples who could provide no documentary evidence of their joint residence. David Poon, a 34 year old medical doctor from Regina, was one of the victims of this policy and started the 1,600-strong organization Advocacy for Family Reunification at the Canadian Border because

July 2020

The western provinces reported a sudden surge in cases around the middle of July.