National News

A look at news events in March 2021: 2 - Gross domestic product shrank 5.4 per cent in 2020, making it the worst year for the Canadian economy since the agency started keeping records in 1961.

A look at news events in February 2021: 1 - Drugmaker Novavax submitted its vaccine candidate to Health Canada for regulatory approval.

A look at news events in January 2021: 1 - The U.S. reached 20 million COVID-19 cases on the first day of the new year. Johns Hopkins University said the U.S. exceeded the mark less than a week after the country reached 19 million cases.

VANCOUVER — Rows of rooms line a long, narrow hallway where a tall aluminum cart stacked with food trays is parked as staff at the front desk register visitors and offer surgical masks.

VANCOUVER — Canada's major cities are set to ring in the New Year with more of a gentle chime than a resounding clang, with many official celebrations cancelled or moved online for the second year in a row due to COVID-19.

The Omicron variant continued to cause record-breaking COVID-19 case numbers in several provinces Thursday, which also prompted Quebec to impose a nighttime curfew that will come into effect on New Year's Eve.

MONTREAL — Warning that hospitals could soon be overwhelmed with COVID-19 patients, Quebec Premier François Legault imposed a series of new restrictions Thursday, including a nighttime curfew that will begin on New Year's Eve.

WHITEHORSE — The Yukon government says an increase in COVID-19 cases with 34 new infections reported Thursday is a sign the Omicron variant is circulating in communities.

OTTAWA — The commander of the Royal Canadian Navy is sounding the alarm over a shortage of sailors, saying he needs about 1,000 additional mariners to crew Canada's warships.

OTTAWA — The federal minister in charge of aid to the unemployed says jobless Canadians who refuse to get vaccinated may find themselves blocked from benefits so long as public health concerns remain top of mind.