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OTTAWA — Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan took aim at recent Chinese military expansions into the South China Sea on Monday, even as he pushed back against Conservative allegations that the Liberal government has been pandering to Beijing.

The latest numbers of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Canada as of 9:00 p.m. ET on Monday April 12, 2021. There are 1,071,016 confirmed cases in Canada. Canada: 1,071,016 confirmed cases (75,135 active, 972,525 resolved, 23,356 deaths).

Ontario announced Monday it was closing its schools, and Toronto-area hospitals cleared pediatric beds to make room for COVID-19 patients as officials in other provinces defended the need for public-health restrictions.

The latest news on COVID-19 developments in Canada (all times eastern): 6:55 p.m. Alberta Premier Jason Kenney is condemning those who use threats and intimidation to protest COVID-19 rules.

VANCOUVER — The City of Vancouver has outlined the amounts of various drugs people should be allowed to carry as it seeks a federal exemption to decriminalize possession for personal use.

OTTAWA — A group representing thousands of the country's small businesses says many hope the Trudeau Liberals heed their concerns and reshape aid in the upcoming federal budget to help them survive the COVID-19 pandemic.

LEVIS — A coroner's inquest into long-term care deaths in Quebec during the pandemic's first wave resumed on Monday with the tabling of a report exposing years of neglect at a facility south of Quebec City.

OTTAWA — A batch of more than 855,000 doses of vaccine from Moderna is now on route to Canada, Procurement Minister Anita Anand said Monday afternoon.

OTTAWA — A parliamentary committee is set to conclude its study into allegations of sexual misconduct in the Canadian military after a Liberal motion to do so passed.

OTTAWA — The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a rise in espionage attacks against Canada, according to a new report from Parliament’s special intelligence committee, which repeatedly singles out concerns about the threat posed by China and Russia.