PM creates COVID-19 cabinet committee to deal with novel coronavirus

© Provided by The Canadian Press

OTTAWA — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has created a new cabinet committee to deal with the novel coronavirus outbreak, which began in China but now has spread around the world.

The COVID-19 cabinet committee will complement the work being done by the government's incident response group.

Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland will chair the group, while Treasury Board President Jean-Yves Duclos will be vice-chair.

© Getty Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland speaks to media in the House of Commons foyer on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada January 27, 2020. REUTERS/Blair Gable

The other members will include Industry Minister Navdeep Bains, Public Safety Minister Bill Blair, Health Minister Patty Hajdu, Economic Development Minister Melanie Joly, Finance Minister Bill Morneau and Employment Minister Carla Qualtrough.

Kirsty Duncan, deputy leader of the government in the House of Commons, will also be a core participant of the meetings.

Canada now has 33 cases of the new coronavirus, most of them in Ontario.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 4, 2020.

The Canadian Press