Trudeau: Canada is experiencing a second wave of COVID-19

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the second wave of COVID-19 is already underway in four biggest provinces, and autumn "could be much worse" than the outbreak in the spring. 

The administration of Prime Minister has unveiled hundreds of billions of dollars in aid for people and businesses, and now promised a plan to recover more than a million jobs lost during the crisis.

"This is not the time for austerity," he said in a speech to the nation Wednesday night. "Canada entered this crisis in the best fiscal position of its peers."

One major element "is supporting people and businesses through this crisis as long as it lasts, whatever it takes," the government said, adding it would maintain a commitment to fiscal sustainability and economic growth.

The government made the commitments in the so-called Speech from the Throne, in which it outlined its plans and made clear the need to protect Canadians from COVID-19 as new cases spike, reaching 146,663 total cases and 9,234 deaths on Tuesday.

(Input from Reuters)