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Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks while taking part in a ground breaking event at the Iamgold Cote Gold mining site in Gogama, Ont., on Friday, September 11, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette

Trudeau kicks off cabinet retreat, warns against relaxing guard on COVID-19

Trudeau says the rising case numbers in recent weeks are a reminder that Canada is not out of the woods yet

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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is warning Canadians against relaxing their guard when it comes to COVID-19 as he and his cabinet launch two days of closed-door meetings to discuss the pandemic and how to lead the country through a second wave.

Trudeau says the rising case numbers in recent weeks are a reminder that Canada is not out of the woods yet, and that no one wants a return to the extreme lockdowns that swept the country when COVID-19 first arrived in the spring.

The cabinet retreat comes as Parliament is set to resume next week with a speech from the throne that was originally expected to focus on developing a plan to rebuild the economy in a post-pandemic world.

The recent resurgence in COVID-19 cases has largely shifted the focus to protecting the economy and limiting the damage from a second wave.

Trudeau nonetheless says there is a need to address inequalities in the current system that he says were exposed by the pandemic.

VIDEO: Trudeau, Tam defend Canadian response times to COVID-19 pandemic

Lee Berthiaume, The Canadian Press