Amid all the COVID-19 carnage, there's hope Did someone forward you this newsletter? Sign up here to get it delivered weekday mornings. Bad news, it's sometimes said, comes in threes. Yesterday, Canada's top doctors released projections of coronavirus's possible death toll in Canada. Statistics Canada posted job numbers for March. And the parliamentary budget officer published his latest guess at the federal deficit. Dr. Theresa Tam says 11,000 Canadians could be killed by COVID-19 even in the best-case scenario (see the charts here). More than one million people lost their jobs last month, reported StatsCan. And Yves Giroux estimated the federal deficit could, as emergency aid rolls out, hit $184 billion for the fiscal year. It was a lot to absorb. Hope hid in some of the numbers. Tam expressed guarded optimism. Her charts for total possible deaths showed green, blue and red bars. The blue and red bars, which hinted at futures with only moderate or no social distancing, hinted at disastrous results. But the green bars, which still predict thousands of deaths, mean thousands more lives saved. "We stand a good chance of staying in that green zone if we continue to do everything we're doing now," said Tam, who called for a "staycation for the nation" over the Easter weekend. Giroux had his own way to find the bright side. The federal balance sheet was healthy before the coronavirus hit and oil prices collapsed, he wrote, and low interest rates mean the feds "could undertake additional significant borrowing if required." Is there a silver lining to yesterday's jobs report? Statistics Canada reported the plunge in the employment rate hit vulnerable workers and women hardest (economist Armine Yalnizyan dubbed this downturn the "she-cession"). Miles Corak, writing in Maclean's, closed on a note of uncertainty. "What Canadians really need to know is when we will be able to stand up, dust ourselves off, and start again. This morning, Statistics Canada has told us nothing at all about how long this economic disaster will last." Later in the morning, however, Corak said the nature of the job plunge "bodes pretty well" for a V-shaped recession—that is, a sharp downturn followed by a similar spike back to normalcy. Need more hope? The editorial in this month's issue of Maclean's draws parallels between the coronavirus crisis and the 1918-19 influenza pandemic, which also wrought great havoc on the national economy and public health. But Canada came back: The apocalyptical string of war, pestilence and recession was immediately followed by one of the most exuberant and hopeful eras in modern history−the Roaring ’20s. By 1923, Canadian per capita incomes had entirely made up for the losses of the recession, driven largely by pent-up demand. What followed was a decade marked by tremendous changes in technology, living standards and social progress. Easter weekend in the House: The Commons will be open for business this weekend as MPs on Saturday at 12:15 p.m. ET debate the legislation soon to be known as Bill C-14, An Act to Modify the Federal Wage Subsidy After Extended Parliamentary Cooperation (okay, it'll have a different name). The Senate plans to sit tomorrow at 4 p.m. The Globe and Mail's Stephen Chase broke some news yesterday about Canada's infamous $14-billion arms deal with Saudi Arabia, reporting that Canada would be lifting its ban on new permits for military exports to Saudi Arabia. The end of the ban didn't go over well with human-rights advocates. Remembrance in a pandemic: In his daily presser from Rideau Cottage, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau noted the anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge. Indeed, it was 113 years ago that Canadians stormed the ridge. By the end, 3,600 had lost their lives. Yesterday, the annual ceremony at the stunning memorial in France was replaced by a single wreath marking the day. Peter Cory died this week at the age of 94. Younger readers might not recall the former Supreme Court judge's name, but Cory's résumé was one for the ages. He was born in Windsor and joined the Air Force as a teenager during the Second World War. He piloted bombers over Europe, but was no show-off: he politely declined to talk about his time in uniform with the Toronto Star when he retired from the bench in 1999. Cory was appointed to the top court in 1989, and was known behind the scenes for an impressive supply of cookies. Want to make your own mask? Public health officials have now given us all the go-ahead to wear homemade masks. Patricia Treble, writing in Maclean's, gave it a go—and offers six tips she learned from trial and error. —Nick Taylor-Vaisey | 
