The coronavirus pandemic sparked an explosion in Canada's federal budget deficit, which hit CAN $343 billion (US $254 million) for the current fiscal year, Finance Minister Bill Morneau said Wednesday. The total for the 2020-2021 fiscal year, which began April 1, is at least 10 times higher than estimates given before the crisis. The new figure takes into account the CAN $230 billion crisis plan proposed by the government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau -- a total that is 14 percent of gross domestic product (GDP). jl/sst/st