Hi Dianne,

the demonstrative "ce" is frequently used to refer to the current or temporally closest morning/evening/day of the week/etc. I

Je suis épuisé depuis ce matin. -- I am tired since this morning.
Vous venez ce samedi à la fête? -- Are you coming to the party (this) Saturay.

In English, sometimes you the "this" is required, as in the first sentence, sometimes it is optional.

-- Chris (not a native speaker).

Thanks, but the ce does not refer to lundi. It refers to a previous situation.

the Ministry finally confirmed this Monday. (meaning on Monday)

Hi Dianne, I think these writing challenges can be confusing because you only see part of the sentence at a time. "Monday" is not the end of the sentence, and the following phrase is what is to be confirmed. So this can only refer to Monday.

le Ministère a finalement confirmé ce lundi qu'il rembourserait bien l'ensemble des paquets retournés.

Merci! I did not pay attention!