Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced a $1-billion package to help Canadians cope with the COVID-19 outbreak, with half of the money going to the provinces and territories.
The announcement came just hours after the World Health Organization (WHO) officially declared the global spread of the virus is a pandemic.
During a news conference in Ottawa today, Trudeau said the federal government is “pulling out all the stops” to help Canadians through the global health crisis. The package includes $275 million for additional research, such as vaccine development, and $200 million for federal medical supplies, supports for Indigenous communities and education efforts.
The federal government also will waive the one-week waiting period for employment insurance to assist workers and businesses affected by the novel coronavirus, and explore other measures to support affected Canadians, including income supports for those who are not eligible for EI sickness benefits.
“I want all premiers and Canadians to know your government is here for you,” Trudeau said. “We will make sure you have everything you need.”
Other elements of the COVID-19 response package:
$500 million for provinces and territories to fund critical health care system needs and to support mitigation efforts, including access to testing, equipment and enhanced surveillance and monitoring.
$50 million for the Public Health Agency of Canada’s COVID-19 communications and public education efforts.
Enhancement of Canada’s work-sharing program to support employers and their employees who experience a downturn due to COVID-19, doubling the length of time they can use work-sharing from 38 to 76 weeks.
$100 million to support federal public health measures such as enhanced surveillance and increased testing at the National Microbiology Laboratory.
An additional $50 million to help vulnerable countries prepare for and respond to the virus, supporting efforts of the World Health Organization and other partners.
WATCH: Justin Trudeau announces measures to help Canadians cope with COVID-19
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau breaks down the $1-billion fund to help Canadians cope with the spread of COVID-19. 2:41
Calling the measures announced today “significant,” Trudeau said the government is ready to do more “as the situation warrants it.”
“The message we have for Canadians and for Canadian businesses is that we will be there for them,” he said.
Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer Theresa Tam said federal and provincial health authorities are preparing for a “range of scenarios” but declined to predict how much of the population could be affected.
She said it’s up to Canadians to keep each other safe — particularly those who may be more vulnerable, such as the elderly or those with underlying health conditions.
“That epidemic curve, and the number of people who get seriously ill and go into your health system, depends on all of us to protect those who may get more severe illness,” Tam said.
As of early Wednesday morning, Canada has 101 reported cases of COVID-19:
Ontario officials reported five of those cases are now resolved, which they said means the individuals are “no longer infectious based on two consecutive negative tests.” B.C. says four of its cases are resolved.
WATCH: Chief public health officer says Canadians can help slow virus’s spread
Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer Theresa Tam said federal and provincial health authorities are preparing for a “range of scenarios” but that Canadians can take steps to slow the spread of the Covid-19. She spoke during a press conference where the federal government announcement $1B fund to respond to the disease. 2:08
The Public Health Agency of Canada’s website says the risk to Canadians remains low for the general population — but that “could change rapidly.” It says there is an increased risk of more severe outcomes for Canadians who are aged 65 or older or have compromised immune systems.
“While a COVID-19 outbreak is not unexpected in Canada, our public health system is prepared to respond. PHAC, along with provincial, territorial and community partners, continues to reassess the public health risk, based on the best available evidence as the situation evolves,” the PHAC website reads.
Business commends package
Business groups praised the package announced today, but cautioned that more measures could be needed as the global health crisis unfolds.
Goldy Hyder, president and CEO of the Business Council of Canada, called it a “responsible and targeted package of measures to protect Canadians from COVID-19 and to address the economic consequences of the current health emergency.”
“More may be required going forward, but at this point it makes sense to hold off on major economic stimulus measures until the extent of the impact is better understood,” Hyder said in a press statement, adding that infrastructure projects such as the Trans Mountain and Coastal GasLink pipeline projects are needed “now more than ever.”
The Canadian Chamber of Commerce called the COVID-19 response plan “a positive and pragmatic approach.”
Dan Kelly, president of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, said more steps are required to support small businesses, such as a waiver of penalties and interest for late payments of sales tax and workers’ compensation premiums.
Support for workers
Labour Minister Filomena Tassi said Tuesday the federal government doesn’t want workers to be forced to go to work when they’re not feeling well.
“We want to ensure that workers are supported,” she said. “We do not want workers having to feel that they have to go to work if they feel they shouldn’t be going to work. We also don’t want workers going to work because they feel that they need to work in order to pay for the groceries and put food on the table.”
The research funding in the package unveiled Wednesday is over and above the $27 million announced in Montreal last week.
Ottawa is also leading a pan-Canadian effort to bulk-buy certain medical devices, and the federal government says it will be ready to support provinces needing further assistance to shore up their health-care systems as the number of confirmed cases rises.
Treasury Board President Jean-Yves Duclos said the government is also considering stimulus spending in the upcoming federal budget.
Beyond Wednesday’s announcement, Duclos said Ottawa will spend more to help people “go through the crisis” and help “workers, families and businesses thrive and sustain themselves.”
While the debt-to-GDP ratio has been falling in recent years, Ottawa is running a federal budget deficit of $26.6 billion for the 2019-20 fiscal year.
Stock markets have cratered and the price of oil has dropped to levels not seen in years, in part due to the global panic over the spread of COVID-19. Italy, the world’s ninth-largest economy, has locked down travel within the country to slow the spread of the virus.
VANCOUVER – Contract negotiations resume today in Vancouver in a labour dispute that has paralyzed container cargo shipping at British Columbia’s ports since Monday.
The BC Maritime Employers Association and International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 514 are scheduled to meet for the next three days in mediated talks to try to break a deadlock in negotiations.
The union, which represents more than 700 longshore supervisors at ports, including Vancouver, Prince Rupert and Nanaimo, has been without a contract since March last year.
The latest talks come after employers locked out workers in response to what it said was “strike activity” by union members.
The start of the lockout was then followed by several days of no engagement between the two parties, prompting federal Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon to speak with leaders on both sides, asking them to restart talks.
MacKinnon had said that the talks were “progressing at an insufficient pace, indicating a concerning absence of urgency from the parties involved” — a sentiment echoed by several business groups across Canada.
In a joint letter, more than 100 organizations, including the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, Business Council of Canada and associations representing industries from automotive and fertilizer to retail and mining, urged the government to do whatever it takes to end the work stoppage.
“While we acknowledge efforts to continue with mediation, parties have not been able to come to a negotiated agreement,” the letter says. “So, the federal government must take decisive action, using every tool at its disposal to resolve this dispute and limit the damage caused by this disruption.
“We simply cannot afford to once again put Canadian businesses at risk, which in turn puts Canadian livelihoods at risk.”
In the meantime, the union says it has filed a complaint to the Canada Industrial Relations Board against the employers, alleging the association threatened to pull existing conditions out of the last contract in direct contact with its members.
“The BCMEA is trying to undermine the union by attempting to turn members against its democratically elected leadership and bargaining committee — despite the fact that the BCMEA knows full well we received a 96 per cent mandate to take job action if needed,” union president Frank Morena said in a statement.
The employers have responded by calling the complaint “another meritless claim,” adding the final offer to the union that includes a 19.2 per cent wage increase over a four-year term remains on the table.
“The final offer has been on the table for over a week and represents a fair and balanced proposal for employees, and if accepted would end this dispute,” the employers’ statement says. “The offer does not require any concessions from the union.”
The union says the offer does not address the key issue of staffing requirement at the terminals as the port introduces more automation to cargo loading and unloading, which could potentially require fewer workers to operate than older systems.
The Port of Vancouver is the largest in Canada and has seen a number of labour disruptions, including two instances involving the rail and grain storage sectors earlier this year.
A 13-day strike by another group of workers at the port last year resulted in the disruption of a significant amount of shipping and trade.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 9, 2024.
The Royal Canadian Legion says a new partnership with e-commerce giant Amazon is helping boost its veterans’ fund, and will hopefully expand its donor base in the digital world.
Since the Oct. 25 launch of its Amazon.ca storefront, the legion says it has received nearly 10,000 orders for poppies.
Online shoppers can order lapel poppies on Amazon in exchange for donations or buy items such as “We Remember” lawn signs, Remembrance Day pins and other accessories, with all proceeds going to the legion’s Poppy Trust Fund for Canadian veterans and their families.
Nujma Bond, the legion’s national spokesperson, said the organization sees this move as keeping up with modern purchasing habits.
“As the world around us evolves we have been looking at different ways to distribute poppies and to make it easier for people to access them,” she said in an interview.
“This is definitely a way to reach a wider number of Canadians of all ages. And certainly younger Canadians are much more active on the web, on social media in general, so we’re also engaging in that way.”
Al Plume, a member of a legion branch in Trenton, Ont., said the online store can also help with outreach to veterans who are far from home.
“For veterans that are overseas and are away, (or) can’t get to a store they can order them online, it’s Amazon.” Plume said.
Plume spent 35 years in the military with the Royal Engineers, and retired eight years ago. He said making sure veterans are looked after is his passion.
“I’ve seen the struggles that our veterans have had with Veterans Affairs … and that’s why I got involved, with making sure that the people get to them and help the veterans with their paperwork.”
But the message about the Amazon storefront didn’t appear to reach all of the legion’s locations, with volunteers at Branch 179 on Vancouver’s Commercial Drive saying they hadn’t heard about the online push.
Holly Paddon, the branch’s poppy campaign co-ordinator and bartender, said the Amazon partnership never came up in meetings with other legion volunteers and officials.
“I work at the legion, I work with the Vancouver poppy office and I go to the meetings for the Vancouver poppy campaign — which includes all the legions in Vancouver — and not once has this been mentioned,” she said.
Paddon said the initiative is a great idea, but she would like to have known more about it.
The legion also sells a larger collection of items at poppystore.ca.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 9, 2024.
