You touched on it there, the Canada emergency business account. The Prime Minister will speak to that. Those applications went online yesterday. That is the loan for small and medium-sized businesses, $10 thousand now of which will be forgivable if you pay it back before 2022 and it is interest-free for the first year. This is directed, according to the federal government, to all of those businesses we’ve heard from who say the wage six did – subsidy is a bit of a help, but doesn’t help with My fixed costs, particularly, for example, paying rent. There are questions about eligibility for this loan and sort of how it will work going forward. It covers people with a business and a payroll between $50, 000 and $1 million. is there any loosening of the restrictions coming up around that or how strict, I guess, will the restrictions be for so many businesses who are curious to see how this works. I’ve sort of seen a myriad of responses on Twitter, some say that it hasn’t worked yet for them. Others were approved. Thae applied very quickly and it was very easy. Like with previous financial aid packages, we’ll keep our eyes on how the process unfolds and how helpful the measures end up being. My understanding is that the mm speak to that. I expect him also, rosey, to face a number of questions about a piece our colleague j. P. tasker wrote overnight that was published on cbc’s website this morning, alongside a number of other outlets that have covered a bunch of briefing documents that were tabled in the health committee. and those documents are all sort of about give, us a window into what kind of advice political decision-makers were getting when they made all the kinds of decisions we’ve been seeing over the past few months and the number I’m referring to is around, for example, what was happening in china. What we knew about the disease or the virus at the teem. How contagious is it? does it spread from human-to-human? what those documents revealed – for example, a few months ago in late January-early February, the government was still getting advice that the evidence showed that human-to-human – it is not – evidence that there is no clear evidence, rather, that the virus is easily transmitted between people. We obviously know the case to be different now. They were also getting advice on the ability to quarantine or the lack of ability to quarantine travelers coming from china and particularly hubei province t epicenter. Saying it would be too difficult and too much pressure on the public health system to quarantine those individuals. They would need to use the quaern teen act. – quarantine act and we know months later they did use the quarantine act. The documents are helpful in looking behind, but really for focusing on how the government makes decisions going forward. There are so many decisions ahead of them when it comes to the public health aspect of this. Do they need to sort of scrutinize the advice thae ear getting – I’m not saying it’s all bad or anything like that, but this does raise questions about the sort of process by which they’re making the decisions, the validity of the information coming out of china, particularly, and how that process will unfold going forward. I expect the Prime Minister to be asked about that as well.

Rosemary:

Yeah. Obviously some of the questions around sort of these kinds of things so far have been to Dr. Tam and the answers have been obviously this is a new virus. We didn’t know much about it. You’re quite right. Data coming out of china. That made things more complicate. So, yes. There are lots of questions about the advice that was given and whether this was just an unprecedented time and so there was really nothing more to do than depend on that advice. I also think he is going to talk about the Easter bunny, which I know will be critically important to so many of our viewers. [laughter]I’ll leave you there, Vassy, from time to time and turn not to the easter bunny, but also what easter is about and that is churches and worshippers. The archbishop of montreal is holding a special mass for palm Sunday that will be broadcast remotely on skype and youtube. Nice to see you, reverend.

Nice to be with you. Good day.

Rosemary:

How challenging is this in terms of what you have seen in your time as archbishop or in your time in your religious practice?

Well, it is very challenging because we have to reach out to people and help them to pray, in other ways that we would do usually by gathering people together. So, it is a constant. Prayer at home is important but now ET becomes more important because the doors of the churches are closed. The church is not closed, but the doors of the churches are closed and we invite people to pray at home.

Rosemary:

I saw a number of priests gathering at the nitre dame basilica in Paris for good Friday and you, too, are going to do a special service on Sunday online. Now important is that and how challenging will that be to do online?

The services we do are really – we are two, three people. There are no more than that. So, it’s really like a closed celebration. But with the help of the media, we register our [inaudible] and wanted to dmekts one way or another.

Rosemary:

It is also Passover, Ramadan is just around the corner. I don’t know if you have talked to other faith leaders about the challenges of these celebrations at a time when you are not supposed to be together. and whether you’ve all given each other any tips or lessons about how to make that work.

There is like a sadness for people not to be able to go to their church or house of prayer. The res a sadness. But at the same time the idea that we have something good come out of it, then it will be also hope. This way some good comes out of it and it might do such with [inaudible] but not with god.

Rosemary:

We have heard from the Prime Minister and public health officials about the importance of this weekend. a lot of people will feel the need to gather, to celebrate or to be amongst family. We’re seeing people do that now online. But for the people that are still just really wanting to reach out to family at this time, what would your best advice be to them, reverend?

Well, somehow, it might be contrary, but let’s sea – let’s say we need to respect physical distancing. But at the same time, we need to be close to each other. So we need to work out a way to get the two together . physical distancing should not be cutting off from others, but a link on the phone line or any way that you have at home, fiend a way to link yourself to members of your families who are in other homes. Find a way to link yourself to people in the community that you live. Especially if they are alone in their home. So yes, we are [inaudible] that we cannot get physically close to each other. At the same time, maybe we become more conscious that we need each other. Because normally we take often in life what is daily, we take it for granted. So, it is a time to rediscover how the other is important in our lives.

Rosemary:

What is your message to Catholics or to needians o. – to Canadians of all faiths? it is a challenging time, especially for people who might be vulnerable or living alone.

I would say everybody talks about etc. Right now and certainly it is one of the important messages, faith leads to solidarity because we’re all brothers and sisters in humanity. So, faith, even different faiths, even with nonbelievers, it all leads to solidarity. With that, maybe something which sometimes we hear and there is not much criticizing or judging of people to blame someone for the pandemic. If those thoughts come in your mind, don’t begin the blame game, let’s say. I don’t think – it wouldn’t help. We need just to think in terms of solidarity and don’t forget that god is near us, is with us and doesn’t leave us alone.

Rosemary:

Thank you so much for your time over this long weekend. I wish you a good Easter and a happy sermon on Sunday. Thank you.

Thank you.

Rosemary:

That is reverend christian lexer pine joining us from Montreal. That was an interlude because there are so many faith-based holidays happening right now and with ramadan around the corner and one of the critical messages has been to practice physical distancing, but in the circumstance that you must remain within your immediate family and your immediate family means, again, just to clarify, people that you live with. So you actually can’t go over to your parent’s house and celebrate even if you may want to do that. You can leave a snack on their doorway if you want. That’s fine. and ring the doorbell. But you’ll have to find other ways, virtual ways as the archbishop of montreal is doing to celebrate some of those religious events that are happening and will continue. Let’s bring in the host – back in, the host of cbc’s “power & politics”, Vassy kapelos. I do think that, especially at times like this, when people are looking to congregate and celebrate or think and want to be amongst family, whether it be passover or easter, it becomes a little bit harder to adhere to the physical distancing. It puts a little more strain on you and your family. But as we’ve heard from everyone, we are in the early stages of this and it is really important that we continue, that we sort of buckle down and keep going, even when we are tested. Like in moments like this.

Vassy:

Very much so, rosey. I would even point to our conversation yesterday that followed on the release of all of that data and those projections that were somewhat hard to take because what they showed us was that these kinds of measures, we’re just in the beginning of and we’ll likely – well certainly, actually, have to keep them in place until the summer. But the important thing, the sort of underlying factor to all of that that was almost a bit of good news is that so far those measures are beginning to work. In so far as it is starting to paint a scenario in this country where the worst case will like he not happen. and by the worst case, I mean tens of thousands of people dieting from the virus. and so it is a good reminder to sort of think of the – that those actions that we’re taking right now, as hard as they feel and especially as counter intuitive as they feel during the holidays, are incredibly necessary to keep us on a path although, where it feels hard, a better-case scenario is unfolding.

Rosemary:

Yeah. Dr. Tam said yesterday you could see a tiny, tiny bend in the curve. If the goal is to plank the curve as she says so often, to allow for the health care to have the capacity to manage whatever cases are out there, then that obviously has to continue. and listen, I get it, too. You know, everyone wants to see people and see their friends and hang out. But it is just not what the government and what public health officials want you to do right now. Although apparently the Easter bunny is allowed into your homes. I don’t know why that is. [laughter]

Vassy:

I don’t know if I need anymore chocolate in I many house. [laughter]

Rosemary:

I’m sure we’ll hear more. As we wait for the Prime Minister, but just on tomorrow and the house being recalled for the wage subsidy legislation. What are we hearing about that?

Vassy:

Yeah. Look. This is really important legislation for businesses. It is a really important measure for them that allows them to rehire their employees because the government will pay 75% of their wages. It needs to Be’s pa ed in the house of commons before it can actually roll out. The federal government has said we are looking at a three to six-week timeline. There is some political posturing going on, on all sides behind the scenes. parties want other things attached to this. The government has resisted some of that. They have acquiesced on some of that. But what we’ll see tomorrow as the house resumes to what degree? what kind of compromise can we see between the political parties or lack thereof that get this is thing out the door. There will be a number of M.P.s here in Ottawa, a reduced contingent. But our eyes will be on parliament hill tomorrow as the house resaouls on – resumes on this Easter weekend to get the bell out the door.

Rosemary:

Unusual for them to convene on any Saturday, but particularly on a Saturday of a long weekend. I don’t know what a long weekend is anymore, but that is extremely unusual and part of the conversation seems to be around a desire by the government and an examination by the speaker of the house of commons to come up with some sort of virtual mechanism so that M.P.s and parliamentarians from around the country can participate in whatever debate or votes or what have you might be needed going forward if we’re in this for a long haul. Obviously we can’t be flying in people from all over the country at all moments. The 20 or so people that come are usually within driving distance. Although I know Andrew Scheer, I believe, is again using a government plane to get here tomorrow. So it is really a measure to try and deal with the fact that, you know, parliament has to continue. The act of what they do in there is extremely important in terms of asking questions of the government and trying to improve legislation. But they are not sure the best way forward for that and the conservatives seem quite adamant about some sort of virtual and a physical model. So, I don’t know if that is what’s holding up the negotiations at this stage. I don’t know if they’re trying to tie all of those things together. But it does seem to be an important part of the conversation that is happening behind the scenes, too.

Vassy:

Definitely. That is the ask from the conservatives. The n. D.p. Want additions to the legislation or at least some sort of address through legislative matters of the issue of people who are left out of the c. R.b. So you lost some of your income, most of your income, but not all of it. Everyone is coming at it with certain conceptions with what they want to see. My question is are those conditions of supporting the legislation? we’ll find that out, I guess, in the coming hours.

Rosemary:

Ok. Here is the Prime Minister of Canada on this good Friday.