Parses captions for PM Trudeau's daily speeches and presents them in a more human readable format
Talk more about the financial hardship that younger Canadians may be facing during this health crisis and very specifically students who may have lost work or just can’t find work because of pandemic and maybe don’t qualify for the Canada emergency response benefit. That’s been something students have been calling for for a number of weeks and the Prime Minister has promised. We’re also continuing to follow developments in Nova Scotia. There are questions that continue today about why the RCMP did not request the province issue an emergency alert during that violent rampage that took at least 22 lives. We’re now hearing the United States consulate in Halifax did alert dual citizens in Nova Scotia. Other people in that province, though, were informed only over Twitter. We know that Portapique is where the violence began. There is lots of activity there again today so that is where we’re going to start before getting to My colleagues about the Prime Minister’s announcement today. and the cbc’s Brett Ruskin is standing by. Brett, what can you tell us about the very latest?
Reporter:
It has been a steady stream of vehicles coming and going from the area you see behind me here. This is the police checkpoint that headed down to the Portapique cream scene, one of 15 crime scenes across this part of the province. We have learned in the last 24 hours or so, that the air space above us right now and above the crime scene has been restrixed. The RCMP asked transport Canada to restrict the air space to all planes, drones up to 1500 feet. Anyone who wants to go up and take a look at what police are doing they can’t do that. Updates from police yesterday in a news release was the update from the police yesterday was hearing that the death toll had increased to 22 people. 23 including the shooter in this case. We also heard that the RCMP uniform that he was wearing at the time that he began this shooting was an authentic RCMP uniform. Still no word yet on how he got his hands on that uniform. Also obviously driving the vehicle that looked almost identical to an RCMP vehicle also. So, still lots of questions. As you mentioned, questions about why that emergency alert was not activated. Why they turned to Twitter instead. People are still asking lots of questions. One more quick note. There have been folks dropping off food and water for the police here in excessive quantities. It has been really, you know, heartwarming to see the community members over the last few days bringing the food, bringing individual Tim’s coffees and then big old boxes of tim’s coffees, boxes of doughnuts and cookies trays of sandwiches. It got so extensive that at one point the police officers came to the media on the other side and said do you need some food because we have lots of food. But it is nice to see that is community is really coming together and supporting the police officers here as they continue this work in what will be a lengthy investigation, this unprecedented investigation in its size and scope and just the tragedy here in Nova Scotia and this part of the province.
Rosemary:
There was no press conference yesterday. Instead, the RCMP released a press release only. Any sense on whether they will sfaoek media today and answer the many questions that we still have?
Reporter:
Well, let me touch on that in a moment. Lots of new RCMP vehicles are arriving. It seems that they’re going from crime scene to crime scene. The truck with the white cab on the back is the forensic officers. They will be collecting evidence and taking pictures and doing evidence collection like that. So, this is the type of scene that we see throughout the day, over the last few days of officers coming and going. We know that at least there was a news release coming. No word if there is a press conference in which we can call in and ask questions.
Rosemary:
I hope that is the case. Brett Ruskin, thank you. Let me bring you up to date on a few counts on what we are facing in this country in regards to COVID-19. I will tell you, first of all, that is the front door of the Prime Minister. He is expected to be out in about 10 minutes’ time to make an announcement. But just for people in Saskatchewan tonight, the premier there, Scott Moe, is expected to address his province live tonight. and we do know that tomorrow in that province, officials are scheduled to start talking about how they might be lifting public health restrictions and get the economy back and moving. There are discussions happening in other provinces as well. But it really depends on how the pandemic is be, contained and we also know, and this is the latest. Update on this front, that long-term care centres in Ontario and Quebec, continue to be the real epicenters of how this pandemic is playing out. 128 facilities with outbreaks in Ontario and that continues to be a great source of concern for the provinces. They will be doing enhanced testing. Proactive testing. Even if residents or staff are asymptomatic and certainly they will be going to those hotspots. The places they know the virus has had an outbreak and doing significant testing inside those long-term care centres right away to get a handle on this problem. Hotel me go back to My colleagues, Vassy kapelos, host of “power & politics”, and the cbc’s david Cochrane. They’re both here, of course n ottawa, to hear more about what we’re expecting from the Prime Minister. He mentioned before that the students were on the government’s radar and they were very concerned about how they get money , whether they would save money and whether they would ever get a job. What do we know?
Vassy:
I think the genesis or the crux of what we had been hearing from students or what I’ve been hearing from students are those two were finishing up school now and then anticipating to come home for may, June, July and August and work add 1u78er job and use that money to pay for tuition or whatever schooling they had coming up in the fall. They were very concerned because they didn’t meet the income threshold of at least $5, 000 made last year that is required to access the CERB, that they would not be able to access any financial relief or financial aid from the federal government. My understanding is we can expect a targeted announcement from the Prime Minister directed toward that group of students. Students who can’t access the CERB, it will act very much as a benefit. I’m told it will be less than the CERB, somewhere in the neighbourhood of $1250 a month for the month of may, June, July and August. I don’t know what the conditions or requirements are to access that money, but it will very much be directed at that group of students. On the other item, I do anticipate long-term care. This is such an important discussion happening around the country. The jurisdiction is provincial, but we heard the Prime Minister weigh in and say that he was willing to top up the pay. The last conversation I had with government officials on that yesterday were those talks were difficult and taking a long time and they didn’t anticipate an announcement for the end of the week. But given the sort of, you know, acute nature of the problem in long-term care centres right now across the country, I think that sort of time is of the essence or at least that’s what we’re hearing from groups that represent those workers so it will be interesting to see if he has anything to say on the development of those talks.
Rosemary:
David, what are you hearing?
Reporter:
This is not a tweak to the CERB. What I’m essentially told is this is an entirely new programme aimed directly at students. I will have the income replacement that Vassy outlined of up to $1250 a month and then also a series of grants and grants for volunteering so that if you find a way to volunteer during this, depending on the number of hours that a student puts in, you will be eligible for cash from the federal government there. Some students will be able to qualify for CERB. So this is aimed specifically at the people who do not qualify for that. and by having money for volunteering and allows you to make a little bit of cash, because maybe you can get 10 hours a week somewhere, they want to set this up to encourage you to volunteer in a way that gets you some experience. So it will get you money, but maybe as a student finishing a programme, I’m told this will help graduates finishing their programmes and going into the workforce, it lets you point to something that you were able to do if a professional capacity during this pandemic crisis so you can build experience that helps you transition from school to workforce when all of this eventually is lifted and things go back to normal. It allows them to find other ways that they can help out and be financially compensated for I. There is an urgent need for volunteers Rose like maybe meal delivery for seniors and helping someone with a disability get to a medical appointment. This sort of thing. They have been trying to build that out as giving money to the United Way and other organisations. Now a way to mobilize a potential underused workforce and volunteer force to help with that while making sure they get some money they need to transition or help pay for school when eventually classes resume.
Rosemary:
and put some thing on their c. V., which is often what these summer jobs are all about. Speaking from experience. I’m sure everyone else does, too. I’ll also remind everybody that the issue uh-uh is you’ll have to have made $5, 000 in the last 12 months. Sometimes it’s possible, sometimes it’s not and that is where students fell through the cracks. They did also, just to remind people, make some tern – temporary changes to the Canada summer jobs programme. That has been extended until February and they are funding more of that grant programme as well and those combined measures, if everything were staying here is about right. Those combined measures would capture more people than previously.
Vassy:
It seems like that is the intent of the government. Whether that is realised or not depends on the granular details. Also with the Canada summer jobs programme December – depends on how the extension works. The applications beyond the normal period have to go through M.P.s offices. Again, the details and how many extra jobs – I think they said it would create up to 70, 000 additional jobs. Does that happen, over what period of time? does it help the students it is intending to. Whether or not it materializes is still an unanswered question and will take some time to get some answers on that. Same thing with the announcement today. Does it actually end up helping the people who still need the help who can’t access the CERB as you and david point out. It sounds like it will. But is that amount of money enough to help with tuition, etc..
Rosemary:
I want to turn back, if I can, to the ongoing story in Nova Scotia. I think one of the thing Ta’s has emerged fairly clearly is the lack of emergency alert for that province left some people in the dark about what was happening and it is well known that, in Nova Scotia, there are more people on Facebook than on Twitter so the RCMP choosing to send things out just over Twitter did decrease their reach, if you will. and now hearing today that the United States consulate in Halifax did send out an alert to dual citizens to make sure that they knew it was happeningful these are all very curious things and the RCMP didn’t give a press conference yesterday. and the premier said he had everyone in place to issue this alert and didn’t happen. I don’t know who wants to weigh in there. Maybe David? to me, it is perplexing and I’m sure it is to many Canadians that the one system we have created for these measures wasn’t used.
Reporter:
If there is one common theme over the last several months in world politics at every level is why did leaders make the choices they made at the point that they made them and why didn’t they consider other options and this has been writ large throughout the pandemic and certainly on a very particular case with this tragedy in Nova Scotia. I think the explanation that has been give season this is what they thought would hit the most people. But that doesn’t explain why you didn’t use every option if your goal is to hit all the people. So, you know, there are so many facts we do not know. There is so much fog around everything that is happening really in the world, but particularly around this particular incident. I suspect that will be one of the primary questions. Often a lot of the safety response improvements we have in a country are borne out of experiences from previous tragedies. and this seems like an interesting one. We heard from people saying had an alert gone out on a phone system I would not have allowed My loved one to leave the house or go to their job. This is a question that people desefrk an answer to. I don’t expect we’ll get an answer today.
Rosemary:
That’s for sure. and I’ll let people know that the RCMP in Nova Scotia have about 92, 000 Twitter followers and the population is close to one million. Just that would give you a good sense of who they were and were not reaching at the time. There is some certainly accountability for the RCMP on that usual ewe. Again, we don’t know yet whether they will give a media briefing today or take any questions. The Prime Minister is about a minute away, I hear. and he is, again today, going to speak about some of the Canadians that the government wasn’t able to capture in its initial policy response to the pandemic as they try to secure people economically over the next – we don’t know how long, frankly. and this time today it will be students. Vassy, do you want to weigh in? maybe on the wage subsidy programme that starts on Monday and that is a significant importance far lot of people.
Vassy:
We’ll find out when the Prime Minister emerges. But yesterday we got details that businesses can, as of right now, go on the C.R.a.’s website and figure out how, if they’re eligible, and to what degree for the wage subsidy programme and then apply on Monday and they should, 90% of them the government says should have the money that they initially apply for, deposited in their bank accounts or whatever through whatever mechanism ends up working by about a week later. That is a big deal to a lot of businesses counting on that. One other thing. and that is around the commercial rent piece that so many businesses have been talking about with us. Alongside that caulk with the premiers that the Prime Minister was going to have around essential workers was also he had been working on communications satellites. a few weeks ago he talked to a local manufacturer about that thae could do in the fight against COVID-19. Now, they’ve started designing and creating reusable face shields for frontline workers and felix isn’t the only one stepping up. From coast to coast to coast, young people are pitching in and doing their part. Si wi eel do the saming thing for them. Many students are eligible for programmes we’ve brought in over over the last few weeks. Some people are worried about what they’re going to do. COVID-19 has meant there aren’t as many jobs out there for students. Without a job, it can be hard to pay for tuition or the day-to-day basics. You might normally have turned to your parents for help. But right now mom and dad are stretched, too. As young people, what you’re going through matters and we want to make sure that you’ll be Ok. KO today I’m announcing our plan to support students right across the country. We’re launching the Canada emergency student benefit to provide immediate help at the same time we’ll create new student jobs and double student grants among other things. All of these measures will add up to approximately $9 billion for students. For today, for the summer, for next year, we’re going to be there for you. So let me start with the Canada emergency student benefit. Right now you might be worried about how to make ends meet. You probably can’t work your normal job and that might be a big problem for rent or for groceries. So, we’re bringing in the Canada emergency student benefit to help. With this benefit, you’ll get $1250 a month from may to August. and if you take care of someone else or have a disability, that lament go up to $1750 each month. This benefit is designed for you. If you’re a post-secondary student right now, if you are going to college in September or if you graduated in december 2019. It is there for you even if you have a job but you’re only making up to $1, 000 a month. The period covered by the benefit will start on May 1 and your payments will be delivered through the Canada revenue agency. We’ll be working with opposition partis to move forward on legislation to put this new benefit in place.
Interpreter:
Today, we are introducing a $9 billion programme for students. We are announcing the student benefit to help people going through tough times because of COVID-19. From may to August, you will receive $1250 a month and if you are caring for another person or living with a disability, you could receive $1750 per month. This benefit was designed to help you if you are in school now or will be in school in September or if you graduated after December 2019, you are eligible. and if you have a job, but you are earning $1, 000 or less per month, you are also eligible. The payments will be retroactive to May 1 and will be paid through the Canada revenue agency. We will be working with the opposition part is to get the bill passed that will allow us to introduce this new benefit.