Parses captions for PM Trudeau's daily speeches and presents them in a more human readable format
Question:
[voice of interpreter] good morning. First of all, I would like you to comment on this commercial rent program. There are some business owners that they had to shut down their boutiques or their restaurants. Can you tell us when will that money be delivered to them? don’t you think you should have acted on this earlier?
Answer:
Well, we know that this is an extremely difficult crisis and that small businesses have been hit hard by this, including restaurants and other businesses that have had to shutdown completely because of COVID-19. That’s why we recognize that even with the wage subsidy, fixed costs for these businesses are a real challenge. That’s why we will be covering 75% of their rent for April, may, and June, and we’ll see afterwards what’s necessary. For those businesses that are hardest hit by COVID-19. Now, we have already introduced a program of access to credit for businesses. They can receive up to $40, 000 to help them to pay their costs in the interim. and the money to pay their rent will be getting to them as soon as possible. That will help them in April.
a follow up.
Question:
Yes, as a follow-up, I would like you to comment on long-term care facilities in Ontario and quÉbec. Some have a sense that you were dick stating to the provinces orlecturing them. The premiers have been saying it’s a simple solution. It’s been known for a long time. The government has to increase its transfers to the provinces. So now will you do that?
Answer:
Well, I can tell you that all Canadians are asking questions about what is happening in seniors’ homes and long-term care homes. This is the type of reflection that we all have to engage in atall levels of government as wellas to what we should have done and also what we must do in the coming months and years. The fact is that we will be partof those conversations because the federal government must be part of the solution. We will be part of those discussions when they happen. But right now our emphasis is getting through this crisis and helping the provinces to regain control of the situation. We will be there to support Canadians. We will be there to support our seniors in trouble these days. [end of translation] obviously all Canadians are asking themselves questions about the situation that has allowed so many of our elders to be so incredibly vulnerable to COVID-19 and related issues. We need to be better and we willbe working with the provinces onways to move forward. We will of course be there to have conversations with the provinces about increasing supports for healthcare. We will have those conversations in the future. Right now our focus is on makingsure we’re giving all the help needed during this crisis to theprovinces and specifically to Canadians right across the country.
Question:
[voice of interpreter] good morning, Mr. Trudeau. I just want to come back to rent. I’d like to know what will the provinces – what percentage they will be covering, where the money will come from, and in what proportions and what this will – how this will really work.
Answer:
Well, for businesses that are paying $50, 000 in rent or less that have been hard hit by COVID-19, we will allow them to pay only 25% of their rent inapril, may, and June. Of the 75% that they will not bepaying, the landlord will absorb25% and the federal government and the provinces will absorb the other 50%. the proportion between the provinces and the government is 75% for the federal government and 25% for the provinces. But you will receive more details about this announcement in the following hour.
a follow-up, Catharine.
Question:
With respect to thetop-up payments for essential workers, you are giving billionsof dollars to the provinces, andwe know this was on your agenda of your discussion with the premiers of the provinces and territories. Have you reached an agreement with them or if not where is thelogjam?
Answer:
Yes, we had a lot of discussion with the premiers. Obviously different provinces have different situations. British Columbia has taken action in their own way and so has Saskatchewan. We will be there to support the min what they’re doing and perhaps to add on to that. Other provinces are not facing as much of an intensity in terms of the pandemic. So we’re not totally certain how or they’re not certain how they want that aid to come. In the coming days we will be talking to see what makes sense for everyone. We are there to help and to ensure that our essential workers have the necessary support to continue to do their work. [end of translation] we have been working over the past week with provinces on topping up the pay for essential workers, particularly those in long-term care facilities. We recognize that they are doingparticularly important – they’re always particularly important jobs, but they’re particularly important and complex circumstances right now. All provinces are in different circumstances. Some provinces want to move forward and other provinces had questions around budgetary constraints. We are getting close to having an agreement with all the provinces and we should be able to move forward soon.
Operator:
Next question lauraosmond “the Canadian press.” line open.
Question:
I wanted to ask you about the cost-sharing agreementwith the provinces for the rental subsidies. Are they set in stone or being negotiated? if so, are different provinces making their own deals with the federal government or will it beconsistent across the board?
Answer:
Those are questions for the technical briefing later. We have worked out agreements with the provinces and the program the way it is now is ho wit will unfold.
Follow up.
Question:
Some businesses are saying they have no revenue, they can’t cover that 25% and now that they’ve shut their doors they won’t be able to reopen them unless they get fullsupport. is there more help coming for them? what do you say to those businesses?
Answer:
This is an extremely difficult situation for Canadians and businesses right across the country. We recognize that COVID-19 is hitting some people harder than others, some areas harder than others. Unfortunately this is something we are grappling with. We are trying to help as many people as possible. The businesses that have no revenue and are unable to make the 25% rent, they still have access to that $10, 000 of forgivable loans with a total of$40, 000 available from the banks. That $10, 000 actually represents an average month’s rent for a small business in this country, which means a quarter of that can actually last for four months. This is aid that we’ve given to small businesses, made available without them having to in debt themselves further, to try and ensure we get through this with as many of the small businesses that are the motors of our economy, principal employers across the country, get through this difficult time and come back strong afterwards.
Operator:
Thank you. Next question Adam yuris, “New Brunswick telegraph.”
Question:
Thank you. The premier Blair Higgs says employers are struggling to get employees to return to work, suggesting it is a repercussion of the Canada emergency responsebenefit. Are there concerns Canadians may want to stay home and collect benefits and not return to work and was this thought of when the plan rolled out?
Answer:
We are facing one of the largest health crises, the largest economic crisis of our lifetime. Canadians need help. They need help paying their rent. They need help buying groceries. They need help caring for their loved ones. They’ve lost their paycheques. They’ve seen themselves very, very anxious about their own health, about their parents’ health, about their future. We needed to help Canadians and we did exactly that. Helping Canadians right across the country get through this pandemic is not just about generosity, it’s about making sure that we are able to do the things necessary in every home across the country to be able to keep this country safe and to make sure we have an economy that can rebuild quickly afterwards. This government will help Canadians who need help, period. [voice of interpreter] we are currently experiencing an unprecedented situation, a very serious situation, a public health crisis, an economic crisis as well. Canadians right across the country need support. They need help to pay their rent. They need help to buy groceries or to look after their children or grandparents. We are in a situation now where we must help people so they can make the right decisions and stay home and wait until this crisis is over. That is our priority. That’s who we are in Canada. We are there for each other and we help each other. That’s the only way we can get through this crisis together and have an economy that bounces back afterwards. That’s who we are, being there for each other. [end of translation].
Question:
Premier Higgs says he fears the equalization payments that some provinces have come to rely on will be less lucrative as so-called halfprovinces struggle more than ever. Can you assure the provinces that there will not be an effecton equalization?
Answer:
Equalization has a formula that has worked right across the country. It is important that Canadians receive the services they are entitled to right across the country and we support that strongly.
Question:
[voice of interpreter] when you look at what’s happening in these seniors’ homes now, do you regret that you were not more generous with health transfers? the provinces were asking for a 5% increase. Do you now regret that you were not more generous?
Answer:
Well, I think we always have to reflect on what’shappening in the seniors’ homes. No perhaps we should have a discussion as to whether our seniors’ homes should be part of the healthcare system and governed under the Canada healthact. There are a number of suggestions that have been made and a number of discussions we can have in the coming months, but for the time being My priority is to help the people that are suffering now and that’s what we will do.
Question:
Do you think that could come up against resistance from the provinces, since this is their area of jurisdiction? and if you did that, would there be conditions with respect to the use of that money?
Answer:
Well, that’s a very good question and these are questions we will be looking at in our discussions between the federal government and the provinces. We are a federation. We have to adapt to the realities of each new situation and the world in which we live. We are resolute in our desire to help our fellow citizens and to care for our fellow citizens andthat’s what we will be working together to do. There will be a lot of reflection and discussion once this pandemic is over, but for now we are working together to ensure we are looking after all Canadians. [end of translation].
Question:
Good morning, Prime Minister. Salimah shivji, CBC news. I want to go back to the federal government coordinating with reopening provinces. You talked about guidelines. What kind of guidelines are you talking about and would you ever go so far to tell a province not to reopen?
Answer:
I think we all understand that the gains we have made controlling COVID-19 to this point have come because people have been very, very diligent across the country about staying home and not working unless it’s essential and not going out unless it’s essential, to protect essential workers and to prevent the healthcare system from being overloaded. That has been successful. We also have seen that because of that success we can now talk about gradually or carefully reopening economic activity in certain sectors, but we have to be very, very careful. That’s why what we’re working Onion collaboration with the provinces is a set of principle sand elements that should be in place and should be followed as provinces make the decisions on how and what they will reopen, when, and if even. Things like ensuring proper levels of testing across the province and contact tracing. But other things like ensuring workplace safety. If people work in cubicles, if they work in a start-up with bean bags or on a shop floor or a food production facility, whatare the measures put in place tokeep them safe. These are principles to make sure that workplaces reopen and are safe with health norms. What that will look like will beup to the provinces and the local jurisdictions to determine. We need to make sure that as we look at economic reopening, we are grounding ourselves in the principles that will ensure thatwe don’t allow for further spread or a new spike of COVID-19. If there are cases that start toresurge, that is likely to happen here and there, that we are able to manage control rapidly.
Question:
We got more detail son the Nova Scotia shooting and the timeline of the gunman. We are aware that there was a call to the RCMP and they were informed that he was wearing a uniform and driving an identical police car. Still there was no alert. Do you see that as a failure of the RCMP?
Answer:
Right now we need to be there for the people of Nova Scotia and to the families and friends that are grieving. Part of that support needs to be answering their many, many questions. Questions like what happened during the incident and what happened to their loved ones, but also questions about the police response and what exactly happened and what could have happened differently or better. Those questions are things we will need to answer and we’re going to work very hard to ensure that those questions are answered.
Question:
Ian woods, CTV news. The emergency response teams in Halifax and the shootings that took place across the province, it took over 12 hours to apprehend the shooter. The RCMP highlight that this is a difficult situation to be in. Are you confident that the RCMP is adequately resourced in ruralcommunities?
Answer:
I think these are questions that people are going to be asking right now in Nova Scotia, but indeed all across the country. They are questions that we don’thave the answers to yet. We need to understand exactly what happened, understand how the response was, understand where the response could have been better with different resources and protocols in place. and ensure that as from any tragedy of this scale, we learn and we improve to make sure that it never happens again.
Question:
Many of the financial aid measures that have been announced so far, whether they be personal or for business, have only been committed at this point through June, but with no end of the restrictions being loosened, you yourself just said earlier that we’re not out of the woods yet. Should people and businesses expect those aid measures to be extended or will they be on their own come summer?
Answer:
As we’ve seen from countries around the world, there is a lot of reflection on how we reopen the economy and whether it happens gradually. Whether there’s a scaling down of certain measures or whether some measures need to continue for many more months. These are reflections that we will engage in with Canadians and businesses over the coming months, as we look at reopening and remaining close and vigilant in other areas. The situation is ongoing. As we have been from the very beginning, we will adjust and adapt to what we see actually happening. We will be there to support Canadians in the right away, in ensuring we get through this health crisis and in ensuring we come back strongly in terms of the economy as we possibly can. The only way to be able to do that is to make sure that for now and for the coming weeks we remain extremely vigilant and we keep up with the social distancing rules.
Question:
Brian mullan, global news. Prime Minister, following the rent questions, some businesses have said it is too little too late and they have had to close. How concerned are you the impact of this will be long-term for some sectors of the economy?
Answer:
We moved forward on credit for small businesses quickly. We tried to make sure through the Canada emergency response benefit and the wage subsidy, that there be responses to businesses and to workers as quickly as possible to allow them to continue to pay for their groceries and rent at home. We know that the access to credit and support for the rent is going to be important, but we also see that this is the greatest economic impact and event of our lifetimes. It is going to be extremely difficult. First of all, our economy and our businesses were in excellent shape before. The services that were needed. The activities that we had as a country were going very, very well. This is an event that has put us into a deep freeze, put us into hibernation, as it were, and everyone had to stop and hold while we let this wave of COVID-19 pass through. Our ability to hold depends on many things, including government’s ability to support people to demonstrate that we will be there to make sure that as many as possible of our businesses will be able to bounce back afterwards. We are working to try to get help out to as many people as possible. Some sectors are more hard hit than others, but we know at the end of this people will need to travel for work and pleasure. People will need to go to restaurants. People will need to become tourists again in different places across the country and around the world. There are businesses who are hardest hit now who will be able to restart later. That is our focus on trying to get through this moment of hibernation, which Canadians are doing quite well as you would imagine.
Question:
a follow-up question about violence against women in rural areas. This is looking back to the renfrew shooting in 2015 and this recent mass shooting. What can the federal government do to ensure the safety of womenin rural and remote areas at risk of violence?
Answer:
We have made investments in the past years inshelters, for victims of domestic violence, of women facing gender-based violence. We’ve moved forward with a gender-based strategy. We’re looking at stronger gun control measures that will include red flag laws, that willgive people the capacity not only to remove guns but to prevent people acquiring new guns if there are issues around domestic violence. But we recognize there is so much more to do. That is why as a government and as Canadians, we need to continually pledge ourselves to be allies and solutions in the fight against gender-based violence.