Parses captions for PM Trudeau's daily speeches and presents them in a more human readable format
Operator:
Thank you, Merci. First question, bloomberg, line open.
Reporter:
Hello, Prime Minister. I have a question regarding the wage subsidy. We’ve heard from some businesses that it will cost them more money to rehire employees they’ve already laid off and had to pay out holidays and severance pay to than to bring them back on board with this wage subsidy. Some of them would rather leave their former employees on – what is your response to this?
Prime Minister Trudeau:
Ideally people will keep their connections with their workplaces so they know they have a job to return to when this is over and when the economy comes back it will be all the quicker because Canadians will have stayed connected to their jobs. We were pleased that over 44, 000businesses have applied for the wage subsidy, but we know that there are a range of different situations across the country, and employers have had to take some very difficult decisions because of COVID-19. We’ve put in place measures to support the people who need support most urgently with the Canada emergency response benefit and the wage subsidy. and we certainly hope that all these measures together will ensure that Canadians can continue to do what we need to do while caring for their families and come back as strongly as possible at the end.
Follow-up, kate?
Reporter:
and now we have a lot of personal protective equipment for the front-line workers. Do you expect businesses to use ppe as well now that the reopening of the economy is beginning to be considered and do you think there will be enough masks and gloves available for all the businessesthat need them to operate?
Prime Minister Trudeau:
Our priority over the past week has been to ensure enough personal protective equipment for our front-line workers who are doingextraordinary work to keep us all safe. But we also know that as different provinces look at starting to reopen certain sectors, certain industries, certain parts of the economy, there is going to be an increased need for personal protective equipment. That’s why we continue to procure massive amounts of ppe from overseas while at the same time watching the canadian production come on-line so that we can have our domestic capacity to rely on as well. We know that having the right amounts of ppe for industries that want to reopen will be essential before they reopen, and that’s why we’re accelerating the rate at which we are taking in personal protective equipment. (voice of translator). we know that the – we know thatthe priority has always been to ensure there is enough ppe for our front-line workers and health care workers, and that’s why we’ve been working very hardin recent weeks. But as we are now looking at thenext steps and the possible reopening of the economy, we know that there will be a need for more personal protective equipment, and we intend to increase the rate at which we receive that equipment, and we also have the domestic production coming on-line that we will be able to share with people before we begin to reopenthe economy. [ end of translation ].
Operator:
Next question, Laura osmond, the Canadian press. Line open.
Reporter:
Good morning, Prime Minister. I wanted to ask you again about vaccines. If and when a vaccine does become available, do you envision it being mandatory, and have you had those discussions with the provinces and territories yet?
Prime Minister Trudeau:
We are still, unfortunately, a long way from having a vaccine, and just finding the vaccine is the first step. The next step will be producing the vaccines in sufficient number to inoculate everyone, or almost everyone. That is something that we are preparing already in terms of manufacturing and production capacity here in Canada, because we know that countries around the world will be producing for their own citizens first, and we need to be part of that as well. As to what sort of vaccination protocols will be in place, we still have a fair bit of time to reflect on that in order to get it right. (voice of translator). with respect to vaccinations, we recognize that we are still far from having one. Countries around the world are currently seeking to develop a vaccine against COVID-19, but even once we have one, that could take six months or a year. We will have to produce that vaccine in sufficient quantities to be able to protect citizens. So we are currently putting in place a proper production capacity here in Canada so that we can respond to the demand in Canada as soon as possible. Now what will the protocols be, who will be vaccinated first, those are things that still need to be decided, and we have time to be able to make the right decisions in that regard. [ end of translation ].
Follow-up?
Reporter:
Thank you. We have heard over and over how vital a vaccine will be because you don’t fully understand the immunology of this virus. How vital will it be to make sure that as close to everyone as possible ends up getting it in the end if one does become available?
Prime Minister Trudeau:
We know vaccines will be extremely important – a vaccine will be extremely important to getting back to normal. There are situations, and there are diseases for which vaccines very searched for a long time. I think of hiv/aids where there is still no vaccine even after decades of research into a vaccine. There are treatments to manage the spread of HIV and there could be treatments that aren’t a vaccine that could help us manage and get back to normal without a vaccine. But around vaccines, there are obviously going to be extremely important decisions around how to best get to that level of vaccination that will prevent further spread of COVID-19. There’s a lot of study done on that – studies done on that over the past years in terms of what threshold of the populationneeds to be vaccinated in order to prevent any spread of a disease, and that research will obviously inform decisions we take around the COVID-19 vaccinewhen it comes. (voice of translator). of course there’s a great deal of research being done on vaccination and the level of vaccination that is necessary inorder to protect our population and avoid the spread of the disease. That will certainly inform our choices when it comes to vaccination against COVID-19, but it is still quite possible that there will not be a vaccine. For over ten years there’s been aggressive research on a vaccineon HIV and there isn’t one yet. But there are treatments that will make it possible to manage that disease much better than before, and we are seeking treatments as well that could help us to manage COVID-19 if the vaccine takes longer to be developed than we hope. So we’re working on all these different options so that we cando everything we can to return to normalcy as soon as possible.
Operator:
Thank you, the next question please.
Reporter:
Good morning, Mr. Trudeau. With respect to the shared principles at the national level, you said that the detail swill be coming. Now concretely, does the federal government intend to prohibit travel and certain movements between provinces?
Prime Minister Trudeau:
Well, that’s a very good question, Melanie. First of all, with respect to this common approach that we’ve developed and the shared principles we agreed on between the federal government and the provinces and territories, we should be sharing that with you in the next hour. But as I say, these are not specific measures. These are basic principles that will inform the measures to be taken by various governments based on their own circumstances. Now with respect to cross-bordermovement, the provinces will look at their situation, and thefederal government will also review the situation, and will consider the principles and figure out what kind of decisionhas to be made to ensure everyone’s safety. So this is a process that will be evolving in the coming days and weeks as we see an evolutionin the spread of the virus. [ end of translation ]. this framework is one where the federal government and the provincial and territorial governments all came together toagree on principles that will underlie plans for economic recoveries. Those plans will be different from one province to the next. The specific measures put in will depend very much on the situation on the ground, but we need to be informed by a common set of criteria and measures to be in place before we look at reopening different parts of theeconomy. This is something that really, really matters, and all of us will be informed by these principles as we move forward oncarefully reopening the economy in gradual ways. (voice of translator).
Follow-up?
Reporter:
Yes. Now according to polls, 60% of Canadians think that a vaccine against COVID-19 should be mandatory. What do you think of that idea?
Prime Minister Trudeau:
As I said, we’re very far away from the time when we can make that kind of decision or will have to make that decision. a vaccine is not going to happenovernight, and there are many studies that have to be carried out on the nature of COVID-19 and how we can protect the population. We know that with respect to other vaccines, in some cases there needs to be 80% immunity in the population to prevent the spread of a specific disease. Now we don’t know whether it will be the same threshold for COVID-19. That will be based on the science and the research that’s under way now, as well as by thecovid-19 immunity task force that we’ve set up and which will be working from Montreal for the entire country. and that will inform all of our decisions as to what the next steps should be. [ end of translation ].
Thank you. Next question, operator.
Operator:
Thank you. Merci. (voice of translator).
Reporter:
Good morning, Mr. Trudeau. Health Canada yesterday decided to lift certain restrictions with respect to cleaning products, and the official languages committee says that this is about people’s safety. Why was that decision made and why should there not be proper information on products coming in from the United States?
Prime Minister Trudeau:
That’s a very good question. We need to protect the safety ofconsumers, and products must be labelled in both official languages. But in an extreme situation, such as the one we’re in now, we also recognize that there needs to be a proper balance between some vulnerabilities, and in some situations we are ready to permit uni lingual information onpackaging. But as I say, companies are working hard to try and rectify that. This is not something that should be accepted in Canada, and it’s really just because of the extreme situation in which we find ourselves. We decided to authorize this, but we would certainly prefer that this not happen because our linguistic duality is not just question of our Canadian identity. It’s also a question of safety for consumers.
Reporter:
Does that mean, Mr. Trudeau, that there could be other exemptions in the coming weeks?
Prime Minister Trudeau:
Well, we hope we will not have to authorize other exemptions. We do hope that we can provide the proper labelling in french and English on all products as necessary, but we’re now in a situation where labour and logistics are not always sufficient within these companies to make that happen, and that’s why we decided that in this case it was better to ensure that the products could come in and we’re trying to ensure the safety of consumers at the same time. [ end of translation ].
Reporter:
I want to start with the situation in Alberta. First we have the COVID-19 outbreak of the meat packing facility there, and now the flooding in fort mac. You said in your opening remarks that your government is ready tohelp. I’m just wondering: will the military be brought in to help in that situation?
Prime Minister Trudeau:
Public safety Minister bill Blair has already been in direct contact with mayor Scott in fortmcmurray and spoken with his counterparts in the Alberta government on the agriculture side. We’ve been engaged with the cfiband with the relevant ministers in Alberta. We stand ready to help in any ways we can, and in regards to military support, we’re there for military support if we receive a request from the province. (voice of translator). we will be there to provide support to the provinces in these different situations. In terms of military intervention, we’re certainly open to that, but we need to receive a request from the province. [ end of translation ].
Reporter:
– reopen the economy, there must be enough capacity to test and trace COVID-19 to control any new spread. Dr. David nailer of the COVID-19immunity task force says he’s really concerned about testing and tracing capacity. I’m wondering how is your government planning to address those concerns as provinces reopen?
Prime Minister Trudeau:
We know we need to do much more testing. We know that testing is an important part of careful reopening of the economy, and that’s why we are increasing ourcapacity. Yesterday there were 26, 000 tests, which is a new high, and we’re continuing to increase the testing capacity, with various things, like more procurement of necessary swabs and domestic production, with a production of the reagent, which is the chemical necessary to analyze the tests, done in new brunswickright now to a quantity and a scale that is going to allow forlarger-scale testing across the country. There are many things that the federal government can do to support the testing protocols and capacities in the provinces, and we all need to improve on that if we’re going to get to a place where we can open up carefully. (voice of translator). massive testing will be an important component of reopeningthe economy, and that’s why the federal government is now working with the provinces to increase their capacity. We conducted more tests yesterday than before, 26, 000 across the country, and of course we must do more. and we are now ordering more testing equipment. We are also creating the necessary chemical reagents so that the entire country can conduct more testing. We know that we absolutely must do this before we start to reopen the economy.
Reporter:
Radio-Canada. a specific question: how many tests will it take before we canreopen the economy? you’ve talked about common principles, but what are those principles? how many tests and what other measures will need to be in place to ensure that this works? try to be as specific as possible.
Prime Minister Trudeau:
Well, to be as specific as possible would mean telling me which region you’re talking about.
Reporter:
Well, I mean right across the country.
Prime Minister Trudeau:
Well, I can tell you that we’re dealing with a series of different pandemic responses and situations across the country. In Prince Edward Island, there were 20 cases. In Ontario and Quebec, we know that the figures are much, much higher. So we’re talking about very different realities right across the country and different realities from one city to the next. So for us, the important thing is to allow the provinces to do the level of testing that is necessary in each region and each community in order to respond to needs and to the vulnerabilities on the ground. For example, there are communities where they may decide to test everyone. There may be workplaces where they want to test 50% of the people there. So there are different protocols, and our responsibility as a federal government is to ensure a much increased capacity so that the provinces can conduct the level of testing that they believe to be necessary based on where they are and the circumstances involved. We cannot say exactly tomorrow we need these many tests done. No, this is something that is an ongoing process, and our responsibility is to be there for the provinces to ensure that can do that testing.
Reporter:
Now with respect to the provinces, now in your modelling are you considering reopening the schools in Quebec? can New Brunswick say no, temporary foreign workers cannot come into our province?
Prime Minister Trudeau:
Well, the different provinces will have their own approach, and ourpan-canadian modelling tries to reflect those different realities, but it is only an overview of the country. The fact is that there is a different reality in every placeacross the country, and in termsof the different measures the provinces will bring in, well, they will make their own choiceswithin their own jurisdiction that they believe are the best ones for their citizens.
Reporter:
Good morning, Mr. Trudeau. I’d like to come back to health Canada’s decision. There are a number of francophone who are extremely offended by this. Senator cornier said nothing justifies violating the official languages act. What do you think justifies it and what do you say to them?
Prime Minister Trudeau:
Well, we are in an unprecedented situation where access to products, such as hand sanitizer, is absolutely critical. It’s an essential component. It’s an essential thing that Canadians have to do to stay safe. So we had to make decisions that would be absolutely unacceptable at other times and say that in some cases we can allow those products to come in with uni lingual labelling, but of course we understand that that certainly is not ideal either for the identity of our country or for consumer safety. So we do hope that this will not become a regular occurrence. We know that people are now looking at ways to avoid using only uni lingual labels. [ end of translation ].
Reporter:
I would like to ask you about Quebec’s move to reopen its elementary schools and daycares. I know it’s a provincial decision, but I would like to ask you as a parent if you’d be concerned about sending your kids back to school so early, and as a former teacher, do you have any concerns about the teachers who are going to be called back to the classroom?
Prime Minister Trudeau:
I think many people want to see the economy reopening and getting back to a semblance of normality in the coming weeks. It is natural that after a long time in isolation we would want to see things move back towards normal. At the same time, we know we have to be very, very careful, and there is – there are plans and there are hopes that we’re going to be able to see certain parts of the country take steps, including Quebec, around elementary schools, but we’re not there yet. Those projections are for a few weeks off, and one hopes that the trend lines will bring us TA place where we’ll be able to see that happen. and at that moment, as the premier said, parents will be able to make their own decisions about what is best for their students and for their kids. (voice of translator). I think we all want to see solutions in the short term and a return to normalcy as soon as possible. But we all know that that will take some time. Even with our plans to take action in the coming weeks, we will have to ensure that the context or the situation on the ground at that time will allow us to make those decisions, and at that point, the schools and parents will be able to make their own choices as to what should be done to protect children and to keep their grandparents safe as well. [ end of translation ].
Reporter:
I just want to follow up there, because there was a question about what you would do if you were a parent. Have you given that some thought? in two weeks would you send your kids back to school if you were in Quebec?
Prime Minister Trudeau:
I would look at what the situation looked like in two weeks. We know that every single week we see changes in how we’re doing, on where there are outbreaks, on equipment and supports available. I’d want to know what the school was planning on doing, whether the desks were going to be properly spaced, whether there would be plans at recess in terms of keeping people separated. These are all details that need to be worked out to the satisfaction, not just of governments but of the school boards, of teachers, of everyone who works in the schools, and especially of kids and their parents and grandparents. (voice of translator). as a parent, when I make a decision for My own children, I will want to know what the measures are that are in place. Will there be fewer students perclass? will the desks be properly spaced? now in the playground, will there be rules in place to ensure that kids keep the proper distance from each other? will there be measures to protect the teachers and to make sure that they can work safely in the schools? and will there be measures that will allow them to respond in the case of a problem? so these are all questions we’llhave to have answers to before we can make a decision about reopening, and that’s exactly what I’m expecting to happen. I believe all levels of government, all partners and all institutions are asking these questions before they decide to relax the restrictions. [ end of translation ].
Reporter:
– framework that you discussed with the premiers and the modelling numbers that are coming out today, there is another brewing health care crisis as well because of all the non – the elective surgeries, right? people that are perhaps waiting for important cancer surgery noware very uncertain as to when that could happen. So when you’re discussing this with the provinces, you’re looking at the modelling numbers, what benchmarks are there to start to reopen those type of important medical procedures that are sort of separate from this COVID-19 epidemic?
Prime Minister Trudeau:
That is an extremely important element of any reopening, and of our health care capacity. Of course while we are dealing with a massive COVID-19 crisis, there are still people who need surgeries, who are facing difficult treatments, who need to access our health care system for other reasons. and this is why part of the frameworks agreed to by the provinces and the federal government includes health care system capacity, not just to handle a potential resurgence ofcovid-19 but how to handle the regular needs of patients who are dealing with health issues that are not COVID-19-related. (voice of translator). we know that even in the middle of COVID-19, where we’re facing huge challenges with respect to the capacity of our health care system to cope, we know that there are also people who need special treatments, that have togo tog hospital for emergency problems, and we have to be ableto maintain the necessary capacity for them. That’s why in terms of the principles that have been agreedon by the federal government andthe provinces with respect to reopening the economy, we have to make sure that our health care system also has the necessary capacities to respond to a resurgence of COVID-19 but also respond to any medical emergencies and provide medical treatments that are needed by the population. [ end of translation ].