Q & A

Operator:

[ no interpretation]. [voice of interpreter]

Reporter:

Good morning, Mr. Trudeau. How can you explain the fact that it took such a long time to agree with the provinces on the wage top-up? they are our guardian angels, and have you agreed on a specific figure, $4 or $5 more per hour, say?

Prime Minister Trudeau:

Well, once again we know that the provinces are facing different circumstances right across the country because of COVID-19, and they are also taking different approaches towards the work of their essential workers. So as a federal government, we wanted to help the provinces with three quarters of the funding that they will now have available to them to support their essential workers. For the federal government we’retalking about $4 million for essential workers right across the country, but the provinces will be the ones determining exactly how and who will receive that funding.

a follow-up, catherine?

Reporter:

Yes, thank you. So I understand there won’t be consistent wage top-up across the country. Now your science advisor has criticized the lack of a clear plan in Quebec, even though it’salready started to relax the lockdown.

Prime Minister Trudeau:

Well, we do recognize that we need to do much more in terms of testing in the coming months in order to reopen the economy and to keep Canadians safe. All the provinces and territories must do more. We have seen a significant improvement, even just in the last few days, including in Quebec. and at the federal level, we will continue to work collaboratively with the provinces to improve the testing. We know we have to do more testing, and we will continue to be there to support the provinces and territories to do more. [ end of interpretation ]

Thank you. Operator, next question.

Operator:

Thank you, Merci. next question, “national post”. line open.

Reporter:

Yeah, good morning, Prime Minister. I’m wondering if you can give us an idea of what this program will cost the federal governmentoverall, and given that you seem to be leaving this up to the provinces, like, what sort of guidelines have you given them about how to spend those federaldollars?

Prime Minister Trudeau:

We see across the country people working on the front lines in essential services, in our seniors care systems, in our long-term care, in our health care systems and elsewhere who are making very low wages while doing extraordinarily important work. That’s why we announced a numberof days ago that we wanted to move forward with a top-up to bedelivered by the provinces to those workers who needed that extra support. We put forward around $4 billionfrom the federal government to be matched three quarters from the federal government one quarter from the provincial government on helping those workers right across the country. But because of the variants across the country, both of the COVID-19 situation and of a delivery of essential services, including health care, we felt that it was best that provinces move forward in choosing exactlyhow they can best help the workers who are doing such important work right across the country. This is another great example ofhow the federal government and the provinces and territories have been able to come together, collaborate, work together to support Canadians through this extremely difficult time.

and a follow-up, ryan?

Reporter:

Yeah, what about non-medical workers, I guess people who work in grocery stores and delivery drivers, some of those workers, like you say, are working minimum wage. Are they going to be eligible for this top-up?

Prime Minister Trudeau:

As I said, those are determinations to be made by the provinces. I know a number of provinces had already put out lists of workers that they considered to be essential, and many of them are drawing from those lists in terms of who gets the top-up. We have confidence that the provinces will determine exactlyhow best to help Canadians in this time. The federal government wanted to be there, and we know that offering this money to workers right across the country will make a big difference, and we trust the provinces to make surethat people who need it gets this help.

Thank you. [ no interpretation ][voice of interpreter]

Reporter:

Good morning, Mr. Trudeau. With respect to today’s announcement about the wage top-up, this is something peoplehave been waiting for for a longtime, but you’re not giving any specific numbers. Can you tell us exactly what youthink the federal contribution will cost and specifically for Quebec will there be any compensation through a Quebec program?

Prime Minister Trudeau:

Well, we have seen – we have signed agreements with all the provinces and territories, or are in the process of doing so, and all the provinces must work together in this context. So for the federal government, we’re talking about an investment of $4 billion for all essential workers across the country. We will be supporting about three quarters of the cost of the province’s programs. In the case of Quebec, we have reached an agreement, and I know that they are happy that the federal government will be thereto help other essential workers.

a follow-up?

Reporter:

Yes. With respect to the cafe personnel in long-term care homes, we know that there was a problem with medical personnel going from one facility to another. Now will they be assigned to onefacility only?

Prime Minister Trudeau:

Well, I do not have any specific information to share with you onthat. But I do know that c. a.f. Personnel are taking all possible precautions to ensure that they remain safe and, of course, that they can ensure thesafety of the people they are serving. and that’s why the c. a.f. Personnel are being assigned to specific long-term care homes because we want to help and not run the risk of spreading the virus even more. [ end of interpretation ]

Operator:

Next question, Theresa wright, the Canadian press. Line open.

Reporter:

Good morning, Prime Minister. Earlier this week the Chinese embassy tweeted that the n-95 masks which were rejected by Canada last month were the result of a contractual issue that has now been resolved. Your deputy Prime Minister and health Minister said that they would look into it but have yet to respond to explain what happened. Was there a contract problem that led to 1 million masks from china being rejected? what was the issue and has it been resolved?

Prime Minister Trudeau:

We have over the past weeks received millions upon millions of items of P.P.E. From around the world, including from china. Over the course of this time, there have been a small number that have been not to the levelsthat Canadians expected. We are continuing to follow up and work on it, to make sure that the equipment that we deliver to our front-line workers, to our health care workers across this country is at Canadian standards. We will be receiving flights of P.P.E. From china andther places almost daily over the coming weeks. We know that we are needing to ensure enough high-quality equipment for Canadians right across the country, and we’re continuing to do just that. [voice of interpreter]for a number of weeks now we have received some 20 plane loads full of P.P.E., primarily from china, but also from other parts of the world, and we know that with the millions and millions of P.P.E. That we’ve received there is a small percentage that did not meet our expectations and Canadian standards. Since we must provide this equipment to our front-line workers. and we’re setting that equipmentaside and we’re working to ensure that we can receive otherP.P.E. That meets our standards. But we will continue to receive plane loads of P.P.E. Every single day in the coming weeks, and we will have enough high-quality P.P.E. For all Canadians. [ end of interpretation ]

Reporter:

People working in grocery stores and on farms and in long-term care facilities have often come from marginalized populations, and now they are considered essential workers. Are we placing too high a burdenon marginalized people in this pandemic?

Prime Minister Trudeau:

I think one of the things that we’re seeing through this pandemic is that there are people who are tremendously economically vulnerable and vulnerable in other ways in our society who are extremely important to the functioning of our society. As we’ve made it through this pandemic so far, we’ve been focusing on supporting these most vulnerable people, and thistop-up for essential workers delivered by the provinces is another piece of support for people who need it in order to get through this time as best we can as a country. We know, however, that once we get through this in the months and years to come we’re also going to have to have reflections about how we manage and how we maintain our long-term care facilities, how we support essential workers whoare very low paid, how we move forward as a society to make sure that our vulnerable are properly taken care of and properly rewarded for the important work they do. [voice of interpreter]I think we will all be reflecting in the coming months and years on how we can ensure that the people carrying out that essential work are properlypaid. They are economically vulnerable, and so that is certainly something we will have to reflect on over the longer term. In the short term, however, we are supporting everyone we can, trying to meet their needs with various measures, including the Canada emergency response benefit, but also with what we’re announcing today, a wage top-up for essential workers. So we have to come through this, but of course we will have a lotto think about as a society in the coming years to see how we can improve the lot of some. [ end of interpretation ]

Reporter:

Good morning, Prime Minister. Kevin Gallagher with CTV news. Car gill meat packing in high river, Alberta. The workers have gone back. Many are still concerned about the safety of their work conditions, but also outside of the factory in their communities, many are experiencing racism and discrimination because they work at the plant. Many of them, of course, are newcanadians. You have said that workers safety really falls under provincial jurisdiction, but at what point does the federal government have to step in to ensure worker safety at car gill and other food processing facilities across the country?

Prime Minister Trudeau:

One of the things that this crisis has shown us is various points of vulnerable, both in our supply chains, but also in terms of people who work in jobs we find extremely important right across the country for feeding Canadians, for allowing our economy to run. There are obviously going to be many reflections we’re going to have to have as a society in the coming months and years on how we make sure the country is fair and the country is supportive and protecting everyone in the important work that they do. In the meantime, we will continue to work with the provinces on assuring both continued flow of food supply chains, but also ensuring that there is proper support for the people who work in these industries and in these – in this processing and in agriculture. That was part of what our announcement yesterday, which was a first and initial instalment, our first investment in supporting agricultural workers and producers to be able to be safe while they do such important work for Canadians.

Reporter:

We are talking about, like, the largest outbreak in north America here, so how do you evaluate the provincial regulators here? you know, has the province done enough, in your view, to keep those workers safe?

I think there are a lot of questions being asked of how various provinces have handled different aspects of this pandemic. I will be talking with the premiers tonight to offer again in so many different ways how the federal government can help. What we just announced today as a top-up for essential workers is a great example of the federal government and the provincial governments working together on protecting Canadians. Obviously there are always things to learn, always things that we need to do better, and as the provinces look to step upand do more and do differently and do better, the federal government will be there to support them. [voice of interpreter]

Reporter:

Radio-Canada. I’d like to come back to today’sannouncement about the wage top-up. is this not proof that the otherresponse benefit that you brought in was too generous?

Prime Minister Trudeau:

Well, we will be seeing some numbers tomorrow about job losses in April. There are millions of Canadians out there who lost their paycheque, who lost their job and who don’t – who would not have the ability to buy groceries for their family or pay their rent. The emergency benefit was there, is there for millions of Canadians to provide the support they need at a time when we mu stall pretty much stay home. This was an essential measure, and this is an example of how Canadians support each other at difficult times. and at the same time we also know that there are workers who carry out essential work for our society who deserve a wage top-up. and that’s why we’re very pleased to have worked with the provinces to deliver support forthose workers.

Reporter:

I’d like to come back to testing. Other than the concerns about the scientific advisor that wereraised, is it not necessary to have a consistent approach to testing and ensure they have the right tools to follow the results of that testing?

Well, I think the provinces are looking at very different circumstances right across the country. So a federal program that would be applied consistently across the board would not be the rightsolution. We are there to support the provinces and help them with resources and material, help them to establish better plans so that we can move forward with enough testing to try and reopen the economy while still keeping Canadians safe and secure. and we will continue to work hard. There is always room for improvement, but we will be there to support them and to work with them in this unprecedented situation. [ end of interpretation ]

Reporter:

Good morning, Prime Minister. As a lot of governments are looking towards recovery from this, the economic recovery herein Canada, how will you able to help the Canadian economy get back on its feet from this reduced spending and yet also respect some of the promises that you made in the election like affirm – pharmacare and infrastructure spending?

Prime Minister Trudeau:

Obviously this has become the priority we have to deal with. It’s an economic impact the likes of which we haven’t seen in over 70 years on Canadians from coast to coast to coast, onfamilies, on businesses, on sectors, and the measures that were put forward were historic and without precedent in terms of supporting families, in supporting workers, in supporting communities, supporting small businesses. These are the things that are gonna help us get through, and our priority right now is helping people hold on while we have to stay isolated because ofcovid-19 and then start – re-starting carefully the economy in a gradual and progressive way with the right measures in place. Once we get through this, there will be plenty of time to talk about what the longer term lookslike, what the future of Canada looks like, what is needed for various sectors, for various Canadians. We’ve seen a whole bunch of new needs P.P.E. up that we had not paid much attention to over the past years, like the plight of most vulnerable workers. I mean, we had as a government invested massively in reducing poverty over the past five years. We’ve seen over a million peoplelifted out of poverty, but there’s obviously much more to do, and we’re going to continue to focus on that. I think there is going to be time to talk about long-term plans as we get through this. Right now our focus is on getting Canadians through this.

Reporter:

Right, but other governments are also focused on recovery and what they will do as part of that recovery. The United Kingdom, for example, its climate advisors are saying that all recovery will have a green focus. They have a net zero by 2050 commitment, just as your government does. So how will the recovery take into account your climate change promises in the last election?

Prime Minister Trudeau:

I think one of the things that we’re very much thinking about is how do we build back better, how do we look at what this pandemic has challenged us with, what it has highlighted around needs or gaps in Canada and how do we look to rebuild and recover in a way that advances us in the right direction. Obviously less pollution, greener outcomes are going to Beau part of it. More digital, more connected is going to be a part of it. Better supports for vulnerable Canadians and more equality across this country needs to be part of it as well. These are principles that we’re looking at right now and reflecting on how we go forward, and we’re going to continue to.

Reporter:

Prime Minister, Janet silver, global news. Yesterday green party parliamentary leader Elizabeth may said the oil sector in Canada is basically dead, and the bloc leader went on to say putting more money into that business is a very bad idea. I’m just wondering if you share this assessment, and will your government give more money to this industry, given the opposition and given how low oil prices are and is expected to continue for the unseeable future.

Prime Minister Trudeau:

I don’t share that assessment. I know that if we are to move forward in transforming our economy towards lower emissions and cleaner processes, workers and innovators in Alberta and across the country in the energy sector are going to be an essential part of that transformation as we move forward towards a different energy mix, as we move forward to lower fossil fuel emissions, lower greenhouse gas emissions. We need the innovation, the hard work and the vision and the creativity of people working right now in the energy sector. We need to support Albertan and other people working in the energy sector through this incredible difficult time as families, as workers, as communities, not just because that’s what we do as Canadians but because we need their capacity to innovate and figure out how we’re going to move forward towards our greater greener goals. We can’t do it without them, andthat’s why we’re going to keep supporting them in the right ways. [voice of interpreter]no, I don’t agree with that assessment. We know that the only way we canmove forward as a country is to have the energy industry as a partner, to create long-term solutions, to reduce our emissions and to innovate in thearea of new technology. For all of that, we need innovative and hard-working industries, such as the ones in our energy sector. We cannot meet our targets unless we have partners in the energy sector who will be working with us to find the right solutions and transform that energy sector so we need those families, those workers, those communities in Alberta andelsewhere. They are part of the solution, and that’s why we have to support them. We will support them not only because that’s what we have to do as Canadians. We’re always there for each other, but we’re going to support them because they are essential allies in transformingour economy and a better future for all of us. [ end of interpretation ]

Reporter:

– france and australia and what they are doing when it comes to tech giants like google and facebook being forced to share ad revenuewith canadian news content providers. Given how many news content providers are struggling, especially in small towns, and in some cases closing, and how vital those are to those small towns, you said you would address the matter. I’m just wondering are you prepared to do so now, especially at such a vital time for truth and news?

Prime Minister Trudeau:

It is extremely important that we support our news sector because Canadians need the information to keep them safe, to plan for their futures, to lean on each other. We need the media now during a crisis more than we ever have, and that’s why, as a government, we have put forward significant measures to support news media, and we will continue to work to do just that. I can assure you that Minister guilbault is working very hard and very closely with allies around the world to see what they are doing and with the sector here in Canada to ensure that Canadians get top quality information, that decisionmakersand politicians continue to be held to account and that we continue to make decisions base don facts and a shared understanding of the reality we’re facing. The work that the media does is essential. We will continue to support it. [voice of interpreter]the news media and information networks are more important now than ever before. We know that having access to concrete and accurate information during this pandemicis extremely important for citizens who want to make the right decisions. We also have to ensure the accountability of decisionmakersacross the country. We need to ensure that canadiansare properly informed about everything that’s happening in this country and around the world, and that’s why we will always support our information and media networks. Our government has already invested money to help them through difficult times, and we will continue to do that. Minister guilbault is now working with the media and our international partners to see what can be done, because we know that this will always be a priority in Canada when it comesto ensuring that the informationindustry is there for us. [ end of interpretation ]