Q & A

Operator:

Thank you. Merci. First question is from aptn. Line up.

Reporter:

Thank you, Mr. Prime Minister. As we all know, indigenous communities in the north are vulnerable due to social conditions, like lack of housing and lack of medical facilities. It’s been said that indigenous communities are two weeks behind the curve. Now if provinces are relaxing restrictions, some of these communities might see that as a threat. Do you agree with that opinion? and secondly, what would your advice be to those communities?

Prime Minister Trudeau:

From the very beginning of this pandemic we have seen and known that indigenous communities, particularly northern and remoteones, are particularly vulnerable to the spread of COVID-19 given existing challenges around medical facilities, things like overcrowding and other socio-economic realities. That’s why from the beginning wehave made specific investments to support indigenous communities as the country grapples with this pandemic. Right across the country, as certain regions are reopening, there is a recognition that other regions are gonna need continued adjustments and continued protections, and we will ensure that we continue to work all together on protecting indigenous communities who are, indeed, more vulnerable, even asother parts of the economy are looking at opening up.

Follow-up, jamie?

Reporter:

Yeah, okay, so they have been doing pretty well so far, but like I said, they are two weeks behind the curve. So with provinces opening up, what would you suggest they do?

Prime Minister Trudeau:

I think we need to make sure we’rekeeping extremely vigilant and preventing outside cases from entering those communities. We have seen, for example, Nunavut be very successful, not just remaining two weeks behind the curve, but months behind the curve as they continue to have no cases because of very strong travel restrictions that were brought in immediately and have served to keep the vulnerable and remote communities in our far north completely COVID-19 free. But right across the country various communities will take appropriate measures, and we will be there as a government and other orders of government as well to support them in doing the things that need to be done to keep elders and all in those communities safe.

Thank you. Next question, operator.

Operator:

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

Reporter:

Good morning, Mr. Trudeau. I’d like to know, since you are now talking about extending the wage subsidy, do you think you will do the same thing with the emergency response benefit?

Prime Minister Trudeau:

The Canada emergency response benefit will already be continuing longer than the wage subsidy, and we also recognize that gradually in the weeks and months to come the economy will start to recover, and therefore fewer people will need that emergency benefit. They will return to work, and probably more people will decide to take advantage of the wage subsidy. That’s why we’re announcing today that we will be extending it so that it can be used for a longer period. But we will continue to adjust what we’re doing as the situation evolves, and from the beginning of this crisis, we have been there to adjust as required and enhance and improve our approach so that we can help as many people as possible given the current situation. [ end of interpretation ]from the beginning we recognizedthat we needed to constantly adjust and improve the delivery of these unprecedented mechanisms to support Canadians who are suffering through this particular crisis. That’s why we recognize that there are many different things we need to do as the economy starts to reopen. The Canada emergency response benefit has always – had alwaysbeen planned to last longer or had a timeline that was already longer than the wage subsidy, but we recognize that as the economy starts to reopen people will be getting back to work, leaving the emergency response benefit and perhaps going on to the wage subsidy as employers bring people back on and get them back to work as our economypicks up over the coming weeks and months. That’s why we will constantly beadjusting to make sure that Canadians are getting the support they need as we look to carefully and gradually re-starting our economy. [voice of interpreter]

Follow-up?

Reporter:

Yes, of course. I would like to know with respect to the wage subsidy how long it should be extended or really need to be extended, and will there be opening of the economy, does it cause you any concern? do you think that perhaps relaxing the rules is being done too quickly?

Prime Minister Trudeau:

Well, right from the beginning we have said just how important it is to gradually reopen the economy and to be extremely vigilant. In order to monitor how COVID-19is spreading, and that’s how we have invested massively in testing, and that’s also the reason why we must ensure that the proper mechanisms are in place right across the country as the economy reopens. The wage subsidy will be extended beyond June, and we will have more details to announce on that next week, but I can already say to those businesses that are looking at how they are going to be able tostart up again that the wage subsidy will be there for them for quite a long time to come, and they should start right now to rehire their workers so that they can create that job attachment with their workers sothat we can get the economy started again quickly. [ end of interpretation ]

Operator:

Thank you, Merci. Next question, the Canadian press. Line open.

Reporter:

Hello, Prime Minister. Two successive job reports are showing that women in service roles have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic. In light of that, what specific measures do you think are needed to strengthen our economic recovery?

Prime Minister Trudeau:

This is one of the first recessions we’ve ever seen that has so hard hit vulnerable workers in the service sector, particularly women and new Canadians and young people. and that was evident in the March numbers and continues to be the case in the April numbers. What we’re seeing even beyond these reports and these numbers is the reality on the ground, that people who are already vulnerable in the workforce, people who are already disadvantaged or facing extra barriers are always the first to get hit when we have a difficult situation like this. That’s why as a society not only do we need to do what we are doing in the short term to give extra supports to vulnerable people, but we need to make sure that as we move forward to rebuilding and creating a more prosperous Canada in the coming months and years, we think very, very carefully about how important the work is that is being done by women and vulnerable Canadians and how we need to make sure we’re better supporting them, not just for potential future crises but for business as usual as our country comes back to normal. [voice of interpreter]this crisis has hit women and vulnerable people as well as newcanadians and young people very, very hard. Their jobs were among the first to disappear, and that’s why we introduced specific measures to help those vulnerable Canadians in particular. But beyond this crisis we will have to look at how to rebuild the economy and ensure at that point that vulnerable people arenot hit hard in the same way andhow we’re going to look after all Canadians to have a fair country for everyone. [ end of interpretation ]

Reporter:

Given that reality on the ground that you’re talking about and that the vulnerable people are, as you say, the first to get hit, how will you ensure government stimulus money helps those people first and does not go to the bottom line for big corporations?

Prime Minister Trudeau:

We are not yet talking about stimulus. We are still very much in the support and emergency phase right now, and that’s why from the beginning the measures we put forward have been entirely focused on Canadians. With the Canada emergency response benefit that’s over 7 million people across this country who have benefited from that. With the wage subsidy that goes to workers. Employers don’t keep a penny of that. They pass it through to their workers so that workers have that continued link with their job and get a paycheque that will ensure that as the economy reopens they will be able to come back to work quickly and smoothly. Our focus every step of the way, even on supporting small businesses, has been in ensuring that people who are able to keep jobs going for Canadians from coast to coast to coast. We will over the coming days start looking at specific sect oral supports for various industries that have been hit particularly hard by COVID-19, but even then our focus will be on the workers, on the supply chains that involve many, many small businesses across this country for many of these industries, and not on the corporate well-being of an industry or of a sector. But indeed staying focused on helping Canadians, because it iscanadians who are at the heart of our economic success, at the heart of our success as a country, and as a government, we will always stay focused on them.

Thank you. We’ll take one more question on the phone. Operator?

Operator:

Thank you. Merci. [ no interpretation ]

Reporter:

Good morning, Mr. Trudeau. I’d like to come back to the emergency response benefit. We’re seeing that schools and day cares are starting to reopen, and there’s a lot of questions about the teachers and the daycare workers who at this point are not feeling safe ab outgoing back to work and who may refuse. As a result, they may want to get the response benefit, and yet the Quebec government is saying that this is a safe environment. Now what should people do when they feel their workplace is notsafe? is that enough to apply for the emergency response benefit?

Prime Minister Trudeau:

Well, in no cases and at no time should a Canadian be working somewhere where they are concerned about their safety and their health. We have very significant and specific standards in place in this country to ensure that even in normal times workers are able to work safely. Now in this pandemic those concerns are even greater, and that is why that in the principles that we put forward with the provinces and territories, the aspect of safety at work is absolutely critical when it comes to reopening the economy. and we expect that work conditions for Canadians, even for critical workers, will be safe enough for people to feel confident about returning to work. [ end of interpretation ]one of the things that is fundamental in Canada is that noone, whether in crisis times or in regular times, should be working in a job in conditions that are unsafe or put them at risk. That is a fundamental principle of Canada that we will always ensure to uphold. In this particular situation, there are heightened concerns about health for a large number of people, or for everyone, but particularly and even in essential work sectors. We need to make sure that we areputting in place all the necessary measures so that people can feel confident about their own safety, about having minimized the risks as they get back to work. That’s why we put that as one ofthe fundamental principles that needs to be in place before any sector talks about reopening theeconomy. That was part of the principles agreed to by the provinces and the federal government on relaunching our economy. [voice of interpreter]

Follow-up?

Reporter:

[indiscernible] talking about specific conditions that have to be in place and that workplaces have to be safe, but how can you determine whether a workplace issafe? My question again: can someone determine this on their own personal perception that they are not safe in their workplace, for example, a daycare centre, and will the government decide to allow those people to receive the response benefit?

Prime Minister Trudeau:

Well, I think as is the case with any situation, depending on the different cases, the government will have things to say about the specific needs of certain sectors or industries, but we also know that in some cases, and that certainly applies to someone who is caring for a senior at home and feels particularly vulnerable, or has a pre-existing medical condition, there the levels of protection that are needed may vary from case to case, and we will all have to be very attentive to those realities andbe reasonable in order to ensurethat the proper measures are in place to protect people.

Reporter:

Radio-Canada. There will be a recovery, an economic recovery in Canada at some point, and are there certain sectors of the economy that will need more support, andwill you take advantage of that recovery to transform the canadian economy?

Prime Minister Trudeau:

Well, certainly we will be gradually reopening the Canadian economy in many sectors right across thecountry, but at the same time we will have to reflect on how that recovery should happen to ensure that people are safe because COVID-19 will still be with us. But I think we also realize that there are both challenges and advantages in working at home, and I think we may have to invest more in digital technology and do things a bit more quickly in that area than before. We will also have to focus on the fight against climate change, and that will allow us to do more in some sectors of the economy. So I think it is important to think now about what the economy will look like two years from now or ten years from now and to start working on that. But at the same time, what we want especially is to, again, create prosperity for Canadians.

Reporter:

Now we saw in the numbers this morning that young people are particularly affected by job losses. Will you be extending the benefit for students?

Prime Minister Trudeau:

Now we have already planned for that support for students to continue until August. Normally students, when they finish their university or college year, get a job for the summer so that they have money to pay their tuition or meet their own personal needs during the school year. So the student assistance benefit is there to replace the thousands of jobs that simply will not be there for young people this summer, and we know that young people want to work and will be looking among the jobs that are being created through the summer jobs program and the new programs that have been created in such jobs in vulnerable sectors, but we want to help students to continue until September and beyond. [ end of interpretation ]

Reporter:

Just like to ask you about the jobs numbers again. You were talking about how some groups were getting his dies proportionately hard, thinking women and young people. What can the government do as the recovery begins to make sure that these groups aren’t permanently set back?

Prime Minister Trudeau:

I think the idea of permanent challenges is particularly poignant for young people where we know that a summer without work experience, a summer where they are struggling to pay their groceries or their rent is a significant setback in their March towards economic independence and successful outcomes after their schooling. That’s why we put in place the Canada emergency student benefit, to help them this summer make sure that there aren’t long-term impacts. On women particularly that we seen have been extremely impacted by this economic challenge, as well as the healthchallenge, we have moved forwardon supports for them, particularly more emergency supports for women who are facing challenges of domestic violence. But at the same time, we know wehave to do more. The importance of child care hasbeen yet again emphasized that as we move towards an economic re-starting, there needs to be more and secure child care spaces for people to get back into the workforce. These are the kinds of things that we’re going to have to think about, both in the immediate but also for the longer term, to make sure that equality in this country is morethan just a goal but is a concrete reality. [voice of interpreter]I think there are a lot of concerns we all have about the future years, and groups like young people and women could suffer the negative consequencesof this crisis for many years, much longer than others. and that’s precisely why we introduced the emergency studentbenefit which will support students this summer until the end of August so that they can continue their studies without feeling too much of an impact ofthis crisis, and also creating more job opportunities so that many of them can gain the necessary experience that will be very helpful in the coming years. With respect to women, we know that there is always more to do to create a fairer society. We know that there needs to be more help for shelters and otherfacilities that help the victimsof domestic violence. We have already provided assistance, but there’s more to be done. Now when it comes to daycare centres, of course they are veryimportant to Canada’s recovery, and particularly important to families and women, and that’s why we’re looking exactly now atwhat we can do this. [ end of interpretation ]

Reporter:

– in toronto the ttc has been making historic cuts to its service because of the pandemic. Transit groups have been callingon the federal government to provide emergency funding to getemergency or essential workers to their jobs. is that something that the government could look at?

Prime Minister Trudeau:

This government has made historic investments in transit over the past years. We recognize that public transit is an essential part of growing the economy, of helping our cities, and mostly helping people be able to get to work from home in a reliable way. That’s why we believe so deeply in transit. Operation of transit is more of a municipal and provincial responsibility, and we hope to see the provinces stepping up on supporting this essential element of the economic relaunch. People are gonna need to be able to get to and from work as we want to get the economy going again. But the federal government is always looking to be a partner in helping out in terms of economic relaunch, wherever we can.

Reporter:

Prime Minister, Rachel Hines from CTV national news. Last week you were saying that help is coming for seniors. They have been asking for the last few weeks where the help for them is. You’re talking about the Canada emergency response benefit, which gives $2, 000 to people who you say need it most. But seniors are still vulnerable, and they still need to pay their rent and their groceries, and they are saying that the government programs that they receive still don’t add up to $2, 000. So why do some people deserve $2, 000 from the government and other people don’t?

Prime Minister Trudeau:

First of all, we have worked very, very hard to help all Canadians with replacement of income that has been lost during this. We knew that workers who were expecting to get a paycheque to pay for their groceries and rent and suddenly because of COVID-19lost their job, and there were millions of them, as we saw in the recent job numbers today, needed to get that income replacement, and we did that with the Canada emergency response benefit. Seniors, many of whom are on fixed incomes, did not see that disappearance of their income atthe same time, although some did, and many qualify for the CERB, even as seniors, and therefore are getting the support. At the same time, however, we recognize that there are additional costs and additional vulnerabilities that seniors have been facing, and that’s whywe have made investments, whether it’s through increasing the gst supplement that hits many, many vulnerable seniors, whether it’s through new programs that are supporting seniors in vulnerable situations. and like I said, we’ll have moreto say very soon on how we continue to support the seniors who built us this extraordinary country and to whom we owe so much thanks. [voice of interpreter]our priority right from the outset has been to replace the income of people who had suddenly lost their jobs becauseof COVID-19. These were people who expected to receive a paycheque in order to pay for their groceries or pay their rent, and so we came forward quickly with measures such as the Canada emergency response benefit, some 7 millioncanadians are now receiving thatbenefit, and it is urgent and essential that they have it. Now for the seniors, there are anumber who will also qualify forthat emergency benefit because they have work income, but even if they have not lost their pension or their fixed income, they are having to absorb more costs because of COVID-19, and that’s why we have brought in measures that will have an impact on them. Whether it is additional gst payments or specific programs that support them, we are there to support them, and we will continue to be there for them, and we will have other announcements to make in the coming days as to how we will provide special support to our particularly vulnerable seniors who are going through difficult times, both in terms of the economy and their health.

Reporter:

a few minutes ago in response to a colleague’s question, you said that people don’t have to go back to work if they don’t feel safe there. Yesterday workers outside of thecargill meat plant, which is the largest outbreak in Canada, are saying that they don’t feel safe going to work, even though their employers are saying that they’ve put measures in place. Should these workers be staying home, and what do you say to them if they are not feeling safe?

Prime Minister Trudeau:

I’m not going to weigh in on specific cases in provincial jurisdiction, but I will say that it is a well-established principle in Canada and a hallmark of our values as a country that no one should be asked to work in unsafe conditions. That applies during a pandemic as well. We have put in many measures across various industries to minimize the risk, particularly around essential work, but we’regonna have to be very careful to ensure that we’re doing what we need to do right across the country. Businesses, orders of governments and all Canadians to ensure the safety of the people who are working to provide for the rest of us.

Reporter:

Good morning, Prime Minister. Brian Mullen, global news. Taiwan has donated 500, 000 surgical masks needed by Canadian health care workers on the front lines of the pandemic. Your foreign Minister wouldn’t thank the country by name. Would you?

Prime Minister Trudeau:

I’m happy to thank Taiwan for its generous donation. It is important at this point that Canadians and all people around the world pull together to be there for each other because this is a global challenge that is going to face a global response. We need to do this together and we will.

Reporter:

The former Prime Minister of Australia, Malcolm turnbull, says china is a bully and that the way for Canada to deal with china is to stand up for it instead of backing down. is your government standing up to china or is it backing away from china?

Prime Minister Trudeau:

My responsibility as prime minister is to make sure that we are providing for Canadians and keeping Canadians safe. That’s the job people expect me to do, and that is exactly what I’m doing. We’re gonna ensure that Canadians have the equipment, the supplies, the support they need to make it through this pandemic. Of course at the same time we will be asking difficult questions about how we’re making it through this pandemic, how this came to happen, how we can learn from this. There will be plenty of time for questions in the months to come. My focus rightly is on doing everything I can to help Canadians through this.

[indiscernible].