Federal government providing funding to provinces to help them restart their economies
Published June 5, 2020 at 4:55 pm
At a June 5 press conference, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke out about “disturbing” reports of police misconduct in Canada and said that he will be discussing the events and ways to address systemic racism during upcoming meetings with cabinet and the RCMP commissioner.
Trudeau also said the federal government is offering $14 billion to the provincial and territorial governments for measures to keep COVID-19 at bay as they gradually reopen their economies.
Adding that Canadians have sacrificed too much to allow a mishandled resumption of economic activity to eliminate the progress against the disease, he said everyone in Canada needs the same tools but local situations vary and the provincial and territorial governments “have a very clear idea” of what is needed.
Trudeau said the funding can be used to buy personal protective equipment for front-line health workers, for child care facilities to be able to reopen safely, and for municipal governments to help keep city services like transit running.
There will also be funds for workers to get up to 10 days of paid sick leave if they don’t already have such benefits.
How the money is distributed will depend on reaching what Trudeau calls a “safe-restart agreement” between the federal government and each province or territory.
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At the press conference, Trudeau also promised a one time, non-taxable payment of $600 for Canadians with disabilities to help them pay for unexpected expenses during the COVID-19 crisis.
With files from The Canadian Press
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