The federal government has struck a deal with opposition parties to approve a massive $73-billion wage subsidy program for businesses and workers in Canada.
The program is aimed at helping struggling businesses survive the economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Photo credit: The Canadian Press
Passage of legislation needed to implement the program was assured after Conservatives dropped their attempt to tie the bill to the longer-term question of how Parliament should function in the midst of a national health crisis.
The program will provide companies that have experienced a 15% drop in revenues since March 15 with a 75% wage subsidy for each employee.
NDP leader Jagmeet Singh, who has been pushing for a universal benefit for all Canadians, said the motion seeking unanimous consent for the wage subsidy will also include a guarantee that the government will close some of the gaps that have left some Canadians without any help.
And added that he still wants Trudeau to go further and drop all the eligibility criteria for the CERB.
Andrew Scheer said that the Conservative party had won some improvements to the bill over the past week of negotiations, and that their support for the wage subsidy was never dependent on settling the matter of how or when Parliament should sit going forward.
Scheer argued that the work of opposition parties to improve the legislation demonstrates how important it is to have the Commons sitting regularly so that the government can be held to account.
“This shows that during times of crisis, Parliament needs to play its role,” he said.
Scheer reiterated his party’s contention that the Commons should sit — with reduced numbers — four days a week.
Trudeau has said that in-person sittings present a health risk for Commons administration and staff at a time when all Canadians are being urged to stay home to curb the spread of the deadly virus.
The Liberals have been promoting the idea of virtual sittings of Parliament.
The Commons administration has been instructed to consult with experts about the logistics and technology required for virtual sittings. The goal is to have that set up within four weeks.
Singh said he’s open to discussing either virtual sittings or “limited” in-person sittings, and Bloc Quebecois Leader Yves-Francois Blanchet said he would never agree to in-person sittings.
