Supporting each other during these trying times
The COVID-19 pandemic has created an unparalleled test for Canadians, bringing sweeping changes to every facet of our lives. From public health measures keeping us from our loved ones to widespread business closures and layoffs threatening our livelihoods, the last six months have shown just how important it is to come together to support each other during these trying times.
It’s now clear that the impacts of COVID-19 will be felt for generations, and that we can no longer walk the same road we first mapped out less than a year ago. In order to rebuild a stronger Canada and ensure the safety of Canadians, we must look to the future and take bold action.
On September 23, during the Speech from the Throne, the Governor General revealed the four foundations of our government’s plan to build back better together.
The first foundation of this plan is to fight the pandemic and save lives by doing everything we can to protect Canadians’ health. This will include creating a federal Testing Assistance Response Team to meet surge testing demands, efforts to deploy faster tests as soon as they are approved in Canada, and targeted financial support for businesses that have to shut down due to a local health order. We also stand ready to keep building domestic PPE capacity while securing more future vaccine candidates, so that every Canadian has access to treatment once it is available.
The second pillar of the Speech from the Throne is to do whatever it takes to support Canadians and businesses through this crisis for as long as it lasts. To rebuild from job losses and strengthen our economy, we will launch a campaign to create more than a million jobs, extend the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy to next summer, rebuild an EI system that works for all Canadians, and introduce further support for industries that have been hit the hardest, including travel and tourism, hospitality and cultural industries like the performing arts.
Furthermore, the pandemic has also deepened pre-existing inequalities affecting women, who largely shoulder the burden of unpaid care work at home. To combat this challenge, we will be creating a new action plan to help more women get back into the workforce and ensure a feminist intersectional response to our economic recovery.
The third foundation of the pillar is to Build Back Better, creating a stronger and more resilient Canada. By continuing our efforts to strengthen the middle class and help people working hard to join it, we will address gaps in our social systems, invest in health care, and build a stronger workforce. Our government also recognizes that building back better means creating a more sustainable future for the next generation. Our long-term competitiveness strategy will focus heavily on clean growth, while addressing the issues that matter most to Canadians like climate change.
The final foundation of our plan is to continue shaping the Canada that defends our shared values. Here in Canada, we take care of one another. Together, there is more work to do to achieve progress on gender equality, walk the road to reconciliation, and address systemic racism. We will stand up for the values that define our country, from embracing our two official languages, celebrating the contributions of LGBTQ2 communities, and welcoming newcomers and supporting family reunification.
As always, if my team can be of any assistance to you or your family, please do not hesitate to send us an email at gary.anand@parl.gc.ca or give us a call at 416-283-1414.
We will get through this together.