Canada’s COVID-19 response

As COVID-19 continues to spread, we are taking every precaution to minimize the health, economic, and social impacts of the virus in Canada. And today, we announced a billion-dollar COVID-19 Response Fund to address the impacts of the virus on our country and to keep you safe.

This fund will provide money to the provinces and territories to support our health care system. That’s more money for surgical masks, face shields, testing, and equipment they need to address the outbreak. It will also help fund vaccine development and support clinical trials.

On the economic front, we know the virus is having a disruptive impact on businesses, and on workers. No one should have to worry about their job if they have to be quarantined, and no employer should feel like they have to lay off a worker because of COVID-19. So to support workers, we will waive the mandatory one-week waiting period for Employment Insurance sickness benefits to kick in. And to help employers who are facing a downturn in business, we will enhance the Work-Sharing Program. 

This outbreak is also having an impact on the global economy. It’s affecting supply chains, commodity prices, our oil and gas sector, tourism, and more. But with a strong balance sheet and a resilient economy, Canada is well positioned to deal with these challenges.

We’re pulling out all the stops to deal with the impacts of COVID-19 - and we’re prepared to do more if needed.

Get the details on the additional measures announced today that will help support you and keep you safe: https://bit.ly/2UaYhKz