Mr. Chair, I'm pleased to acknowledge the tremendous efforts of Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke residents in keeping the COVID-19 virus at bay and out of the region.
So far there has been one death attributed to the virus. The few cases registered were brought into our area, which is a real concern in rural areas such as ours.
In my riding, people are afraid, but not of catching the virus. They are worried about having no job to return to. They are concerned about losing their homes. Family businesses already stressed by more government regulation and the carbon tax are now faced with the prospect of having to close their doors permanently.
In the absence of a federal budget and no plan to reopen the economy, the public has lost confidence in this government. Canadians know the longer the federal government keeps us in lockdown, the worse the coming recession will be.
It's time for democracy to resume and for Parliament to return.