Indeed, and I withdraw any remark I made that would have disparaged the good intentions of anyone on this committee, but indeed, it is what this study is about. This study is about the pandemic spending. It is about the different programs and measures that the government put together very quickly in a period of crisis to address the many sectors that were affected by the pandemic and certainly the measures that were taken to control the pandemic, which of course was the economic lockdown. That is indeed in the very title of the motion that is before us here. It's a meeting requested by four members of the committee to discuss their request for further documents and testimony in relation to the study concerning questions of conflict of interest and lobbying in relation to pandemic spending. That's in the Standing Order 106(4) motion that we are discussing here today.
I would like to continue with the remarks that I want to make regarding the pandemic spending, the measures that were taken and the fact that it was all hands on deck for the staff, public servants and parliamentarians of all stripes. If you recall, it seems like eons ago, but we were all hands on deck consulting with each other and trying to put those measures in place. Who would have thought at that time that we would be here today where we actually are delivering vaccines and vaccines are getting into arms?
That's why I could understand that the Conservative Party would talk about the importance of jobs and vaccines. This was very important. They completely dropped the WE study. I'd like to reassure the Conservative members that the latest job numbers look great, that the vaccine deliveries are continuing, not only as scheduled but better than scheduled. The numbers recently released by Statistics Canada reveal that Canadians recovered more than 259,000 jobs in February alone. The national unemployment rate fell to 8.2%. This is the lowest level since March 2020, at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. These figures blew past expectations of a gain of 75,000 jobs and an unemployment rate of 9.2%.
This government's plan to help Canadians and Canadian businesses is working, and the numbers show it, despite what Mr. Poilievre and others in his party want to make us believe.
My colleagues don't need to take it from me. Let me share two quotes while we're on this subject.
The International Monetary Fund said last week about Canada's economy:
Public health policies and spending were instrumental in containing the initial spread of the virus.