Mr. Chair, thank you for the invitation and for this opportunity to speak to your committee today.
The Fédération des travailleurs et travailleuses du Québec, or FTQ, represents 600,000 people in Quebec.
These are extraordinary circumstances, and the federal government's response was just as extraordinary, in light of the financial commitment made by the government. Although we ultimately got off to a slow start, the scope of the measures announced is quite significant.
The health crisis has been a compelling example of the key role the state has in not only protecting, but also developing and coordinating any collective action.
We've been hearing much about the dedication and skill of health care workers since the beginning of the health crisis, but we cannot forget that the public servants working on developing and implementing the measures are a major force, and their skills and ability to mobilize are critical assets. This will continue to be important as we emerge from the crisis.
I repeat: both the private sector and the public sector must be involved in the recovery. Our country's recovery will require a government that implements meaningful public policy and measures that are up to the task. We must avoid the temptation to lower taxes in order to stimulate the economy.
We are in the early stages of reopening. We are looking at the short term, but the recovery will happen in the medium and long term. The country will need a lot of things. It will, for example, need the government to fast-track infrastructure projects for public transit and active transportation by improving and fast-tracking support for measures that affect transit companies. Just as importantly, the government will have to invest massively and quickly in developing active transportation infrastructure. I should point out that investments in public transit create three times as many jobs and economic spinoffs than investments in the road system. That's why we think it's important to focus on mobility when investing in infrastructure.
The government should also fast-track investments to maintain existing roads instead of expanding them. In Quebec, the consensus is that new investments in the road system should be focused on maintenance and not increased capacity.
The government will also have to implement an intermodal freight strategy focused on reducing deadheading, optimizing routes and transitioning to rail and maritime transportation.
We want a strong economy. We think that the recovery is a great opportunity to move forward with a fairer transition in response to climate change and technological advances, such as robotics, automatization and artificial intelligence.
I also want to talk about employment insurance, since the COVID-19 pandemic crisis has shown the limits of this complex program. It is a massive bureaucratic and administrative machine that is judicialized and is becoming increasingly automated. From the first week of isolation, it became clear that the administrative machine had grinded to a halt and could not meet the increased number of applications. We spoke about this quickly, but nearly three million applications were made at once.
The massive number of newly unemployed workers forced the federal government to implement simplified, temporary administrative measures in order to quickly issue emergency benefits to people who had lost their jobs as a result of the COVID-19 health crisis.
When the Canada emergency response benefit, or CERB, expires, workers who cannot return to their jobs will have to rely on EI to for an income. The threat of a second wave makes the regime vulnerable.
We welcome eliminating red tape associated with EI and overall improvements to the regime. There is no denying that this system has become a necessity. I want to reiterate that the FTQ is willing to work with the government to develop a faster and simpler appeal process that is better suited to claimants' needs. Processing measures also need to be streamlined and be made faster and more efficient.
I'll conclude with a few words about culture and the media. This sector will need special attention. Every week we hear about media outlets closing and disappearing across the country.
The tourism, hotel and restaurant industries are also seriously affected. These sectors have been hit hard—extremely hard—much like the culture and media industries. These sectors are expected to suffer the effects for longer, compared to many other sectors. These industries will need special attention and exceptional support from the government to get back on their feet.
I'm happy to take your questions.