Thank you, Mr. Chair.
It has broken my heart to hear about the many small businesses that have been completed decimated by the continued COVID restrictions and lockdowns. It's terribly frustrating to see our hard-working job creators and service workers who have been so hard hit and who continue to suffer due to the slow procurement and use of rapid tests and vaccines that could have provided a road to recovery much earlier.
Mr. Kelly, I'm hearing from business owners in my riding that if we have to wait until September for the government to finally stop telling Canadians to stay home, they will not be able to hang on. What's the expected loss of businesses and jobs if vaccinations are slow and we do not fully open up until September?