Thank you.
You bring up an excellent point.
We saw after the first lockdown that the wage subsidy program, for example, helped about 50% of businesses, which are using it hire back about half of their workforces.
What we're seeing on the ground right now is very different from the message that's being presented to Canadians by the government in its being very cautious about rolling back restrictions. Maybe we could have some outdoor activities this summer. For indoor activities, we have to wait until the fall. However, at the same time, we're starting to taper back these programs that are so critical to helping businesses survive.
Without a question, these programs are excellent. The government did a phenomenal job of getting them out quickly, adapting them in response to what has been happening on the ground, getting all parliamentarians voting in favour of them and getting them implemented very quickly.
They work. We know they work. As you mentioned, organization after organization has come before you to say the same thing: that these really need to be maintained at their current rates through to the fall and probably even beyond for the hardest hit sectors that have that longer runway of recovery because they will see restrictions lifted at the very end of the pandemic. Absolutely, these rates need to be maintained. Without that, we'll see thousands more businesses close and millions of jobs lost.