Certainly one of the main things CERB showed us was that it is possible to orchestrate broad-based income support quickly and nimbly from the federal level. It's something that has been debated for some time. Even without pre-planning, we could get that funding very quickly into the hands of Canadians who needed it.
I think what worked well for those who were targeted specifically by CERB could work at least as well for those who perhaps did not qualify. We know that many others found themselves impacted by the pandemic, but not directly because of job loss. There are many people and many types of circumstances into the future that we maybe can't predict, where the economy or people's lives can be thrown into disruption and they find themselves living on the streets or living in poverty.
Taking that kind of approach but asking how we can make it more inclusive and potentially simplify or even replace some of the more complex systems that have been put in place is something to do, I think, in consultation with provinces and territories to see how we can harmonize this.
The reality is that over time we've been seeing the tremendous role of government in being able to provide those kinds of supports for citizens. Over time we've cobbled together improvements to social services and programs. At some point, it becomes so overly complex that it becomes difficult for individuals sometimes to even know they qualify for an existing program or service or have the means to get at it and they don't quite qualify. It costs a lot to administer that kind of system and it ends up not actually meeting the needs of many.
In short, yes, we've learned that a simplified program that can meet the needs of families and individuals who are affected by all kinds of crises is possible and can work.