Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Kwe. Tawnshi. Greetings.
I want to begin by acknowledging that I am speaking to you from my office in Saint Boniface-Saint Vital, Treaty 1 territory, the traditional territory of the Anishinabe, Cree, Oji-Cree, Dakota, Dene and of course the homeland of the Métis nation, and a city that is now home to many Inuit.
Mr. Chair, I’m pleased to appear before this committee today with my colleagues, to give an update on the situation of the second wave of COVID-19 in the north and to contextualize what the Government of Canada is doing to assist indigenous communities and all northerners during the COVID-19 pandemic.
I have been in regular contact with territorial premiers and first nation, Inuit and Métis partners across the north. With the resurgence of COVID-19 we've seen in recent weeks, we are continuing to work with all partners to ensure the health and safety of all northerners, including taking necessary measures to respond to COVID-19.
The number of cases of COVID-19 in the north has been very limited, and that's not by accident. I commend the leadership and the hard work of the territorial governments and the indigenous leaders, who are keeping their communities safe during this pandemic.
We recognize that remote, isolated and northern communities have unique needs, and we continue to work in collaboration with territorial governments to respond to and prevent COVID-19.
In April, we provided the territories with more than $130 million of funding to address the immediate health, economic and transportation priorities related to the pandemic. From access to health services and supporting businesses and individuals to the continuation of the supply chains through air support and greater subsidies on essential items, we are taking actions to help northerners when they need it the most.
Earlier this summer, our government announced new measures to support essential air access to remote communities through bilateral agreements to ensure continuity of service for at least six months. This included establishing a $75-million funding program for our federal contribution for the first six months, which takes us to the end of the year, and maintaining these essential air services through an investment of up to $174 million over 18 months, if needed. We sincerely hope it's not needed. I commend Minister Garneau for his leadership on this initiative.
We also recognize the increased costs of many essential goods in the north and the increased financial pressures that many families are facing. That's why we provided an additional investment of $25 million to nutrition north Canada to increase the federal subsidy rate for essential items like food and personal hygiene products. We also expanded the subsidy list for all 116 northern communities eligible for nutrition north Canada, which also included cleaning products for personal hygiene that are necessary to keep people safe.
We also implemented the harvesters support grant, co-developed with indigenous partners, which helps with the high cost of traditional hunting and harvesting and helps to provide more traditional country food. We are also providing funding to community-led programs through food banks, breakfast clubs and the surplus food program. We recognize that the pandemic has had an impact on food security for families, and we are taking measures to support them.
We know that this pandemic has disproportionally affected some Canadians, and that's why we've rolled out a comprehensive support measure so that every Canadian gets the support they need. This includes enhancements to the Canada child benefit, direct financial support payments and investments to community organizations and mental health services.
For workers, we introduced the Canada emergency response benefit, which provided temporary financial support for Canadians who stopped working because of COVID. For businesses, we provided $15 million in emergency funding through CanNor to meet their challenges, as well as an additional $34 million dedicated through the regional relief and recovery fund, through CanNor, assisting businesses across all industries in the north, including the medical, hospitality and national resource industry. So far, these investments have helped to support more than 450 businesses across the north.
We also recognize the need to increase access to high-speed broadband in rural and remote communities. We are committed to accelerating the connectivity timelines and ambitions of the universal broadband fund.
We know this is a difficult time. We will continue to support Canadians who need help during this pandemic.
Meegwetch. Marsi. Nakurmiik.
Thank you.