Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you for the invitation to participate in today's meeting with Graham Flack, Bob Hamilton and, of course, Michelle Kovacevic, my colleague at the Department of Finance.
Let me begin by welcoming the Auditor General's report. As Ms. Hogan noted in her report, the Canada emergency response benefit was rolled out in a matter of weeks and adjusted in real time to respond to a sudden and unpredictable crisis. This approach and the lessons learned will be a valuable model for future emergencies.
As you know, the CERB was introduced just after the various parts of Canada went into lockdown for the first time, to support Canadians who suddenly found themselves unable to work through no fault of their own.
I certainly credit our colleagues at Employment and Social Development Canada and the Canada Revenue Agency, who remarkably and very rapidly designed and administered a benefit that provided income support to millions of Canadians affected by the public health restrictions that we're still, in many cases, experiencing. This certainly helped to buffer the worst economic impacts of this health crisis.
Today the CERB has helped more than 8 million—