Mr. Speaker, by October 1970, 50 years ago, Quebec had for several years been experiencing major social tension that culminated in the murder of Quebec's deputy premier and labour minister, Pierre Laporte. Those tensions left their mark on Quebec's recent history.
On October 16, 1970, the federal government invoked the War Measures Act in response to requests for help from Quebec's premier and the mayor of Montreal, who needed help managing the crisis situation at the time.
In the 1970s, I was in my 20s. I was a teacher at Curé-Antoine-Labelle high school in Laval. I distinctly remember all those moments that left their mark on our history and our collective memory.
Today, every one of us has a duty to remember those events to ensure that we never again express our political demands violently in Quebec. We have to look at history head on and not forget it or distort it. Rewriting it is wrong. We have to tell the story as it is with both its highs and its lows.
As members of the House of Commons, it is our duty to help bring the nation together over these deeply sensitive issues. Right now, Quebec and Canada are going through some tough times, and we need to focus on protecting our people. Quebeckers and Canadians deserve better.
Rewriting history in the midst of a global pandemic is quite simply irresponsible. We must work together and act honourably to protect Quebeckers and Canadians and help our businesses through this crisis. That is exactly what our government is doing, and we urge all parties in the House to find constructive ways to help.
We are committed to keeping Quebeckers and Canadians safe. That is why we are working hard to develop bold plans that will help us conquer this pandemic. I want to take this opportunity to talk a little more about the assistance available to Quebeckers and Canadians since the beginning of this crisis.
In March, while COVID-19 cases were starting to rise at alarming rates across the country, all levels of government took drastic measures to control the virus. The federal government launched Canada's COVID-19 economic response plan. This plan is the largest and most comprehensive investment in times of peace in Canada's history. It represents 15% of our GDP in direct support.
More than 3.7 million Canadians were able to keep their jobs thanks to the Canada emergency wage benefit, which has paid out nearly $44 billion as of mid-October, a number that continues to rise. Nearly 9 million Canadians were able to pay rent and put food on the table thanks to the Canada emergency response benefit.
On October 22—