Madam Speaker, it is a pleasure to speak today, in virtual Parliament, to the throne speech. A year ago, I never really thought I would be in my home office in Mary's Harbour in rural northern Canada, in the wonderful riding of Labrador, or in any other community, logging in to the House of Commons to participate in parliamentary debates and votes. From that perspective, I think we have done well as a Parliament to ensure that parliamentarians' voices are being heard and that there is full participation.
In spite of COVID-19 and its horrible impact on people's lives, with the wake of tragedy and devastation that it has left for so many families, it has prompted a renewed defence in protecting our health, communities and country. We have all been forced to become more self-sufficient and resilient in the fight against COVID-19. It has also brought many of us together as Canadians and allowed us to comfort each other while modernizing the future for all Canadians.
The Speech from the Throne is being debated today in the House of Commons. There are many, on certain sides of the House, who really believe that the Government of Canada is not going far enough in our programs and support for Canadians. There are others who feel we have gone way too far.
I believe we have been fair and responsible in looking after Canadians at a time when they have needed it most. I really believe that our government has set out priorities that not only will assist Canadians today as we make our way through this pandemic, but will allow us to assist Canadians into the future and allow Canadians to move forward. In these uncertain and unprecedented times, there is no blueprint for what we are dealing with today in this country. There is no blueprint to show us a direction for the future.
Our government has listened to Canadians. We have been attentive and focused, and we have been listening to what our constituents are telling us. We know we must have a strong defence to protect our health and help Canadians, not just in weathering the pandemic, but also in weathering that which lays ahead in the future.
We are doing that by providing for the supports they need now and by laying down a concrete plan to build back better after this is over. We know that we must bridge the social and economic gaps that this pandemic has shown us. For many marginal groups, such as women, northerners, indigenous and rural Canadians, to name just a few, we know that those economic gaps have been glaring. We know that more is required if we are to build back better and address those particular gaps in society.
From the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, our government, the Prime Minister, cabinet and all MPs have been out there supporting Canadians who needed it most. This was done through the Canada emergency response benefit, for example. Because of it, over nine million Canadians were able to weather the financial hardship that was brought on by this pandemic. Many of my own constituents would not have come through these last number of months, some with even a roof over their heads, without the Canada emergency response benefit, so I know personally and first-hand from my own constituents how much this program benefited them.
We increased funding to the new horizons for seniors program, which helped deliver essential services and goods to the elderly in isolation and helped them improve their community supports. We did this so there would be better outreach to seniors and so that individuals would stay connected with their loved ones in their communities.
I know that through the emergency community support fund, there were so many community organizations, like the Labrador West Food Bank, Libra House, a crisis shelter for women and children in Goose Bay, the Transition House in Nain, in Nunatsiavut, and so many others across my riding, that were able to access funding so they could provide vital resources and social programs amidst all of these challenges and what was happening during the pandemic.
In fact, we have invested in every women's shelter and food bank across Labrador, in both indigenous and non-indigenous communities, and we did that because we knew the demand was there. We knew there was a gap and it was evident that support from the federal government was going to assist those who were most vulnerable. We knew it was imperative for our government to act and, therefore, we acted.
When we look at communities like Nain and Hopedale, first nations communities like Natuashish and Sheshatshiu or communities in the south of Labrador like Cartwright to West St. Modeste and all communities surrounding it, we saw programs and investments in all of these communities that were able to help residents through these last seven months.
Since March, our government has listened to the advice of Canada's top health and science professionals and we knew it was important that we follow direction from the experts among us. We needed to ensure that our heroic front-line workers were provided with the necessary equipment they needed to do their jobs and provide all Canadians with the most up-to-date information on how to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in our communities and support residents during this difficult time.
We have made tremendous progress as a country already. We are already more resilient in our personal protective equipment and the manufacturing that goes with it. We are more effective in our distribution. All of these things have drastically improved since 2019. This pandemic brought out the resilience in both individuals and businesses to fight this pandemic together.
As a government, we implemented historic economic and social programs to financially support individual Canadians and businesses across the country. We know that, in many ridings, Canadians would have lost their homes or businesses. There are still some who may lose those important assets that are essential to their lives, along with losing their jobs. However, we know that without the federal government stepping up with the supports that it has, it could have been a lot more drastic. It will be more drastic if the government does not continue to do so.
The Prime Minister connected with Canadians individually and responded to their needs. Whether it was the Canada emergency wage subsidy, the Canada emergency commercial rent assistance program, the Canada emergency business account, student programs, additional top-ups to GST, disability benefits for those who needed it, additional benefits under the child tax benefit program, they have all helped offset what has been a very difficult and challenging time financially, socially and economically for citizens in this country and many across my riding who I know very well.
Not only that, our government worked hard. We worked with provinces and territories to fund wage top-ups for front-line workers. I think about all of the workers out there today who kept their doors open while we stayed home to stop the spread of this virus. They continued to work hard every day in the midst of a pandemic to ensure that there was first response, there were essential health care services and there was food security for those who needed it. Many caregivers worked on the front lines and in seniors homes. We will be forever grateful for the work they do and that they braved this pandemic to provide the services that so many Canadians were dependent upon. In my own riding, I have seen it, community to community. I have seen the determination and willpower of workers on the front lines.
I have seen so many people make tremendous sacrifices so they could be there to serve other Canadians and others in our communities at a time when they needed it most. For those people, I will always be grateful. They will always have my undivided thanks and gratitude.
We talk about our seniors and how they have braved their way through this. I want to do a shout-out to them. I know it has not been easy, but with the support of loving and caring families, very caring and kind communities, and so many service providers, we are all working together to get through this.
In this pandemic, we also recognized the disparity that exists in food security and medical care in northern, Inuit, indigenous, first nations and Métis communities across Canada. We invested millions of dollars in the distinctions-based indigenous community support fund. We know that, without it, indigenous communities across Canada would have been left very ill-prepared to fight this pandemic.
We invested in first-time subsidies to help with heating costs, preparing emergency shelters and medical preparedness plans in case of an outbreak in indigenous communities in northern regions. We were there to step up and assist them every step of the way, and we are still there today. We are not going anywhere.
We will see Canadians through this pandemic, and we may have to do it with kicking and screaming from some of our colleagues in the House of Commons. Canadians will not be left behind. They will have the supports and the services that they need to fight this.
For example, we looked at specific sectors, like the oil industry in Newfoundland and Labrador, where we have just invested over $380 million to help support the industry and to create and maintain thousands of jobs in the oil sector in the province. We invested in Canada's fishing sector. We worked with those in the industry who were impacted from a financial perspective. We—